Back on Dec. 14, 2024, the NHL announced that starting Dec. 30, 2024, they would announce and celebrate All Quarter-Century teams for all 32 NHL franchises. The announcements would come on different days, starting the day before the NHL Discover Winter Classic and continuing through Jan. 31.
The first two teams announced, of course, were the two teams participating in the Winter Classic: the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks. Since then, 11 more have been announced with two more to follow. After those two, the Boston Bruins will announce their Quarter-Century Team on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
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On Tuesday, the Bruins will announce both the First and the Second Quarter-Century Teams. Those determining the members of this team consist of former players, media members, and team executives. Here’s who this reporter believes should make Boston’s All Quarter-Century Team.
Each team will be made up of three forwards, two defensemen, and one goaltender. First up, the First Team.
All Quarter-Century Team, First Team
Forwards (left-wing, center, right-wing): Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak
Defensemen (left to right): Charlie McAvoy, Ray Bourque
Goaltender: Tim Thomas
If you’re looking to make an All-Star roster NHL-wide, you could even start by just having this forward group together. This grouping is almost a no-brainer. Brad Marchand is the only one in this grouping still left from the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron relatively recently.
This group not only features championship pedigree, but it also contains three players who have worn the “C” on their jersey and at least one who could wear it after its current wearer (Marchand) decides to either retire or pass on the responsibilities to other deserving parties.
The only debatable part about this squad was who to put in the goaltender spot. After much internal debate, Tim Thomas became the choice for the first time due to his performance in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs and his ability to win that necessary fourth game in the Stanley Cup Final.
Adding Charlie McAvoy to this team may be a bold choice since he has only been in the NHL since the 2017-18 season, but since making his NHL debut, he has been consistently one of the best defensemen in the league on both ends of the puck, finishing multiple seasons with plus/minus ratings above plus-20.
All Quarter-Century Team, Second Team
Forwards (left-wing, center, right-wing): Sergei Samsonov, David Krejci, Jarome Iginla
Defensemen (left to right): Johnny Boychuk, Zdeno Chara
Goaltender: Tuukka Rask
This team was a bit harder to put together, seeing as there are so many good players who have passed through the Bruins’ organization but not stuck. With that said, this team is a bit of a mixture of players who, while they were very good, did not necessarily make the full impact that the First Team did for one reason or another.
Take Jarome Iginla, for instance. Iginla only played in Boston for one season, but it was still one of the best seasons of his storied career. However, then there is Sergei Samsonov, who scored 20-plus goals in four of his eight seasons with the Bruins. Finally, leaving Zdeno Chara off the First Team was an incredibly tough call. Not only is he a Stanley Cup Champion, but he also stands as the second-longest tenured captain in franchise history.
Goaltending was an easy call here. Boston has had two steady goaltenders in this quarter century thus far, made up of the aforementioned Thomas and Tuukka Rask. While the latter never won a championship on his own, he did make it to two more than Thomas did in his entire career, so perhaps the spots could be flip-flopped. The ability to win on his own, though, is what really makes the difference here.
Who Is Set to Release Their Squad Next?
Prior to the Bruins officially releasing their squad, two teams will be announced first. The first will be the Vegas Golden Knights and the second will be one of Boston’s rivals: the Philadelphia Flyers.
On the same day the Bruins are announced, they will be back in action at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning – puck drop from the TD Garden is at 7:00 p.m.
