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1926-27 Bruins
1926–27 Boston Bruins
Division 2nd American
1926–27 record 21-20-3
Goals for 97 (3rd)
Goals against 89 (4th)
Team information
General manager Art Ross
Coach Art Ross
Captain Lionel Hitchman
Arena Boston Arena
Team leaders
Goals Harry Oliver (18)
Assists Percy Galbraith (8)
Points Harry Oliver (24)
Penalty minutes Eddie Shore (130)
Wins Hal Winkler (12)
Goals against average Hal Winkler (1.66)

The 1926–27 Boston Bruins season was the team's 3rd in the NHL. The Bruins finished 2nd in the American Division, making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The team competed in the 1927 Stanley Cup Finals, the first to be held exclusively between NHL teams, losing to the Ottawa Senators 2 games to 0.

Regular Season[]

Eddie Shore-2nd bear jersey

Eddie Shore sporting the Bruins 2nd bear jersey.

To begin the season, the Bruins introduced a new jersey with a redesigned bear and modified striping on the body. The primary colour was still white with secondary brown and gold trim. These jerseys would be worn for the next six years.

The collapse of the Western Hockey League not only placed the Stanley Cup in the exclusive control of the NHL, but also resulted in a flood of skilled players bolstering NHL rosters, allowing not only for three new expansion franchises (the New York Rangers, the Chicago Black Hawks and the Detroit Cougars) but providing the Bruins a complete overhaul of their roster. Goaltender Hal Winkler came from the Calgary Tigers and replaced holdover Doc Stewart in net, while Calgary scoring star Harry Oliver would lead the Bruins in scoring. From the Edmonton Eskimos came two players: star scorer Duke Keats and the real prize of the off-season, defenseman Eddie Shore, who in a Bruins' uniform would be one of the great players in hockey history. Another find would be Percy Galbraith, who joined the Bruins after a long career in the senior leagues.

With ten teams, the NHL realigned into two divisions, placing the Bruins in the new American Division with the Black Hawks, the Cougars, the Rangers and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Shore made an impact early, both as a rushing defenseman and as an enforcer, provoking the ire of the Montreal Maroons in a December 23 game in which he and Sprague Cleghorn both slashed repeatedly at Maroons' star Nels Stewart, who ran Bruins goalie Charles Stewart. Nels Stewart lost a tooth and picked up a major penalty, Shore received a major and a $15 fine and Cleghorn was not penalized. The game stopped for 10 minutes while Charles Stewart recovered from a puck taken to the eye.

At the halfway point of the season, the Bruins were in third place behind Chicago. Despite performances such as Oliver's four goal night against the Black Hawks on January 11 (which was attended by only 6,000 fans due to a blizzard), the club executed a major overhaul in mid January, first dealing Carson Cooper to the Canadiens for Billy Boucher and purchasing Hal Winkler from the Rangers, and then trading Duke Keats, who seemed to have faded, for Frank Fredrickson at month's end. Fredrickson and Winkler paid immediate dividends, with the Icelander scoring four goals against the Rangers in his first game in a Boston uniform and Winkler supplanting Doc Stewart as the club's starting goaltender. Nonetheless, the Bruins still relied heavily on rough play, and Cleghorn and Billy Coutu were specifically cited by Toronto Maple Leafs governor Charlie Querrie when he resigned in February as being "only good for chopping and slashing."

Inconsistent play marred the end of the regular season, with the Bruins losing four out of their last seven matches, but they did well enough to secure their first playoff berth. With a combined 31 points between Detroit and Boston, Fredrickson finished fourth in the NHL in scoring with Oliver placing ninth, and Winkler had the fifth lowest goals against average of the league's goaltenders. Eddie Shore finished only three behind Nels Stewart as the league's most penalized player.

Numerous bonuses were given out at season's end to the team's players: $1,600 to Galbraith; $1,400 to Hitchman; $1,000 each to Shore, Oliver, Herberts and Cleghorn; $850 to Winkler; $750 to Fredrickson; $700 to Coutu; $300 each to Stuart and Boucher; and $250 each to Meeking and the team's trainer.

Final Standings[]

American Division
GP W L T GF GA PTS
New York Rangers 44 25 13 6 95 72 56
Boston Bruins 44 21 20 3 97 89 45
Chicago Black Hawks 44 19 22 3 115 116 41
Pittsburgh Pirates 44 15 26 3 79 108 33
Detroit Cougars 44 12 28 4 76 105 28

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against

Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


Game Log[]

1924 Logo Regular Season Results 1924 Logo
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 W November 16, 1926 4–1 Montreal Canadiens (1926–27) 1–0–0
2A W November 18, 1926 2–0 @ Detroit Cougars (1926–27) 2–0–0
3 L November 20, 1926 1–5 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1926–27) 2–1–0
4 L November 23, 1926 1–2 Montreal Maroons (1926–27) 2–2–0
5 L November 30, 1926 1–2 Ottawa Senators (1926–27) 2–3–0
6 W December 4, 1926 4–3 OT @ Pittsburgh Pirates (1926–27) 3–3–0
7 L December 7, 1926 0–1 New York Rangers (1926–27) 3–4–0
8 L December 12, 1926 1–2 OT @ New York Rangers (1926–27) 3–5–0
9 W December 14, 1926 7–2 Detroit Cougars (1926–27) 4–5–0
10 T December 16, 1926 2–2 OT @ Montreal Canadiens (1926–27) 4–5–1
11 W December 18, 1926 3–0 Pittsburgh Pirates (1926–27) 5–5–1
12 L December 21, 1926 3–5 Toronto Maple Leafs (1926–27) 5–6–1
13 W December 23, 1926 2–1 @ Montreal Maroons (1926–27) 6–6–1
14 W December 28, 1926 2–1 New York Americans (1926–27) 7–6–1
15 L December 30, 1926 1–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1926–27) 7–7–1
16 L January 2, 1927 0–3 @ New York Americans (1926–27) 7–8–1
17 W January 4, 1927 2–1 OT Ottawa Senators (1926–27) 8–8–1
18 L January 8, 1927 0–3 Montreal Maroons (1926–27) 8–9–1
19 W January 11, 1927 6–3 Chicago Black Hawks (1926–27) 9–9–1
20 L January 13, 1927 2–3 @ Detroit Cougars (1926–27) 9–10–1
21 L January 15, 1927 4–5 @ Ottawa Senators (1926–27) 9–11–1
22 W January 18, 1927 7–3 New York Rangers (1926–27) 10–11–1
23 T January 20, 1927 2–2 OT @ New York Rangers (1926–27) 10–11–2
24 T January 22, 1927 2–2 OT @ Chicago Black Hawks (1926–27) 10–11–3
25 W January 25, 1927 3–1 Pittsburgh Pirates (1926–27) 11–11–3
26 L January 29, 1927 0–2 @ Pittsburgh Pirates (1926–27) 11–12–3
27 W February 1, 1927 1–0 Toronto Maple Leafs (1926–27) 12–12–3
28 L February 5, 1927 0–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1926–27) 12–13–3
29 W February 8, 1927 2–0 Detroit Cougars (1926–27) 13–13–3
30 W February 12, 1927 3–2 @ Montreal Maroons (1926–27) 14–13–3
31 W February 15, 1927 3–0 Chicago Black Hawks (1926–27) 15–13–3
32 L February 20, 1927 1–3 @ New York Rangers (1926–27) 15–14–3
33 W February 22, 1927 3–2 Detroit Cougars (1926–27) 16–14–3
34 L February 26, 1927 0–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (1926–27) 16–15–3
35 L March 1, 1927 0–3 @ New York Americans (1926–27) 16–16–3
36 W March 5, 1927 5–0 New York Americans (1926–27) 17–16–3
37 W March 8, 1927 5–2 Pittsburgh Pirates (1926–27) 18–16–3
38 L March 13, 1927 0–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1926–27) 18–17–3
39 W March 15, 1927 2–1 OT @ Chicago Black Hawks (1926–27) 19–17–3
40 L March 17, 1927 0–1 @ Ottawa Senators (1926–27) 19–18–3
41 W March 19, 1927 3–1 @ Detroit Cougars (1926–27) 20–18–3
42 L March 22, 1927 0–1 Montreal Canadiens (1926–27) 20–19–3
43 L March 24, 1927 3–4 @ Pittsburgh Pirates (1926–27) 20–20–3
44 W March 26, 1927 4–3 OT New York Rangers (1926–27) 21–20–3

A - Played at Windsor, Ontario.[1]

Playoffs[]

The Bruins Harry Oliver and Percy Galbraith led all playoff scorers with 6 points each.

Boston Bruins 10, Chicago Black Hawks 5[]

The Bruins beat the Black Hawks on March 29 (in a game played in New York) 6-1, and tied 4-4 in Boston on the 31st, to win the two-game total-goal series ten goals to five. Bruins goalie Hal Winkler played the third period with his head bandaged after being hit with a high stick from one of the Hawks.

Boston Bruins 3, New York Rangers 1 (1 tie)[]

The Bruins second series was against the Rangers and was also a two game total-goal series. Game 1 in Boston ended in a scoreless tie and the Bruins won 3-1 on the 4th in New York to win three goals to one.

Ottawa Senators 2, Boston Bruins 0 (2 ties)[]

See 1927 Stanley Cup Finals.

The Stanley Cup finals, a best-of-five series, began in Boston on April 7, where the Bruins and Senators skated to a scoreless tie. Galbraith scored for Boston in the overtime, but the goal was ruled offside. After two overtime periods, the ice was so bad that league President Frank Calder declared the game a draw.

The second game in Boston on the 9th was won by Ottawa 3-1, as Boston allowed two shorthanded goals in a game marred by five power plays on Shore penalties alone.

On April 11, the series moved to Ottawa, and the teams played to another tie, 1-1. The final game was on April 13, won 3-1 by Ottawa, in a match marked by numerous fights in which several players received match penalties, fines and suspensions, and President Frank Calder was summoned to the ice to sort it all out. The most egregious act was Bruins Billy Coutu attacking the referee, for which he was the first NHL player to be expelled for life from the league.

The Stanley Cup win was the eleventh and final one for the original Ottawa Senators.

Player Stats[]

Regular Season[]

Scoring
# Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM
9 Oliver, HarryHarry Oliver RW 42 18 6 24 17
4 Herberts, JimmyJimmy Herberts C/RW 34 15 7 22 51
5 Fredrickson, FrankFrank Fredrickson C 28 14 7 21 33
2 Shore, EddieEddie Shore D 40 12 6 18 130
6 Galbraith, PercyPercy Galbraith LW/D 42 9 8 17 26
5 Keats, DukeDuke Keats C 17 4 7 11 20
3 Hitchman, LionelLionel Hitchman D 41 3 6 9 70
1 Cleghorn, SpragueSprague Cleghorn D 44 7 1 8 84
7 Boucher, BillyBilly Boucher RW 14 5 0 5 12
7 Cooper, CarsonCarson Cooper RW 10 4 0 4 0
12 Stuart, BillyBilly Stuart D 43 3 1 4 20
8 Briden, ArchieArchie Briden LW 16 2 2 4 8
10 Coutu, BillyBilly Coutu D 40 1 1 2 35
8 Meeking, HarryHarry Meeking LW 23 1 0 1 6
14 Cahill, CharlesCharles Cahill RW 1 0 0 0 0
11 Stewart, CharlesCharles Stewart G 21 0 0 0 0
17 Winkler, HalHal Winkler G 23 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Winkler, HalHal Winkler 1445 23 12 9 2 40 1.66 4
Stewart, CharlesCharles Stewart 1303 21 9 11 1 49 2.26 2
Team: 2748 44 21 20 3 89 1.94 6

Playoffs[]

Scoring
# Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM
9 Oliver, HarryHarry Oliver RW 8 4 2 6 4
6 Galbraith, PercyPercy Galbraith LW/D 8 3 3 6 2
5 Fredrickson, FrankFrank Fredrickson C 8 2 2 4 20
4 Herberts, JimmyJimmy Herberts C/RW 8 3 0 3 8
2 Shore, EddieEddie Shore D 8 1 1 2 40
10 Coutu, BillyBilly Coutu D 7 1 0 1 4
1 Cleghorn, SpragueSprague Cleghorn D 8 1 0 1 8
3 Hitchman, LionelLionel Hitchman D 8 1 0 1 31
8 Meeking, HarryHarry Meeking LW 7 0 0 0 0
7 Boucher, BillyBilly Boucher RW 8 0 0 0 2
12 Stuart, BillyBilly Stuart D 8 0 0 0 6
17 Winkler, HalHal Winkler G 8 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Winkler, HalHal Winkler 520 8 2 2 13 1.50 2
Team: 520 8 2 2 13 1.50 2

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts

Awards and Records[]

  • The Bruins did not win any awards this season.

Transactions[]

Farm Teams[]

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  • Coleman, Charles L. (1964), Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol I., Kendall-Hunt Publishing
  • Coleman, Charles L. (1969), Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol II., Sherbrooke: National Hockey League
  • Klein, Jeff Z. & Reif, Karl-Eric (1997), The Klein & Reif Hockey Compendium, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, ISBN 978-0-7710-4529-5
  • Vautour, Kevin (1997), The Bruins Book, Toronto: ECW Press, ISBN 978-1-55022-334-7
  1. Boston Globe, p.27 November 19, 1926.
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