To get it out of the way from the beginning: the Bruins’ “Historic 100” selection committee had an unenviable task and was always going to miss a few people.
After all, it’s pretty difficult to boil down a century of history and hundreds of players to a list of just 100.
(Now just imagine how hard it will be to turn that 100-skater list into a 20-person All-Centennial Team…the goalie decisions alone are enough to induce a shouting match.)
However, in reading through the list, there were a few players who were notable by omission – not necessarily because of eye-popping stats but because of roles or memorable moments that met the more intangible “legendary” criteria.
A list of the 100 best players in franchise history likely wouldn’t include the names below, but each of these guys had an impact in ways that (one could argue) meet the “legendary” criteria.
Just for fun, here are a few players who could have been added into the mix. There’s a heavy recency bias here, as I can only opine on players I’ve seen in my lifetime (sorry, 1930s Bruins).
P.J. Stock
Bruins stats: 130 GP, 1 goal, 12 assists, 13 points
I knew P.J. Stock wasn’t exactly an offensive dynamo, but the single goal over the course of three seasons made me laugh.
Stock was a cult hero during his time in Boston for two reasons: his left and right fists.
The pugilistic stock, standing at just 5′ 10″, was beloved in Boston for his willingness to mix it up regularly and took park in some famous scraps.
The most memorable of those was his ferocious fight with Stephen Peat of the Washington Capitals, who had a solid five inches and 30 pounds on Stock.
Stock not only hung in there, but seemed to deliver about 200 punches in 30 seconds.
That certainly wasn’t the only time Stock took on a bigger fighter, as he amassed 282 penalty minutes in his three Bruins seasons (while skating under six minutes per game).
Even today, 20 years after his Bruins career ended, you’ll still see an occasional “P.J. STOCK ASS-KICKER CREW” t-shirt at a Bruins game.
Bruins fans love their fighters, and Stock was one of the best in recent memory.
Marco Sturm
Bruins stats: 302 GP, 106 goals, 87 assists, 193 points
Marco Sturm was a speedy forward who had one of the all-time best goal faces – you could never tell if he was happy about scoring or really, really angry.
Acquired in the infamous Joe Thornton trade, Sturm put up some solid seasons during what you could call the formative years of the modern Bruins: he was in town for what was the last truly awful year for the Bruins, then left town a year before the B’s won the Stanley Cup.
Sturm had four 20+ goal seasons with the B’s, and two of those four were 25+ goal seasons.
In terms of legendary, Sturm had an assist and the game-winning goal in one of the most legendary Bruins games in recent history, known to Bruins fans simply as Game 6.
Michael Ryder
Bruins stats: 235 GP, 63 goals, 64 assists, 127 points
Ryder makes this list in large part because he played a big role on the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team.
He was only a Bruin for three seasons, but was a reliable scorer, nearly hitting 30 goals in the 2008-2009 season.
Ryder had 17 points in 25 games during the 2011 run, including three goals and three assists in the last five games of the Cup Final.
His most legendary moments came during and after that Cup run as well, including his remarkable glove save in Game 5 against Montreal, him denting the Stanley Cup during his celebration day, and him being in very red-eyed shape during the Bruins’ championship DVD.
Brian Rolston
Bruins stats: 359 GP, 104 goals, 147 assists, 251 points
Rolston is included here less for “legendary” status and more because he was a very good, probably underrated player for the Bruins in the early 2000s.
(His second stint in Boston in 2012 wasn’t bad either, even though it came at the end of his career: he recorded 15 points in 21 regular season games.)
Rolston’s first stint in Boston ranged from 2000-2004, during which he had 31- and 27-goal seasons back-to-back.
He was also a very good defensive forward: Rolston finished in the top ten in Selke voting in two of his first three full seasons as a Bruin.
Legendary? Maybe not, but a guy who probably deserves more recognition for his role on those early 2000s teams.
Gregory Campbell
Bruins stats: 358 GP, 39 goals, 52 assists, 91 points
A grinder and a penalty killer, Campbell was an important part of The Merlot Line, one of the more beloved fourth lines you’ll find at any NHL franchise.
While not as revered as fellow Merlot Man Shawn Thornton (who made the Historic 100 list), Campbell was an important player for the 2011 Stanley Cup team.
However, his most legendary contribution came during the Bruins’ failed 2013 Stanley Cup run, when he broke his leg blocking an Evgeni Malkin shot during a penalty kill in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against Pittsburgh.
Campbell stayed down only briefly before staggering to his feet, completing the penalty kill and eventually helping the Bruins clear the zone.
The game was tied at the time and was one the Bruins would go on to win en route to a sweep of the Penguins.
The play is one often cited as a prime example of sacrifice and toughness during the NHL playoffs and would likely be more revered had the Bruins gone on to win the Cup.
While it may be hard to justify Campbell’s inclusion on the list of 100 based on a single shift, it was a remarkable display of toughness – one of the attributes most admired by Bruins fans.