With 2025 underway, the NHL is celebrating the best of the past 25 years by revealing Quarter-Century Teams for each of the League's 32 franchises and the Arizona Coyotes.
Each club will be represented by a First Team and Second Team of six players -- three forwards, two defensemen and one goalie -- who played for the franchise from Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2024. The first and second teams were selected by broadcasters, national, local and NHL.com writers who have covered the respective teams, in addition to select former players.
The six players voted to each First Team will be on the ballot for the NHL All Quarter-Century Team that will be chosen via a fan vote that will start in February.
Today, the First and Second Quarter-Century Teams for the Boston Bruins. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
BOSTON BRUINS QUARTER-CENTURY TEAMS
First Team
Forwards
Defensemen
Goalie
Forwards: This was a slam dunk for the Bruins, three players who led the team to a decade of success, starting with their Stanley Cup win in 2011 over the Vancouver Canucks and continuing through trips to two more Stanley Cup Finals, in 2013 and 2019. Bergeron retired after the 2022-23 season as the third-leading scorer in Bruins history, with 1,040 points (427 goals, 613 assists) in 1,294 games, which is also third all-time for the Bruins. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy an NHL-record six times. The 1B center to Bergeron's 1A is Krejci, a true playmaker who also retired after the 2022-23 season, ranking ninth in Bruins history with 786 points (231 goals, 555 assists) in 1,032 games, numbers that could have been higher had he not opted to play the 2021-22 season back home in his native Czechia. Marchand, who took over for Bergeron as captain, was second for the Bruins in the-quarter century with 960 (416 goals, 544 assists) in 1,068 games, tied with long-time line partner Bergeron for first in game-winning goals in the past 25 seasons.
Defensemen: Chara, a future member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, helped usher in the Bruins' decade-long run of success after he signed as a free agent in 2006. He became captain immediately and is credited with helping change the culture of the Bruins as they went to three Stanley Cup Finals and won one. He played 1,023 games for the Bruins, scoring 481 points (148 goals, 333 assists), among the 680 points (209 goals, 471 assists) in 1,680 games over his four-team, 24-season career. He won the Norris Trophy in 2008-09 as the League's best defenseman. McAvoy is the current defensive stalwart on the Bruins, with 297 points (58 goals, 239 assists) in 499 games over eight seasons in Boston. The Bruins alternate captain has averaged 23:26 over his career.
Goalie: Thomas became a Bruins legend, helping lead the team to the 2011 Cup, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy after a season in which he won his second Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie. He also won the Vezina in 2008-09, sharing the William M. Jennings Trophy with Manny Fernandez that season for allowing the fewest goals. Over his eight seasons with Boston, he went 196-121-45 in 378 games (362 starts) with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. On the run to the Cup in 2011, Thomas had a 1.98 GAA and a .940 save percentage.
