NHL · Since 1924
Bruins vs. Canadiens
Hockey's most played and most passionate rivalry
The Bruins-Canadiens rivalry is the most played in NHL history, with over 900 regular-season and playoff meetings between two Original Six franchises separated by just 300 miles of New England highway. Boston and Montreal have been battling since the Bruins entered the NHL in 1924, and the intensity of their competition has never wavered through a century of hockey.
The rivalry's most dramatic chapter came in the 1970s and 1980s, when the two teams dominated the Adams Division and regularly met in the playoffs. Bobby Orr against Guy Lafleur. Don Cherry behind the Boston bench, raging against Montreal's finesse. The infamous 1979 semifinal, where the Bruins were penalized for too many men on the ice with minutes remaining, allowing the Canadiens to score the tying goal and eventually win the series, remains one of the most painful moments in Boston sports history.
The cultural dimension of the rivalry mirrors the Canadiens-Maple Leafs feud but with a distinctly different flavor. Boston's working-class Irish-American identity clashes with Montreal's French-Canadian pride. The hockey is physical, the trash talk is bilingual, and the stakes always feel enormous. From the 2011 playoffs, where the Bruins swept the Canadiens en route to the Stanley Cup, to regular-season Saturday night showdowns, this rivalry delivers every time.
Key Moments
1952
Sugar Jim Henry's Bow
The iconic photo of a battered Jim Henry bowing to a bloodied Maurice Richard after Montreal's Game 7 victory.
1971
Ken Dryden's Upset
Rookie goalie Ken Dryden backstopped the Canadiens past the heavily favored Bruins in the first round.
1979
Too Many Men
A bench minor penalty in the closing minutes of Game 7 cost the Bruins the series in one of hockey's most infamous moments.
2011
First-Round Sweep
The Bruins swept Montreal in the first round on their way to winning the Stanley Cup.
2014
Second-Round War
Montreal defeated Boston in seven games in a physically brutal series that honored the rivalry's tradition.