Franchise Legends Weigh In On Bruins’ Struggles This Season

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins 2024-25 season is not going exactly to plan.

The team entered the season ready to build off back-to-back campaigns that saw the Black and Gold fall short of their ultimate goal — winning a Stanley Cup.

Boston stumbled out of the gates this season with an 8-9-3 record in its first 20 games, leading to Bruins general manager Don Sweeney firing Jim Montgomery and naming Joe Sacco as the interim head coach.

The Bruins entered Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, having gone 14-10-2 under Sacco and clinging to the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Philadelphia Flyers all trail Boston by just one point in the playoff race. Boston would find itself on the outside looking in after Ottawa pulled off a come-from-behind win in the shootout to leapfrog the Bruins in the standings.

Hall of Fame defenseman and Bruins legend Ray Bourque recognizes the frustration the Black and Gold have faced during the season.

“Well, it’s been up and down,” Bourque said Wednesday regarding the team. “I think just being more consistent. I think they know how they have to play, and it’s trying to get there to play your game every night.

“They’ve had some injuries. … That doesn’t make it any easier, not going in there with your full lineup. But, I think when they play well, when they play connected, and they play really well away from the puck and playing a good defense kind of first game, they’re more successful.”

Patrice Bergeron didn’t have much adversity as the captain of the historic franchise. The Bruins went 51-25-5 in the 2021-22 campaign and had a 65-win season in 2022-23. Even though Boston was successful in the regular season during his captaincy, Bergeron knows the pressure a player can be under when the team is not performing to its potential.

“It’s easy sometimes when things don’t go your way to try and fix it on your own,” Bergeron said before the team’s Black and Gold Gala on Wednesday. “I think it’s important to do it as a team.

“We talk about the organization as an organization because I think management is also involved in that and coaching staff and whatnot. It’s a lot on your shoulders, and whether it’s (Brad Marchand) or the rest of the leadership group, I know they have lots of experience and they know how to handle it. … They’ve done an amazing job throughout, and I have no worries with them and what they can accomplish.”

In addition to inconsistent results on the ice, the Bruins have also dealt with multiple off-ice distractions.

“It’s really about staying connected and not really listening to the outside noise, which sometimes, I do understand that it gets to you,” Bergeron said. “With that being said, try to make a little bubble within your locker room, and worry about what you can really control, and worry about the process as well.

“It’s a long year, and there’s gonna be some bumps on the road and some ups and downs, and that’s okay. That’s part of the challenging part of the journey, and you have to embrace all of it. Maybe in the moment, it’s not always as enjoyable as you’d like it to be, but it’s going to make you a better team and better player for the long run.”