Ray Bourque: This year is historical, no one could have predicted this

With a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday at TD Garden, the Boston Bruins secured their 55th win of the season. That mark is already the second-most in team history, with the all-time record standing at 57 wins (1970-71), and putting the B’s on pace to finish as the best regular-season team ever.

On this Saturday’s edition of The Hockey Show, Bruins Legend Ray Bourque joined the show to give his thoughts on this year’s Bruins squad.

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  19 Dec 1998: Ray Bourque #77 of the Boston Bruins in action during the game against the Detroit Red Wings at Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeated the Red Wings 4-1. (Steve Babineau /Allsport)

• WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS YEAR’S TEAM?

  Ray Bourque: Well, I like the additions they made at the beginning of the year. I think their depth is heavier and stronger. This team is so big and strong in all areas. They’re fast and talented—everything from the goaltending, defense, and forwards. 

  I like the additions they’ve brought in in terms of the trades with [Garnet] Hathaway, [Dmitry] Orlov, and [Tyler] Bertuzzi. [Taylor] Hall and [Nick] Foligno are out, and if they get healthy, it’ll be hard to pick who suits up for play. Not an easy decision, but you can’t go wrong any which way. 

• That's 5️⃣5️⃣ dubs. pic.twitter.com/Zm9jkDisy4

  — x - Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 24, 2023

• Ray Bourque: This season is a historical one for them. At the beginning of the year, nobody could have predicted this. You thought they’d be a playoff team, but being on top of their division or top of the league, I don’t think it’s something you could have predicted. 

  It’s impressive they played well early in the season with Marchand and McAvoy out. And they haven’t slowed down since the beginning. This is something that’s hard to maintain during the whole course of an NHL season. 

  And you know, there’s been some minor bumps for them. They lost maybe three games in a row or three out of four, something like that. But then they’re right back on it. 

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  BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 1: Current and past Boston Bruins hockey players Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Torey Krug, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask walk across the outfield during pregame ceremonies honoring David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on October 1, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)

• Ray Bourque: So, this maturity with this team and the leadership is still solid with Bergeron, Marchand, and Krejci. The Czech line has been fun to watch. DeBrusk has been awesome. It’s just been a magical season so far. 

  You have to think the players are, like, “C’mon. Let’s bring the playoffs because we’re rolling and want to start playing real stuff here.” 

  In the end, it’s really, really, really hard to win. But it’ll be a lot of fun to watch. I’m looking forward to the playoffs, and it’s an exciting time for hockey. It’s a historical season for them. The Bruins have been around 100 years, and this season has been a special one. 

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