1987–88 Boston Bruins season



The 1987–88 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 64th season. The Bruins finished 1st in the Adams Division and lost in the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals to the Edmonton Oilers 4 games to 0.

Regular Season
The season will forever be remembered when on the night Phil Esposito's number 7 would retire, captain Ray Bourque went from wearing uniform number 7 to wearing uniform number 77.

Boston Bruins 4, Buffalo Sabres 2
The Boston Bruins were led by team co-captains Ray Bourque, Rick Middleton and the goaltending duo of Reggie Lemelin and the newly acquired Andy Moog. The Buffalo Sabres returned to the playoffs thanks to added depth provided by rookie Ray Sheppard. Boston wins best-of-seven series 4–2.

Boston Bruins 4, Montreal Canadiens 1
The Wales Conference's two best teams, and the NHL's two best defensive teams, met in this series with equal rest time. The Habs had beaten Boston in the Adams Division Semi-finals four years in a row, sweeping the Bruins in three of the past four seasons, and beating them 3–2 in a best-of-five the other year. This time, the Bruins' defence would wear down Montreal, as Ken Linseman, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely provided the offence to finally conquer the Canadiens. It was the first Bruins' playoff series win over the Habs in 44 seasons.

Boston wins best-of-seven series 4–1.

Boston Bruins 4, New Jersey Devils 3
The Devils would take Boston to the limit, but their offence couldn't compete with the Bruins, who would make their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals since consecutive appearances in 1976–77 and 1977–78.

This series would also have the infamous confrontation between Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld and referee Don Koharski after Game 3, when, during an argument in the tunnel after the game, Koharski tripped and fell, accusing Schoenfield of pushing him. Schoenfield famously responded, "You tripped and fell you fat pig!" Then, he yelled "Have another doughnut! Have another doughnut!" The incident was played repeatedly on ESPN and has become part of NHL lore.

Schonefeld was suspended by NHL president John Ziegler for Game 4, but the Devils received an injunction from a New Jersey court, allowing Schoenfeld to coach the fourth game. In protest, the officials scheduled to work that game in the Meadlowands refused to take the ice, forcing the NHL to scramble for amateur officials to call the contest. The injunction was lifted and Schoenfeld served his suspension during game five in the Boston Garden.

Boston wins best-of-seven series 4–3.

Edmonton Oilers 4, Boston Bruins 0
Edmonton wins best-of-seven series 4–0.

Regular Season

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Playoffs

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage

Awards and Records

 * James Norris Memorial Trophy: Ray Bourque
 * Ray Bourque, Defense, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Cam Neely, Right Wing, NHL Second Team All-Star

Trivia

 * Bruins who recorded a Hat trick this season include:
 * Cam Neely during the 7-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on February 4, 1988.