1974–75 Boston Bruins season

1974–75 Boston Bruins
Division	2nd Adams
Conference	4th Prince of Wales
1974–75 record	40-26-14
Goals for	345 (2nd)
Goals against	245 (7th)
Team information
General manager	Harry Sinden
Coach	Don Cherry
Captain	Johnny Bucyk
Alternate captains	Phil Esposito Bobby Orr Dallas Smith
Arena	Boston Garden
Team leaders
Goals	Phil Esposito (61)
Assists	Bobby Orr (89)
Points	Bobby Orr (135)
Penalty minutes	Terry O'Reilly (146)
Wins	Gilles Gilbert (23)
Goals against average	Ross Brooks (2.98)

The 1974–75 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 51st season in the NHL. The Bruins finished 2nd in the Adams Division and lost in the Preliminary Round to the Chicago Black Hawks 2 games to 1.

Off-season

Bobby Orr scoring the 1970 Stanley Cup winning goal from Derek Sanderson, May 10, 1970.

After three successful seasons coaching and managing the Rochester Americans, where he was named Coach of the Year, Don Cherry was hired as the Bruins coach, replacing Bep Guidolin. Cherry played his only NHL game for Boston during Game 5 of the 1955 playoffs.

After being suspended by the Bruins on March 10, 1974, Derek Sanderson was traded to the New York Rangers for Walt McKechnie on June 12, 1974. Sanderson would play several more NHL seasons while fighting a losing battle with alcoholism and a wild lifestyle. He'd ultimately find recovery and redemption with significant help from Bobby Orr and other Bruins teammates. He'd become the Bruins TV colour analyst, a respected businessman and helped others avoid his mistakes.

Regular Season

Ken Broderick in the 1974-75 Bruins jersey.

Two changes were made to the Bruins jerseys to start the season. First, the 50th anniversary patch was removed from the shoulders. Second, the contrasting shoulder yolks were removed, leaving a largely mono-coloured jersey for the first time since the black "block B" jersey of the 1950-51 season. The Bruins added a Massachusetts 200th anniversary patch to the shoulders for the 1975-76 season and starting in the 1976-77 season, a bear head was added to the shoulders. This makes identifying jerseys from the 1974-75 season very easy. The white jersey was worn at home with white socks and the black jersey on the road with gold socks. Although player names on the backs of the jerseys existed for select games in the 1973–74 season, this practice was abandoned by the Bruins for the 1974-75 season.

On December 22, 1974, Phil Esposito scored the 500th goal of his career.

Melee after the first Dave Forbes-Henry Boucha fight, January 4, 1975.

At 8:22 of the first period of the Boston-Minnesota game on January 4, 1975, Dave Forbes checked Henry Boucha into the boards in the North Stars corner. Boucha took exception and suckered punched Forbes. A melee ensued which quickly died down. Terry O'Reilly was deemed to be the third man in and was given a game misconduct. Boucha and Forbes were each given seven penalty minutes and both went to the box without any overt animosity. However, as soon as their penalties expired and they took to the ice, Forbes butt ended Boucha in the face, fracturing his eye socket. Another melee ensued but quickly ended as the extend of Boucha's injury was realized. Bleeding profusely, Boucha was stretchered off. When the dust settled, Boston was short handed for ten minutes, which they killed off. The Bruins went on to win 8-0, scoring a short handed goal and seven power plays goals, an NHL record. Forbes was given a ten game suspension and charged with aggravated assault. His trail ended in a hung jury. Forbes and the Bruins settled a civil case by paying Boucha in excess of one million dollars. Boucha made a comeback, playing the next season for the Kansas City Scouts and the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA but with his vision permanently affected, he retired from pro hockey.

Final Standings

Adams Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Buffalo Sabres	80	49	16	15	354	240	113
Boston Bruins	80	40	26	14	345	245	94
Toronto Maple Leafs	80	31	33	16	280	309	78
California Golden Seals	80	19	48	13	212	316	51

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Game Log

Regular Season Results
No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	L	October 10, 1974	5–9	@ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75)	0–1–0
2	T	October 13, 1974	2–2	Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75)	0–1–1
3	L	October 16, 1974	0–4	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75)	0–2–1
4	W	October 17, 1974	4–1	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75)	1–2–1
5	W	October 20, 1974	5–0	California Golden Seals (1974–75)	2–2–1
6	T	October 23, 1974	5–5	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75)	2–2–2
7	T	October 24, 1974	4–4	St. Louis Blues (1974–75)	2–2–3
8	W	October 27, 1974	8–2	Kansas City Scouts (1974–75)	3–2–3
9	T	October 30, 1974	3–3	@ Minnesota North Stars (1974–75)	3–2–4
10	L	November 2, 1974	2–3	@ New York Islanders (1974–75)	3–3–4
11	W	November 3, 1974	10–1	Minnesota North Stars (1974–75)	4–3–4
12	T	November 5, 1974	2–2	Buffalo Sabres (1974–75)	4–3–5
13	W	November 7, 1974	10–4	Washington Capitals (1974–75)	5–3–5
14	W	November 10, 1974	4–3	Atlanta Flames (1974–75)	6–3–5
15	L	November 12, 1974	3–4	@ St. Louis Blues (1974–75)	6–4–5
16	L	November 14, 1974	1–4	Montreal Canadiens (1974–75)	6–5–5
17	W	November 16, 1974	7–5	Buffalo Sabres (1974–75)	7–5–5
18	W	November 17, 1974	5–2	@ Detroit Red Wings (1974–75)	8–5–5
19	W	November 21, 1974	4–2	California Golden Seals (1974–75)	9–5–5
20	W	November 23, 1974	5–2	@ New York Rangers (1974–75)	10–5–5
21	W	November 24, 1974	7–4	Vancouver Canucks (1974–75)	11–5–5
22	W	November 27, 1974	3–1	@ California Golden Seals (1974–75)	12–5–5
23	L	November 30, 1974	0–2	@ Los Angeles Kings (1974–75)	12–6–5
24	T	December 4, 1974	4–4	@ Montreal Canadiens (1974–75)	12–6–6
25	L	December 5, 1974	4–6	Detroit Red Wings (1974–75)	12–7–6
26	W	December 8, 1974	3–2	Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75)	13–7–6
27	W	December 10, 1974	6–2	@ Kansas City Scouts (1974–75)	14–7–6
28	W	December 12, 1974	8–1	Los Angeles Kings (1974–75)	15–7–6
29	W	December 14, 1974	12–1	Washington Capitals (1974–75)	16–7–6
30	W	December 15, 1974	5–2	New York Islanders (1974–75)	17–7–6
31	W	December 17, 1974	5–3	Atlanta Flames (1974–75)	18–7–6
32	W	December 19, 1974	11–3	New York Rangers (1974–75)	19–7–6
33	L	December 21, 1974	4–8	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75)	19–8–6
34	W	December 22, 1974	5–4	Detroit Red Wings (1974–75)	20–8–6
35	L	December 27, 1974	2–5	@ California Golden Seals (1974–75)	20–9–6
36	L	December 28, 1974	4–6	@ Vancouver Canucks (1974–75)	20–10–6
37	W	January 2, 1975	5–2	@ Los Angeles Kings (1974–75)	21–10–6
38	W	January 4, 1975	8–0	@ Minnesota North Stars (1974–75)	22–10–6
39	T	January 7, 1975	3–3	@ Washington Capitals (1974–75)	22–10–7
40	W	January 9, 1975	5–1	Vancouver Canucks (1974–75)	23–10–7
41	W	January 11, 1975	5–1	Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75)	24–10–7
42	L	January 15, 1975	3–5	@ Montreal Canadiens (1974–75)	24–11–7
43	L	January 16, 1975	1–4	Los Angeles Kings (1974–75)	24–12–7
44	T	January 18, 1975	4–4	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75)	24–12–8
45	W	January 19, 1975	6–3	Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75)	25–12–8
46	L	January 23, 1975	2–3	Kansas City Scouts (1974–75)	25–13–8
47	T	January 26, 1975	2–2	Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75)	25–13–9
48	T	January 27, 1975	3–3	@ Kansas City Scouts (1974–75)	25–13–10
49	W	January 30, 1975	6–0	California Golden Seals (1974–75)	26–13–10
50	L	February 1, 1975	2–3	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75)	26–14–10
51	W	February 2, 1975	5–1	Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75)	27–14–10
52	T	February 5, 1975	3–3	@ Atlanta Flames (1974–75)	27–14–11
53	W	February 6, 1975	3–2	Minnesota North Stars (1974–75)	28–14–11
54	W	February 8, 1975	8–5	@ Detroit Red Wings (1974–75)	29–14–11
55	W	February 9, 1975	5–1	New York Islanders (1974–75)	30–14–11
56	L	February 12, 1975	3–8	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75)	30–15–11
57	L	February 13, 1975	1–3	@ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75)	30–16–11
58	L	February 16, 1975	3–4	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75)	30–17–11
59	W	February 18, 1975	3–1	@ Vancouver Canucks (1974–75)	31–17–11
60	L	February 21, 1975	4–6	@ California Golden Seals (1974–75)	31–18–11
61	L	February 22, 1975	0–6	@ Los Angeles Kings (1974–75)	31–19–11
62	W	February 25, 1975	6–4	Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75)	32–19–11
63	W	February 27, 1975	9–4	Detroit Red Wings (1974–75)	33–19–11
64	W	March 2, 1975	6–2	Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75)	34–19–11
65	W	March 4, 1975	8–0	@ Washington Capitals (1974–75)	35–19–11
66	W	March 7, 1975	4–2	@ Atlanta Flames (1974–75)	36–19–11
67	W	March 9, 1975	5–2	Atlanta Flames (1974–75)	37–19–11
68	W	March 11, 1975	6–3	New York Rangers (1974–75)	38–19–11
69	L	March 12, 1975	3–5	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75)	38–20–11
70	L	March 15, 1975	1–3	@ New York Islanders (1974–75)	38–21–11
71	W	March 16, 1975	7–2	St. Louis Blues (1974–75)	39–21–11
72	L	March 19, 1975	1–2	@ Montreal Canadiens (1974–75)	39–22–11
73	W	March 22, 1975	8–2	Washington Capitals (1974–75)	40–22–11
74	L	March 23, 1975	5–7	@ New York Rangers (1974–75)	40–23–11
75	L	March 26, 1975	1–3	@ St. Louis Blues (1974–75)	40–24–11
76	T	March 29, 1975	1–1	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75)	40–24–12
77	T	March 30, 1975	2–2	Montreal Canadiens (1974–75)	40–24–13
78	L	April 1, 1975	1–3	Buffalo Sabres (1974–75)	40–25–13
79	L	April 3, 1975	2–4	@ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75)	40–26–13
80	T	April 6, 1975	4–4	Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75)	40–26–14

Playoffs

Chicago Black Hawks 2, Boston Bruins 1

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Record
1	April 8	Chicago Black Hawks	2-8	Boston Bruins	0-1
2	April 10	Boston Bruins	3-4 (OT)	Chicago Black Hawks	1-1
3	April 11	Chicago Black Hawks	6-4	Boston Bruins	2-1

Player Stats

Regular Season

Scoring

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
Orr, BobbyBobby Orr	D	80	46	89	135	101	80	16	2	4
Esposito, PhilPhil Esposito	C	79	61	66	127	62	18	27	4	8
Bucyk, JohnJohn Bucyk	LW	78	29	52	81	10	11	9	0	4
Sheppard, GreggGregg Sheppard	C	76	30	48	78	19	43	5	7	4
Vadnais, CarolCarol Vadnais	D	79	18	56	74	129	10	6	0	2
Hodge, KenKen Hodge	RW	72	23	43	66	90	7	16	0	2
Marcotte, DonDon Marcotte	LW	80	31	33	64	76	24	1	0	2
Schmautz, BobbyBobby Schmautz	RW	56	21	30	51	63	23	1	0	2
Savard, AndreAndre Savard	C	77	19	25	44	45	16	0	0	2
O'Reilly, TerryTerry O'Reilly	RW	68	15	20	35	146	15	2	0	2
Cashman, WayneWayne Cashman	LW	42	11	22	33	24	7	2	0	3
Forbes, DaveDave Forbes	LW	69	18	12	30	80	22	0	0	2
Smith, DallasDallas Smith	D	79	3	20	23	84	30	0	0	1
Sims, AlAl Sims	D	75	4	8	12	73	29	0	0	0
Nowak, HankHank Nowak	LW	21	4	7	11	26	8	0	0	1
Edestrand, DarrylDarryl Edestrand	D	68	1	9	10	56	8	0	0	0
McKechnie, WaltWalt McKechnie	C	53	3	3	6	8	-6	0	1	0
Anderson, EarlEarl Anderson	RW	19	2	4	6	4	5	0	0	1
Hynes, DaveDave Hynes	LW	19	4	0	4	2	3	0	0	0
Graham, RodRod Graham	LW	14	2	1	3	7	0	1	0	0
Langdon, SteveSteve Langdon	LW	1	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0
Gilbert, GillesGilles Gilbert	G	53	0	1	1	10	0	0	0	0
Clark, GordieGordie Clark	RW	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rathwell, JakeJake Rathwell	RW	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sarner, CraigCraig Sarner	RW	7	0	0	0	0	-3	0	0	0
Doak, GaryGary Doak	D	40	0	0	0	30	-3	0	0	0
Broderick, KenKen Broderick	G	15	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
Brooks, RossRoss Brooks	G	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SO
Gilbert, GillesGilles Gilbert	3029	53	23	17	11	158	3.13	3
Brooks, RossRoss Brooks	967	17	10	3	3	48	2.98	0
Broderick, KenKen Broderick	804	15	7	6	0	32	2.39	1
Team:	4800	80	40	26	14	238	2.97	4

Playoffs

Scoring

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG
Orr, BobbyBobby Orr	D	3	1	5	6	2	0	1	0
Schmautz, BobbyBobby Schmautz	RW	3	1	5	6	6	0	0	0
Vadnais, CarolCarol Vadnais	D	3	1	5	6	0	0	0	0
Esposito, PhilPhil Esposito	C	3	4	1	5	0	1	0	0
Sheppard, GreggGregg Sheppard	C	3	3	1	4	5	0	0	0
Hodge, KenKen Hodge	RW	3	1	1	2	0	1	0	0
Savard, AndreAndre Savard	C	3	1	1	2	2	0	0	1
Cashman, WayneWayne Cashman	LW	1	0	2	2	0	0	0	0
Smith, DallasDallas Smith	D	3	0	2	2	4	0	0	0
Bucyk, JohnJohn Bucyk	LW	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Marcotte, DonDon Marcotte	LW	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Nowak, HankHank Nowak	LW	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Anderson, EarlEarl Anderson	RW	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	0
Edestrand, DarrylDarryl Edestrand	D	3	0	1	1	7	0	0	0
Doak, GaryGary Doak	D	3	0	0	0	4	0	0	0
Forbes, DaveDave Forbes	LW	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
O'Reilly, TerryTerry O'Reilly	RW	3	0	0	0	17	0	0	0
Gilbert, GillesGilles Gilbert	G	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	GA	GAA	SO
Gilbert, GillesGilles Gilbert	188	3	1	2	12	3.83	0
Team:	188	3	1	2	12	3.83	0

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

Awards and Records

• Most power play goals in one game (7), January 4, 1975 versus the Minnesota North Stars.
• James Norris Memorial Trophy: Bobby Orr
• Hart Memorial Trophy: Bobby Orr, Third place
• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: John Bucyk, Runner-up
• NHL Goal Scoring Leader: Phil Esposito (6th win)
• Bobby Orr, Defence, NHL First Team All-Star
• Phil Esposito, Center, NHL Second Team All-Star

Transactions

• Trade Derek Sanderson to the New York Rangers for Walt McKechnie on June 12, 1974.
• Trade Walt McKechnie and a third round pick (Clark Hamilton) to the Detroit Red Wings for Hank Nowak and Earl Anderson on February 18, 1975.

Draft Picks

See also: 1974 NHL Amateur Draft

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	18	Don Larway	Canada	Swift Current Broncos (WCHL)
2	25	Mark Howe	Canada	Houston Aeros (WHA)
2	36	Peter Sturgeon	Canada	Kitchener Rangers (OHA)
3	54	Tom Edur	Canada	Cleveland Crusaders (WHA)
4	72	Bill Reed	Canada	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHA)
5	90	Jamie Bateman	Canada	Québec Remparts (QMJHL)
6	108	Bill Best	Canada	Sudbury Wolves (OHA)
7	126	Ray Maluta	Canada	Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL)
8	143	Daryl Drader	Canada	University of North Dakota (WCHA)
9	160	Peter Roberts	United States	St. Cloud Jr. Blues (MidJHL)
10	175	Peter Waselovich	United States	University of North Dakota (WCHA)

Trivia

• Bruins who recorded a Hat trick this season include:
  • Bobby Orr during the 5-5 tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 23, 1974.
  • Bobby Orr during the 10-4 win over the Washington Capitals on November 10, 1974.
  • Phil Esposito during the 11-3 win over the New York Rangers on December 19, 1974.
  • Phil Esposito during the 8-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 21, 1974.
  • Phil Esposito during the 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on January 9, 1975.
  • Bobby Orr during the 6-0 win over the California Golden Seals on January 30, 1975.
  • Bobby Orr during the 8-2 win over Washington on March 22, 1975.

Video

Two videos of the two fights between Dave Forbes and Henry Boucha which led to Boucha's eye injury on January 4, 1975.

1975 01 04 H Boucha D Forbes,T O’Reilly

1975 01 04 H Boucha,M Oliver,C Maniago g D Forbes,K Broderick g

See Also

• 1974–75 NHL season

References

• Bruins on Hockey Database