The Bruins have had the good fortune to skate with some of the greatest goalies of all time. Over the course of the franchise’s 100-year history, Boston has had a fair share of reliable goalies, from Frank Brimsek in the 1940s to Tuukka Rask in the 2010s.
Whether they were wearing the Spoked-B or not, the more than 100 goalies who have worn it are notable for their individual roles in preventing opponents from scoring goals. Naturally, a century of Bruins hockey has resulted in a number of incredible saves that have left fans on both benches in disbelief.
Using a more contemporary perspective, and beginning with Boston’s 2010–11 campaign, these are the three greatest saves that have (so far) withstood the test of time in the previous 14 years:
3. Tim Thomas (May 23, 2011 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning)
At the perfect time, Tim Thomas, the final goalkeeper to play for the Boston Bruins during their title run (2011), was at the peak of his abilities.
Thomas and the Boston Bruins had some catching up to do in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Finals series against Tampa Bay. The team was coming off a Game 4 loss to the Lightning in which Thomas gave up four goals in a row, but the two-time Vezina Trophy winner was unfazed.
Steve Downie of Tampa Bay almost tied the game in the third period when he found a nearly ideal scoring opportunity on Thomas’ stick side, but Boston still had the advantage. But Thomas, with a reflex like a cat, somehow stopped the puck with his stick and wasted a beautiful opportunity, assisting the Bruins in winning 4-3.
After keeping the Lightning scoreless in Game 7, Thomas led the Boston Bruins to victory over the Vancouver Canucks and the team’s sixth Stanley Cup.
2. Michael Ryder (April 23, 2011 vs. Montreal Canadiens)
Although he only spent three seasons with the Bruins, Michael Ryder was another reliable and successful player on Boston’s championship team. Following an 18-goal, 23-assist campaign in his third and last season with the team, Ryder finished the 2011 campaign with 17 points.
The veteran, who was thirty years old at the time, kept his greatest moment as a Bruins player until when Boston and Montreal faced off in the quarterfinals.
Early in the fifth game of the series, Ryder risked everything. With Montreal having two guys on the right side of the net, Thomas was attempting to prevent the Canadiens from scoring. But Ryder was already there, making an incredible glove save that was unrepeatable. That turned out to be even more significant than the electrifying moment when Nathan Horton forced double overtime and eventually sent the game into extra, giving Boston a 3-2 series lead, mostly because of Ryder.
1. Tim Thomas (Dec. 4, 2010 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs)
With Boston, Thomas recorded 10,533 career saves, but none of them compare to the one he made in overtime during a 2010 head-to-head matchup with Toronto.
Less than a foot from Thomas, who was covering Boston’s net, Dennis Seidenberg, an ex-defenseman for the Bruins, made a mistake, opening the door for Francois Beauchemin of the Maple Leafs to win. Nevertheless, in an incredibly brave manner, Thomas performed his finest Bobby Orr impression and Superman-dove over the net in the briefest of time.
A premature celebration by Colby Armstrong would have you believe that Toronto had scored the game-winning goal, but that was not the case. The Bruins went on to win the Stanley Cup, but Thomas stunned the whole Toronto audience by leading the Maple Leafs to a 3-2 victory.
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