Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Boston Bruins have the edge in all-time matchup with the Vancouver Canucks

Darcy Hordichuk, Shawn Thornton

Vancouver Canucks’ Darcy Hordichuk (24), of Slovakia, and Boston Bruins’ Shawn Thornton fight in the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010, in Boston. The Canucks won 3-2 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

AP

The Vancouver Canucks haven’t won a single Stanley Cup since they entered the NHL in the 1970, right around the time the Boston Bruins were a dominant force thanks to Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito & Co. The Canucks began their franchise in the Eastern Division with the Bruins, which planted the seeds for Boston’s early (and overall) dominance between the two teams.

NHL.com’s John Kreiser put together an interesting take on the Bruins and Canucks’ all-time records against each other, although it’s important to note that the teams obviously don’t play against each other often these days.


  • In 108 contests, Boston is 68-24-15-1 against the Canucks while Vancouver is 25-66-15-2 against the Bruins. Kreiser notes that 25 wins is the lowest amount of victories the Canucks franchise has against any team they’ve played at least 100 games against.

  • Again, their rivalry was especially one-sided in the beginning, when the Canucks were scrambling to build their teams while the Bruins were in the middle of their “Big, Bad” era. Boston went a ridiculous 20-2-1 in their first 23 contests.

  • Perhaps the Canucks aren’t big chowder fans? The Canucks managed a desolate 8-38-7-1 mark in road games in Boston, although they’ve only played in Massachusetts twice since 2003 (winning a shootout in their most recent appearance on February 6, 2010).

  • The Bruins are considerably more comfortable visiting scenic Vancouver. Boston is 29-17-8 when visiting the Canucks, including wins in four of their last five road games in Vancouver. Kreiser also points out that they’ve never been shut out by the Canucks in Vancouver. The Bruins have five out of the six shutouts in the all-time rivalry overall.

Of course, if you’ve followed hockey for a while, you know that even results from the most recent regular season only matter so much once the playoffs begin. In other words, these numbers are for your entertainment more than anything else.. Both teams have overcome some first round hurdles on their way to the Stanley Cup finals. The Bruins beat their long-time tormentors (the Montreal Canadiens) while the Canucks finally overcame their recent headaches (the Chicago Blackhawks). Turning the page on past frustrations is a big part of getting this far, let alone hoisting the Cup.

Kreiser also points out some bigger picture factors that probably are a stronger indicator of Vancouver’s chances than their historical record against the Bruins.

Those aren’t good numbers for the Canucks – but here’s a couple that are in their favor. They are the first team since the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens to lead the League in both goals scored and goals against, and those Canadiens won the Cup. The Canucks also won the Presidents’ Trophy – and the last four Presidents’ Trophy winners to make the Final have gone on to win the Cup.