B's hold hope in one-sided rivalry

How history in Montreal-Boston matchups isn't as one-sided as it seems.

img

Tuuka Rask v. Carey Price. Diving. Special teams play. And the looming possibility that the Bruins could have to beat four of the other five Original Six teams to win the Stanley Cup. Yup, there’s a number of Bruins-Canadiens storylines to watch for in the best-of-seven series that starts today, but the one that just about every sports fan will think of first is the storied rivalry.

It’s more than obvious that the results of a playoff series in 1929 will have nothing to do with how this year’s series turns out, but the 33 previous times these two organizations met in the playoffs has colored the fans’ expectations of how this series will turn out. Montreal v. Boston—or in the eyes of many, Montreal over Boston—is one of the defining rivalries in sports. Is it a “tired” storyline? Maybe, but the rivalry shapes how the fans watch the game. For some longtime Bruins’ fans, they can’t shake the feeling of Montreal dominance, no matter what the most recent results have been. But is that feeling of getting screwed over by the Canadiens actually a reality for Bruins fans?

The Canadiens won 18 straight playoff series between the teams, dating from 1946 to 1987, but during that streak of dominance, the Canadiens had the better regular-season record in 16 of those seasons. Basing playoff expectations on regular-season results, the Bruins were only “upset” by Montreal in 1971 and 1984. Sure, the baby boomer B’s fans can recall the Canadiens beating their favorite team far too many times, but they should have expected that result most years. Montreal has won 24 playoff series against Boston, while the Bruins have won nine. Of those nine series wins, the Bruins have “upset” Montreal on three occasions (1929, you remember that one, Pops, right? 1988 and 1992). Of Montreal’s 24 series wins, six were “upsets,” including the aforementioned ’71 and ’84 as well as 1930, 1931, 2002 and 2004. Putting aside all series from before FDR’s administration, Montreal has exceeded expectations four times against Boston, while the Bruins have exceeded expectations twice. For hockey fans under 30, the 2002 series when the Bruins were Presidents Trophy winners (much like this year) playing the 8th-seeded Canadiens still stings. As does the 2004 collapse from the 2nd-seeded Bruins, leading three-games-to-one against the 7th-seeded Habs. But overall in this rivalry, the team that is supposed to win (based on regular-season records) ends up winning the playoff series 73 percent of the time. In the past 80 years of playoff series, that number jumps to 80 percent. For Bruins’ fans, being able to expect the expected should give fans a little extra comfort.

For the record:

1929 – Bruins win, Canadiens had better record

1930 – Canadiens win, Bruins had better record

1931 – Canadiens win, Bruins had better record

1943 – Bruins win AND had better record

1946 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1947 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1952 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1953 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1954 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1955 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1957 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1958 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1968 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1969 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1971 – Canadiens win, Bruins had better record

1977 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1978 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1979 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1984 – Canadiens win, Bruins had better record

1985 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1986 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1987 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1988 – Bruins win, Canadiens had better record

1989 – Canadiens win AND had better record

1990 – Bruins win AND had better record

1991 – Bruins win AND had better record

1992 – Bruins win, Canadiens had better record

1994 – Bruins win AND had better record

2002 – Canadiens win, Bruins had better record

2004 – Canadiens win, Bruins had better record

2008 – Canadiens win AND had better record

2009 – Bruins win AND had better record

2011 – Bruins win AND had better record


Related Articles

Comments are closed.