Is Boston Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup Victory or 'Tuck Rule' Play a Bigger Boston Sports Moment?

Is Boston Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup Victory or ‘Tuck Rule’ Play a Bigger Boston Sports Moment?

by NESN Staff on Sat, Sep 3, 2011 at 9:32AM

The Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup win squares off against the “tuck rule” play in the third round of Boston’s Greatest Sports Moment tournament.

2. Bruins win 2011 Stanley CupThe Boston Bruins entered the 2011 Stanley Cup Final with the second-longest championship drought in Boston sports history. Matched up against the Vancouver Canucks, who finished the season with the best regular-season record, the B’s found themselves having to overcome hardships immediately. Boston lost the first two games of the series after being bullied (and bitten) in Vancouver. Additionally, the B’s lost postseason hero Nathan Horton early in Game 3 on a late hit by Aaron Rome. The questionable check awoke the bear, though, as the Bruins exploded for 12 goals combined in Games 3 and 4. After dropping Game 5, goalie Tim Thomas carried Boston in the final two wins, including a shutout in Game 7, to give the Boston Bruins their first championship in 39 years.

3. Tuck rule playWhenever a team wins a championship, people often can look back on one moment and wonder, “What if that had turned out differently?” For the 2001 New England Patriots, the “tuck rule” call was that moment. The scene was Foxboro Stadium on Jan. 19, 2002, the Patriots hosting Raiders in an AFC divisional playoff game. Oakland took a 13-10 lead into the final two minutes of the fourth quarter as heavy snowfall continued to layer the field’s surface. With Patriots quarterback Tom Brady attempting to lead a game-saving drive, Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson sacked Brady, who appeared to fumble the ball — and the Patriots’ season — in the process. After reviewing the play, officials determined that Brady’s arm was continuing a forward movement, therefore making the pass incomplete. Thanks to the “tuck rule,” the Patriots maintained possession. Adam Vinatieri went on to kick a game-tying field goal, along with the game-winner in overtime, and the Patriots kept marching on that postseason all the way to their first Super Bowl championship.