The Canadiens had rallied from a third-period deficit to force overtime, and Bruins fans who had endured decades of pain and torment were bracing for the worst. Then, Adam McQuaid pinched in along the boards, Milan Lucic caught a puck out of midair and Nathan Horton unleased a slapper that deflected off a Montreal player and into the back of the net.
For a split second, there was disbelief.
Then, chaos.
"It was just one of those things where you feel happy," fourth-year head coach Claude Julien said after the 4-3 win in Game 7. "And more so, it happened in our building. Our fans were excited, elated to see that goal go in. And for us, I guess, as a group, it was nice to reward our fans with that because they've been punished enough."
Julien hasn't been around for much of that punishment, but he's suffered tremendous heartbreak in his previous three postseason appearances with the club. Captain Zdeno Chara, who joined the Bruins a year before Julien, was along for that ride as well. A blowout loss in Game 7 in Montreal in 2008, a crushing loss in overtime of Game 7 against Carolina in 2009 and the unspeakable blown 3-0 series lead and 3-0 Game 7 lead at home against Philadelphia last year.
While those three moments certainly could all take the top spot on a list of the worst playoff moments in recent Bruins history, let's take a moment to soak in the good times.
Click here to count down the top 10 Bruins playoff moments in the Zdeno Chara-Claude Julien era >>
