The 1970s Montreal Canadiens and 1990s Detroit Red Wings are arguably the two greatest dynasties in NHL history. They also have more than historic dominance in common. Both of those teams were coached by NHL legend Scotty Bowman.
Bowman, largely considered the greatest coach of all time, knows a thing or two about dominant hockey teams. So when The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reached out for Bowman’s thoughts on the 2022-23 Bruins, fans of hockey history should be eager for his take.
He’s quite impressed with the Bruins, who on Sunday broke the NHL regular-season wins record (previously shared by Bowman’s 1995-96 Red Wings) and need two points in their final two games to break the points record set by Bowman’s 1976-77 Habs.
Bowman replied to LeBrun with a massive text, laying out what makes the Bruins so formidable as the playoffs near. The coaching legend pointed to transactions like the Hampus Lindholm trade last season all the way up through Boston’s deadline dealings this season. That depth, Bowman explained, gave the Bruins lineup flexibility that unlocks players’ even greater potential.
“To me, two line switches, moving (Jake) DeBrusk with (Brad) Marchand and (Patrice) Bergeron, and getting (David) Krejci back to make an all-Czech line with (David) Pastrnak and (Pavel) Zacha has taken a lot of scoring pressure off the Bergeron line,” Bowman told LeBrun. “Previously, the Bergeron line seemed to have to be counted on for too much.”
Or, put another way, Bowman believes the Bruins finally have the secondary scoring they’ve desperately coveted, the lack of which has cost them dearly in past postseasons.
“It is a complete lineup, including the two goaltenders … that I have not seen for a long time,” Bowman said.
Bowman also praised head coach Jim Montgomery for his “open-minded style” that “exudes confidence to his group,” while applauding Don Sweeney and Cam Neely for “outstanding” moves and lauding Boston’s “total team effort.”
If pressed, Bowman’s pick to win seems fairly obvious.
“They will enter the playoffs with extreme confidence, and I would be so surprised if they falter,” Bowman said. ” … In a very high-scoring league now, they have shown consistent defensive abilities.”
Bowman acknowledged it’s no sure thing, though. He knows as well as anyone, too. His 1995-96 Red Wings team, which tied the all-time wins record and fell short of the points record by one, lost in the Western Conference finals. That proved to be early in that championship window, though, as the Red Wings won the next two Stanley Cups.
This Bruins team doesn’t have that same luxury. This is as close to a now-or-never situation as we’ve seen in quite some time. They really need to get it done this season amid this historic march to the playoffs.
At the very least, it sounds like Bowman is a believer.
