The 2022-23 Boston Bruins have made their impressive claim as the best regular-season team in NHL history. That, however, doesn't mean you get your name on the Stanley Cup.
The Bruins added to a record-setting season Sunday in Philadelphia, sweeping the weekend and setting an NHL record with their 63rd regular-season victory of the campaign. The Bruins have two games remaining and could make even more history, as they sit one point behind the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens for most points in a season.
The Black and Gold ultimately should be celebrated for what they have done since October. Winning nearly 80% of any professional sporting contests is downright absurd. A lot of times, that sort of success is unheralded because it happens in the regular season. That's unfortunate, in some regards, but the Bruins also know there are still much bigger mountains to climb and what they've done over the last six months won't mean nearly as much if they can't finish the job.
"It's a feather in our cap, but we have a bigger goal in mind, and we're getting prepared for that," Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman told reporters Sunday night.
"I think we've shown what we can do and what we're capable of, but it's not just going to happen for us when that time comes," Bruins center Charlie Coyle told reporters after the game. "We have to make sure we bring it like we have all season. It's not going to be hard to get up for those games. That's when the fun starts."
Head coach Jim Montgomery remains consistent, too. He has been willing to celebrate -- and sometimes even over-celebrate -- the team's achievements this season. Yet, he's also quick to harp on the process. It's a relatively simple, time-tested concept: process over results. The goal is to focus on that day, every day, and eventually string together a bunch of good days where you remain committed to doing the little things right. Over time, that leads to big-picture results.
"We don't talk about winning a Stanley Cup now. We talk about Game 1," Montgomery explained after Sunday's game. "That's going to be our focus. We think looking too far ahead, that creates an anxiety. We believe in staying present. Our process allows us to have success. We have a lot of details in our process, but that's a simple way of saying that we like to live in the moment. We're not looking at June; we're looking at April 17."
The B's also hope, and believe, that a season full of success pays off. In winning as often and as much as they have, they learned new ways to win.
"It's our experience that we've gained, the reputation that we've proved over and over again, closing out games especially," Swayman said. "It's a lot of confidence in what we've done, but we've got a quick memory and we understand that we're going to have our backs against the wall at times in playoffs, so we're going to have that joyful aggression when it comes, and make sure we do everything we can to end up on top."
