Seven Greatest Left Wings In Boston Bruins History

The Bruins have enjoyed many years of success in the National Hockey League, including winning six Stanley Cups, since 1924. All but one of the left wings on this list have won at least one championship with Boston.

With so many left wings lacing up the skates and wearing the Spoked-B, which ones are considered the best?

Here are the seven greatest:

Sergei Samsanov (1997-2006)
Drafted eighth overall by Boston in the 1997 draft, Samsonov broke into the NHL that same year, scoring 22 goals and adding 25 assists in 81 games. Samsonov won the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year, beating out No. 1 overall pick and then-teammate Joe Thornton.

In eight years with the Black and Gold, Samsonov scored 164 goals (35 on the power play), registered 212 assists, and averaged 17:40 ice time. Samsonov won a Bronze medal with Russia in 2002.

Milan Lucic (2007-2015)
Lucic is known for his thunderous hits that would knock opposing players into next week and for not being one to back away from a challenge, but the 231-pound winger had a scoring touch when he was fully engaged in the game.

Lucic re-signed with the Bruins on a one-year, $1 million deal on July 1 but the first eight years of his career were spent in Boston scoring 139 goals and dishing out 203 helpers. His career-high 30 goals came in the 2010-2011 season in 79 games.

Lucic was an intricate part of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team, scoring five goals and seven assists in the playoffs and he looks forward to being a part of the club again.

Don Marcotte (1966-1982)
Marcotte was a member of Boston’s checking line with Derek Sanderson and Ed Westfall, which helped lead the Bruins to the 1970 Stanley Cup championship ending a 29-year drought at the time.

Playing his entire NHL career with the Bruins, Marcotte notched 230 goals and 254 assists across 868 games in 15 years. Marcotte helped the Black and Gold win a second Cup in 1972. Marcotte recorded 34 goals and 27 assists in 132 career playoff games.

His 21 short-handed goals sit fifth in team history behind Brad Marchand (33), Rick Middleton (25), Derek Sanderson (24) and Patrice Bergeron (22).

Woody Dumart (1935-1954)
Dumart spent his entire NHL career playing for the Bruins.

As one-third of the “Kraut Line” with Milt Schmidt and Bobby Bauer, Dumart helped lead the Bruins to two Stanley Cup championships in 1939 and 1941.

The trio of Ontario natives became one of the most famous lines in hockey history, especially after being carried off the ice on the shoulders of Montreal Canadiens players in the final game before heading into World War II service with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Over the course of 16 years, the Hall of Famer tallied 211 goals and 219 assists for 430 points in 774 games.

Wayne Cashman (1965-1983)
Playing his entire NHL career for the Bruins, Cashman was part of Boston’s most formidable forward lines with Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge. He recorded eight 20-goal seasons in his 17 years for the Black and Gold.

Known as a tenacious forechecker, Cashman had four straight seasons in the 1970s where he served 100-plus penalty minutes. He was a member of the 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup-winning teams. He served as Boston’s captain from 1977-1983.

Playing in 1,027 games for Boston, Cashman ranks 10th in Bruins history in goals (277), seventh in assists (516) and eighth in points (793). He also sits seventh in penalty minutes with 1,039.

Brad Marchand (2010- Present)
At the end of his career, Marchand could be the No. 1 all-time left-wing in Bruins history, but opposing teams and their fans will remember him as a player they hated to play against.

Marchand began his 2010-2011 rookie season on the fourth line, scoring 13 goals by the All-Star game. However, by the beginning of the postseason, Marchand moved from the fourth line to the top line — alongside Bergeron and Mark Recchi — recording 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in the playoffs to help the Bruins win the 2011 Stanley Cup.

Marchand’s 33 short-handed goals not only sit atop the Bruins’ all-time leaderboard, but it’s also the NHL’s best among active players. The bonafide pest plays on the top penalty-killing unit alongside Bergeron.

Entering his 15th season with Boston, Marchand holds the sixth spot in team history in goals scored (372) and seventh in points (862). The 35-year-old Stanley Cup champion has tallied 53 goals and 75 assists for 128 points in 146 postseason games.

Johnny Bucyk (1957-1978)
Bucyk played 21 seasons for the Bruins, serving as captain for five seasons. He was part of the Stanley Cup-winning teams of 1970 and 1972 and scored 20 goals and added 19 assists during the two postseasons.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981, the left-winger is the all-time Bruins’ leader in goals (545) and game-winning goals (88). Chief is second only to Ray Bourque in points, assists and games played. Bourque has 1,506 points, 1,111 assists, and Bucyk has 1,339 tallies and 794 helpers. Bourque played in 1,518 games to Bucyk’s 1,436. Bucyk had a career-high 51 goals in the 1970-71 season.

Unfortunately, most Bruins fans today did not have the opportunity to watch Bucyk play in his prime, but he holds a significant part in Bruins’ history.

His No. 9 was raised to the rafters in 1980.