Bill Cowley Among Best Of His Era, Shoo-In For Bruins All-Centennial Team

In celebration of the Boston Bruins’ 100th season, NESN is dedicating an episode of the “Ultimate Bruins Show” to each member of the Bruins All-Centennial team. Tune in Friday at 7 p.m. ET as we honor Bill Cowley.

Boston Bruins fans of today may not know the name Bill Cowley simply because they never had the opportunity to see him, but the former captain is described as the Wayne Gretzky of his era.

He was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams, in 1939 and 1941. That’s why he was selected to the Bruins All-Centennial Team, composed of the 20 most legendary players in franchise history. Learn more about Cowley’s selection on NESN’s “Ultimate Bruins Show” on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Cowley skated in 549 games for the Bruins over 12 seasons, where he amassed 195 goals and 354 assists for 549 points. Upon his retirement in 1947, Cowley was the NHL’s all-time assist and points leader. In the 1940-41 and 1941-42 seasons, Cowley won the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player and won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer in 1940-41. He was widely regarded as one of the best playmakers in NHL history.

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NHL.com columnist and member of the Bruins All-Centennial Team selection committee Dave Stubbs told a story of Scotty Bowman, the winningest coach in NHL history and Montreal native, having Cowley as his first boyhood hockey idol.

“On Christmas Day 1941,” Stubbs wrote, “Bowman was the first kid on his Verdun block — the only kid on his Verdun block — wearing a Bruins sweater, the thick wool adorned with the No. 10 worn by Hall of Fame-bound center Cowley, winner the previous season of the Stanley Cup and Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player.”

In the 1939 Stanley Cup playoffs, Cowley led all scorers with 14 points en route to the Bruins’ second championship title since joining the NHL. Cowley’s linemate Mel Hill recorded three overtime goals against the New York Rangers in the opening round of the playoffs in the first seven-game series in league history. Cowley assisted on all three goals and lit the lamp three times himself.

Cowley joins David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyk, Milt Schmidt, Cam Neely, Rick Middleton, Terry O’Reilly and Wayne Cashman to complete the 12 forwards named to the All-Centennial Team.