Turning 30: TD Garden's Top Bruins Moments

BostonBruins.com - Many believed it would be tough to top the memories that piled up during the Boston Garden's near 70-year run on Causeway Street. From Bobby Orr's legendary Stanley Cup-winning goal, to No. 4's raucous number retirement ceremony, to the building's "Last Hurrah," the moments that made the Garden such a special place were endless.

Some 30 years after the old barn closed its doors, there have been countless more magical moments added to Boston Bruins lore. And for so many of them, TD Garden has been the backdrop.

As the "new Garden" celebrates the 30th anniversary of its opening on Tuesday, we're looking back at 30 of the arena's most notable Black & Gold events.

October 7, 1995 - A New Beginning

The Bruins played their first regular-season game at what was originally called the FleetCenter. Cam Neely potted a hat trick for the Black & Gold en route to a 4-4 tie against the New York Islanders.

January 20, 1996 - Seeing Stars

The Bruins were awarded the NHL All-Star Game during the building's inaugural season, with Neely and Ray Bourque repping the hometown team. Bourque went on to score the winning goal for the Eastern Conference with 38 seconds remaining and was named the game's MVP.

June 26, 1999 - Looking to the Future

The building hosted another of the league's signature events three years later when the 1999 NHL Entry Draft came to town. Center Patrik Stefan was the first overall selection by the Atlanta Thrashers, while the Bruins took defenseman Nick Boynton with the 21st overall pick.

October 4, 2001 - To the Rafters

After concluding his 22-year career with the Colorado Avalanche, Bourque was back in Boston at the start of the next season to see his No. 77 raised to the rafters.

October 24, 2002 - Honoring Taz

Just over a year later, another Bruins legend had his number immortalized as Terry O'Reilly's No. 24 took its place alongside Bourque's No. 77.

January 12, 2004 - Hoisting No. 8

And only a few months after that, yet another number was raised as Cam Neely's No. 8 was hoisted into the rafters.

April 19, 2008 - "This Building is Vibrating"

Marco Sturm's goal with 2:37 remaining capped a wild third period and had what was then known as TD Banknorth Garden "vibrating" as the Bruins beat Montreal, 5-4, to force a Game 7 in their first-round matchup - the first playoff series of the Chara-Bergeron era.

March 18, 2010 - Thornton vs. Cooke

The old Boston Garden was known for its boxing matches, and, perhaps, the most memorable - and highly anticipated - fight at the new building was Shawn Thornton taking on Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke, who 10 days earlier delivered a vicious, blindside hit on Bruins center Marc Savard which left him with a severe concussion.

February 9, 2011 - Fight Night

This night is right up there, too. In a preview of what was to come later that spring, the longtime rivals squared off, combining for 117 penalty minutes in Boston's wild 8-6 victory. Tim Thomas and Carey Price dropped the gloves - briefly - during a line brawl in the second period.

April 27, 2011 - A Legend is Born

Nathan Horton sent the TD Garden faithful home happy as he delivered the overtime winner for the Bruins in a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Canadiens in Game 7 of the first round.

May 6, 2011 - Sweep Revenge

A year after squandering a 3-0 series lead and 3-0 advantage in Game 7, the Bruins got their revenge with a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round.

May 23, 2011 - The Save

Bruins legend Tim Thomas made one of the greatest saves in team history, robbing Lightning forward Steve Downie with a lunging stick stop in Boston's Game 5 win in the Eastern Conference Final.

May 27, 2011 - At It Again

Horton further solidified his postseason heroism when he buried David Krejci's feed with 7:33 remaining in regulation to clinch the Boston's 1-0 victory over Tampa in Game 7 and send them to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1990. The contest, which went without a penalty, is considered, perhaps, the best Bruins game in the building's history.

June 6, 2011 - The Final Debuts

The first Stanley Cup Final game in the new building is played with the Bruins hosting the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3. Down 2-0 in the series, Boston surged back - after Horton was lost for the series on a terrifying hit by Aaron Rome in the first period - exploding for eight goals in an 8-1 victory.

June 8, 2011 - The Fun Continues

The Bruins tied up the Stanley Cup Final two nights later with a 4-0 victory over the Canucks behind two goals from Rich Peverley and 38 saves (as well as a tussle with Canucks forward Alex Burrows) from Tim Thomas.

June 13, 2011 - Sending it Seven

Causeway was rocking once again as the Bruins dominated the Canucks on home ice for the third straight game to force Game 7 with a 5-2 victory.

October 6, 2011 - Raising the Banner

After winning their first Stanley Cup in 39 years, the Bruins hoisted the championship banner ahead of the 2011-12 season opener against the Flyers with help from some legendary members of the Black & Gold. The B's also lifted the Cup in front of the home fans for the first time, while Mark Recchi was honored following his retirement.

April 17, 2013 - The City Unites

If we ranked these moments by importance, this one might be at the top. Just two days after the Boston Marathon bombings, Rene Rancourt let the TD Garden crowd take over to sing the national anthem, helping to bring the city - and country - together after one of its darkest days.

May 13, 2013 - A Comeback for the Ages

And this one wouldn't be far behind. Down, 4-1, midway through the third period, the Bruins stormed back with a historic comeback. Nathan Horton (9:18), Milan Lucic (18:38), and Patrice Bergeron (19:09) all scored to tie the game, before Bergeron won it at 6:05 of overtime to send Boston to the second round.

June 5, 2013 - The Shift

With Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against Pittsburgh tied midway through the second, Gregory Campbell dived to block a shot with his right leg during a penalty kill and remained on the ice for 47 seconds despite being in immense pain with chants of "Campbell! Campbell!" raining down. He missed the remainder of the postseason with a broken right fibula.

June 7, 2013 - Back to the Final

Just two nights later, the Bruins secured their return to the Stanley Cup Final and a sweep of the Penguins with a 1-0 victory on Adam McQuaid's third-period slapper.

November 29, 2018 - A Night for Nifty

Rick Middleton became the fourth Bruins legend to have his number retired in the new Garden. Overall, Nifty was the 11th player in team history to head to the rafters.

February 5, 2019 - Bergeron's 1,000th

Patrice Bergeron potted two goals in his 1,000th career game helping the Bruins to a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders. The longtime alternate captain also received a standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd.

May 27, 2019 - Another Final

The new Garden hosted its third Stanley Cup Final as the Bruins took on the St. Louis Blues in Game 1, a 4-2 victory for the Black & Gold highlighted by Torey Krug's monster hit on Robert Thomas that left the building in bedlam.

June 6, 2019 - An Unforgettable Ovation

Two days after having his jaw broken by a deflected puck in St. Louis, Zdeno Chara returned for Game 5 of the Cup Final and received a massive standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd during pregame introductions that was, perhaps, the loudest the building has ever been during its 25 years.

May 29, 2021 - The Building was Back

For the first time since March 7, 2020, TD Garden was filled to capacity and unleashed after 15 months of anguish, sorrow, and frustration amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented the building from being full for over a year. The Bruins made sure the party rolled on all night, putting on quite a show in a tight but convincing 5-2 victory over the Islanders in the opener of the teams' second-round playoff series. David Pastrnak led the way with his second career postseason hat trick, while Charlie McAvoy blasted home the winner midway through the third period to lift Boston to a 1-0 series advantage.

January 18, 2022 - O'Ree Gets His Day

Sixty-four years to the day that Willie O'Ree debuted as the first Black player in NHL history with the Bruins, he became the fifth Bruin to have his number retired in the new Garden when his No. 22 was raised to the rafters. Overall, O'Ree was the 12th player in team history to be so honored.

November 25, 2022 - An All-Time Record

David Pastrnak's power-play blast in overtime sealed an NHL record for the Bruins, as they overcame a two-goal deficit and battled back for a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Black Friday to set the league mark with their 12th consecutive home win to start the season. Boston went on to set the NHL mark for wins (65) and points (135) in a single season.

May 4, 2024 - Another Game 7 Thriller

David Pastrnak buried the Game 7 overtime winner to clinch Boston’s first-round series over the Toronto Maple Leafs and send them to the second round against the Florida Panthers.

December 1, 2024 - A Centennial Celebration

After an 18-month celebration that included a number of unforgettable "Era Nights" at TD Garden, the team's 100th year extravaganza concluded with the team's Centennial Game, which featured some of the Bruins' most prominent alumni in a moving pregame ceremony.

Editor's note: This story was originally written for TD Garden's 25th anniversary in 2020. It has been updated to include Bruins history from the past five years.