The first Monday of February is always a hockey holiday in Boston because it marks the first day of the Beanpot, an annual college hockey tournament featuring the four Division I programs in the city.
Since 1959, Boston College, Boston University, Harvard University and Northeastern University have played for supremacy. The teams meet in the semifinal on the first Monday of February and in the final and consolation games the following Monday.
Boston College faces Harvard in one semifinal at 5 p.m. ET, followed by Boston University against Northeastern at 8 p.m., with each game airing on NHL Network. All games are played at TD Garden, home of the Boston Bruins.
But the tournament is no longer just a quaint city affair for provincial bragging rights. For years, it has been a breeding ground for NHL talent.
For example, this season, there are 44 players across the four teams who have been drafted by NHL teams. And there are two more -- Tynan Lawrence of BU and Oscar Hemming of BC -- who are expected to be selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Boston University has 18 NHL draft picks on its roster and BC has 10, so it's no surprise those two teams have dominated play in the tournament; Boston University is the defending champion, winning the most recent of its 31 titles. Boston College has 20 championships.
But which team is the best when it comes to producing NHL talent? That’s the question we put before NHL.com writers Mike Morreale and Tracey Myers in this edition of State Your Case. As a bonus, each writer picked an all-alumni team from each school among current NHL players.
Morreale: Sure, there have been plenty of upsets and thrilling finishes associated with one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in college hockey history, but there's no denying the fact Boston University sits in the catbird’s seat. They are the defending champion, the all-time winningest team in the tournament (96-48-0) and offer a 'Who's Who' of exceptionally elite skaters and goalies to come through the program and succeed at the event. A Beanpot title cannot be understated, either. In 72 seasons of the tournament's existence, none of the competing teams has ever won the national championship without first winning the Beanpot in that same season. BU has won five NCAA championships and have produced more NHL players than any of the three other participating programs in the Beanpot, proving to be a consistent pipeline of professional, international and legendary talent.
Myers: OK, yes, BU is great and their win against Boston College in last season’s Beanpot was an upset (BC was ranked No. 1 at the time). But BC certainly has its reasons to toot its own horn. BC has won the Beanpot 20 times (its record is 83-60-1) — no small feat given the talent at the tournament and, of course, the obvious rivalry between the Eagles and Terriers. To expand to a greater scale, as Mr. Morreale did in his opener, Boston College has also won the NCAA championship five times and has advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four 26 times, second only to Michigan with 28 appearances (25 times for BU). Boston College has its own rich tradition of hockey, including at the Beanpot.
Morreale: Tracey highlights some key points in her rebuttal, particularly with the number of Frozen Four appearances by each program. But let's get to the nitty-gritty of this debate, shall we? When it comes to building an All-Star Team of current NHL stars among the two schools, Boston University holds the edge. My forward group would include Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (played at BU in 2014-15), San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (2023-24), and Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (2017-18). Eichel and Celebrini each won the Hobey Baker Award given to the top collegiate player, and Tkachuk was named to the 2018 Hockey East All-Rookie Team, the 2019 NHL All-Rookie Team and is a four-time NHL All-Star. On defense, I have the luxury of relying on Boston Bruins right-handed shot Charlie McAvoy (2015-17) and Montreal Canadiens left-handed shot Lane Hutson (2022-24). My goalie is Jake Oettinger (2016-19) of the Dallas Stars. Five of my all-star members will be representing their country at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 (Eichel, Tkachuk, McAvoy, Oettinger for Team USA; Celebrini for Team Canada) and Hutson, despite not making the Olympic cut for Team USA this time, continues to build his resume after winning the Calder Trophy, voted as the NHL Rookie of the Year last season.
Myers: Yes, time to pick the team! Boston University certainly has more established NHL guys but I’m digging the youth movement my Boston College team is going to bring. My forwards are San Jose Sharks center Will Smith (played at BC in 2023-24), Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (2022-24) and Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (2019-21). Smith, 20, led NCAA Division I scoring with 71 points, also a BC record for points by a freshman, and was a top-10 Hobey Baker finalist. Gauthier, 22, was an alternate captain at BC and is leading the upstart Ducks in goals this season. Boldy, 24, is second on the Wild in points behind forward Kirill Kaprizov and will represent the United States at the Olympics. I’m going with veterans on defense with Mike Matheson (2012-15) of the Montreal Canadiens and Noah Hanifin (2014-15) of the Vegas Golden Knights. Matheson, 31, is a former BC captain and part of the Canadiens’ No. 1 defense pair with Noah Dobson. Hanifin is the second-youngest player in BC’s history (17) and will also play for the U.S. at the Olympics next month. My goaltender is Spencer Knight (2019-21) of the Chicago Blackhawks. Knight, 24, led BC to the 2020-21 Hockey East regular-season championship, won gold with the U.S. at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship and is the Blackhawks’ No. 1 goalie now and the foreseeable future.
