Canadiens-Bruins Renew Rivalry, Amid Memories From The Past

The Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins are perhaps the most storied bitter rivals in NHL history, and on Saturday night the two Original Six teams took battle.

This is significant because it was the first game of the 2023-24 campaign. Not only that but there was no Zdeno Chara or Patrice Bergeron for the Bruins. Yes, Chara had departed from the organization before the end of last year, but still, he was a huge pillar for the Bruins in the rivalry over the last 15 years. Bergeron and Chara are retired, and the Bruins look dramatically different.

Much is the same for the Canadiens, with many young Canadiens getting their first taste of the Bruins-Habs rivalry. For example, Kaiden Guhle scored the overtime winner on Saturday night, firing a rebound past Jeremy Swayman, this was his first game against the Bruins. Alex Newhook and Josh Anderson worked a give-and-go, the latter of the two was also playing his first game in the battle of the two foes, and he drew the secondary assist on the OT winner.

Brad Marchand showed off his shiny new ‘C’ on his sweater, for his first game against the Habs since being named captain. There were also a few young additions to the Bruins roster, giving the battle a bit of a fresh-faced layer to it. 22-year-old rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei and his fellow rookie teammates, forwards 19-year-old Matthew Poitras and 22-year-old John Beecher were thrust into the storied matchup.

Behind us are the memories of Milan Lucic and Dale Weise’s interaction in the handshake lineup. The nasty hit by Chara on former Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty. And the infamous middle finger gesture to the Habs crowd by Andrew Ference.

But fret not, because these two teams have continued to evolve and create must-watch television. Best believe that the new era of this bitter rivalry will keep things moving in a good direction. Milan Lucic didn’t play because he was injured, but Garnet Hathaway, Patrick and Trent Frederic were the new thorns in the Habs’ side.

Unfortunately for the rivalry game, Arber Xhekaj and Michael Pezzetta didn’t have much to deal with since Lucic was on the shelf. But they were their usual physical selves, using big hits to create energy for the team. The fisticuffs will come at some point, but it wasn’t during the Saturday night matchup, which benefits the Habs, because Xhekaj has proven to be a very important part of the team plans when he is on the ice, and not in the penalty box.

With a couple of players still brewing in the American Hockey League, like Joshua Roy and Logan Mailloux. A few in the NCAA, with Lane Hutson and Luke Tuch. And while he is in the Ontario Hockey League with the Brantford Bulldogs, if Florian Xhekaj makes it to the NHL, he will surely be a nice addition to this battle.

While Brendan Gallagher wasn’t a burr in Marchand’s saddle, that is something that for sure can be expected the next time around, and he did give the team a 2-1 lead. The Habs-Bruins battles are in good hands, and as the Canadiens find their way through the rebuild, hope for some playoff battles presents itself. One thing is for certain if the regular season games are this exciting, a meeting in the playoffs could provide earth-shaking energy.

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