There are home-ice advantages—and then there’s the 1975–76 Boston Bruins.
That season, the Bruins turned their home rink into an impenetrable fortress, going 36-2-2 at the Boston Garden—a record that still ranks among the best in NHL history. The old Garden was cramped, the boards were unpredictable, and the ice surface was small and rough—perfect for Boston’s physical, hard-checking game.
Led by stars like Johnny Bucyk, Jean Ratelle, and a young Terry O’Reilly, the Bruins played with intensity and grit. They wore teams down with body checks and relentless forechecking, and opposing players often admitted they hated playing there.
The Bruins finished the season with 113 points, second in the league only to the Montreal Canadiens, who were beginning their own dynasty. Although Boston ultimately fell short in the playoffs, their home dominance remains legendary.
The myth of the “Boston Garden curse” lived on for years, as teams continued to struggle in that building until its closure in 1995. And to this day, that 1975–76 Bruins home record remains one of the toughest acts to follow.
