NHL Hockey Trivia: Boston Bruins and the Hart Trophy

The Hart Memorial Trophy was first handed out in 1923-24. The Boston Bruins began play in the National Hockey League the following season. Since that time, five different Boston players have won the Hart Trophy a total of 12 times in a time spanning from 1933 to 1974. Test and expand your knowledge of the Boston Bruins and the Hart Memorial Trophy with the following four hockey trivia questions and answers.

Q. What Boston Bruins player won the Hart Memorial Trophy on four occasions?

A. Eddie Shore won the Hart four times during the 1930’s, his first in 1932-33 and his last in 1937-38. The only other winners of the trophy during that decade either played for the Montreal Canadiens or the Montreal Maroons. Just Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe have won the Hart more times that Eddie Shore.

Shore played nearly his entire National Hockey League career with the Bruins. From 1926-27 until four games into the 1939-40 season, he played for Boston. He finished his NHL career that same year with ten games for the New York Americans. Eddie was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947. The Eddie Shore Award is now given out to the top defenseman in the American Hockey League.

Q. Over the 12 times a Boston Bruins player has won the Hart Trophy, only twice has the team won the Stanley Cup in the same season. Which one of the Bruins was the recipient of the Hart Trophy in both those years?

A. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1969-70 and 1971-72. In both years, Bobby Orr won the Hart Memorial Trophy. He also won in 1970-71 and is one of only two NHL players to win on three or more consecutive occasions. The other, of course, is Wayne Gretzky. Orr played for Boston from 1966-67 to 1975-76 in an injury shortened Hockey Hall of Fame career.

Q. Which Hart Trophy winner from the Boston Bruins went on to coach the team for eleven years after retiring as a player?

A. Milt Schmidt won the Hart Trophy in 1950-51. He began the 1954-55 season as a player and took over the head coaching role midway through the season. He coached the Bruins until the end of the 1965-66 season. He returned to coach in the NHL one last time in 1974-75, standing behind the Washington Capitals bench for just seven games.

Q. Who is the only Boston Bruins player to win the Hart Trophy but not have his jersey number retired by the team?

A. Bill Cowley won the Hart in 1940-41 and 1942-43. He was a point per game player over his career that spanned from 1935-36 to 1946-47. Cowley is enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Yet, the Bruins have not honoured his number 10.