The Bruins offseason was full of question marks.
How would Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci perform as they continue on the back nine of their respective careers?
How would the Bruins adapt under new head coach Jim Montgomery?
Could the Bruins survive starting the season without Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy?
Do the Bruins have enough depth to be a playoff contender?
The Bruins quickly answered all those questions, flying out of the gate to an historic pace. 80 games later and history was indeed made, the Bruins picking up their 63rd win of the season Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.
The win sets a new NHL record for most regular-season wins.
"Before the year, to be honest, you're not hoping you get the most wins in history, it's just not something you're thinking about,… Charlie Coyle said.
"This is just another one of those added things that show you how special of a group this is. We hope this is just the beginning here. But it's definitely something we can take pride in and shows what we've accomplished this year."
The Bruins record setting win broke their tie with the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.
On a team that has won 63 times—and two more chances to add to that total—it’s easy to say almost everyone deserves credit.
But in this case, it’s very much true.
Credit to general manager Don Sweeney for believing in Montgomery and for his trade for Pavel Zacha who has set career highs in goals, assists and points.
Credit to Montgomery for getting the most out of his players, both young and old, putting it together for a style of hockey that has perfectly fit what the Bruins roster has to offer.
And of course, credit to the players for buying in to what Montgomery is selling.
"For our team, it means everything we believe in, being process-oriented, staying in the moment, caring about each other, respecting each other and how hard we play for each other,… Montgomery said. “The word 'team' is exemplified with that group in there.…
When the Bruins season came to an end in Game 7 of the opening round against the Carolina Hurricanes last season, it felt like the Bruins Stanley Cup window was finally shut.
Sweeney and team President Cam Neely’s jobs were on line, Patrice Bergeron was contemplating retirement and the Bruins had no real backup plan down the middle.
Organizationally, the Bruins lacked top tiered prospects that can quickly get through a rebuild.
And of course, there was the firing of head coach Bruce Cassidy.
But once the puck dropped on the current campaign everything went right for the Bruins.
From Linus Ullmark turning in one of the best regular seasons we’ve seen from a goalie to David Pastrnak’s 60-goal season to Hampus Lindholm providing the Bruins with another top defenseman, it’s a magical run for the Bruins.
Now, that magic needs to translate to a Stanley Cup.
"We don't talk about winning the Stanley Cup now. We talk about Game 1. That's going to be our focus, not looking too far ahead, that creates anxiety,… Montgomery said.
“We believe in staying present and our process allows us to have success and we have a lot of details within our process. That's a simple way of saying that we like to live in the moment. We're not looking at June. We're looking at April 17."