Bruins Dream Team: 1990s All-Decade Lineup

The following article, which features former League standouts Joe Juneau (RPI), Mike Milbury (Colgate), Adam Oates (RPI) and Don Sweeney (Harvard) appeared August 16 on the New England Hockey Journal (NEHJ) Web site.

BY JESSE CONNOLLY

The Black and Gold Blog’s Bruins Dream Team series continues today with a look back at the decade that was the ’90s.

With a glut of worthy forwards, slim pickings on defense and a perplexing decision as to who to put in net, this certainly wasn’t easy. Some of you may balk at certain names not making the cut, but I’ll do my best to express my line of thinking.

As for the criteria, stats taken into consideration were from the 1990-91 season up until the 1999-00 campaign. Games played and points-per-game were obviously key factors, but good, steady defensive play certainly didn’t go unnoticed.

So without further ado ...

COACHING STAFF

Mike Milbury will be calling the shots behind Boston’s bench as head coach. Sure, his track record as a GM is a much-maligned one, but there’s no denying the level of success he had while with the Bruins. Milbury’s teams went 90-49-1, good for a win percentage of .628. His 23 playoff victories are fifth best among B’s bench bosses.

FORWARDS - FIRST LINE

Adam Oates and Cam Neely were obvious slam dunks for spots on the top line. With a whopping 499 points in 368 games during his days in Boston, Oates was the straw that stirred the drink for the Bruins. Neely, now a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, almost always made good on Oates’ bevy of slick setups.

Back in the day, the dynamic duo spent a good chunk of their time together alongside Joe Juneau — their linemate for this fantasy squad. Though never able to replicate the success he enjoyed with the Bruins, Juneau was simply phenomenal during his early days in the NHL with the Black and Gold.

DEFENSEMEN - SECOND PAIR

If Don Sweeney had only been a so-so defenseman, he still would’ve been applauded for his remarkable longevity. However, No. 32 was so much more than that for the Bruins. While you’d never have guessed he was merely 5-foot-10, Sweeney was strong, smart and brought a well-rounded game to the table for 15 seasons in Boston. With 1052 games played in a Bruins sweater, Sweeney ranks third all-time, trailing only Johnny Bucyk and Bourque.