Bruins vs Red Wings: A Rivalry of Blood and Ice

Bruins Vs Red Wings

Title: 'The Curse of the Original Six: A Blood Feud on Ice'

Prologue: The Spark
October 15, 1932 – Boston Garden

The first meeting between the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings was anything but friendly. Eddie Shore, Boston’s notorious enforcer, left Red Wings star Carson Cooper bloodied on the ice after a vicious hit. The rivalry was born in violence—and over the next nine decades, it would only grow darker.

Chapter 1: The Bad Blood Boils (1950s-1970s)

Detroit was 'Hockeytown,' but Boston was the city of brawlers. The Red Wings, led by Gordie Howe—a man as feared for his fists as his scoring—clashed with the Bruins’ tough guys like Johnny 'Pie Face' McKenzie.

But the real turning point came in 1957, when Detroit’s Ted Lindsay—a man who once said, 'I never started a fight, but I sure as hell finished a few'—was traded after trying to unionize players. The Bruins, backed by the old guard of NHL owners, were seen as part of the establishment that crushed Lindsay’s movement. The Wings never forgot.

Then came 1972, when Boston’s Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito dominated the league—except against Detroit. In one infamous game, Wings enforcer Bryan Watson sucker-punched Esposito, sparking a bench-clearing brawl. Esposito later said, 'I wanted to kill him. And I think he wanted to kill me.'

Chapter 2: The Night the Garden Turned Red (1988)

March 24, 1988 – Boston Garden

The Bruins and Red Wings were fighting for playoff positioning, but what happened that night was more like a street fight.

First Period: Detroit’s Bob Probert, the NHL’s most feared fighter, destroyed Boston’s Jay Miller in a bloody bout.

Third Period: Probert challenged every Bruins tough guy. By the end, five players were ejected, and the ice was stained with blood.

After the game, Bruins coach Terry O’Reilly was seen screaming at Detroit’s bench: 'This isn’t over.'

It wasn’t.

Chapter 3: The Curse of the Octopus (1990s-2000s)

Detroit’s playoff dominance in the 90s—four Cups between 1997 and 2008—coincided with Boston’s suffering. The Bruins, despite having stars like Ray Bourque, couldn’t get past the Wings in crucial games.

Fans whispered about the 'Octopus Curse'—a reference to Detroit’s playoff tradition. Some claimed a Bruins fan once stole an octopus from a Detroit seafood market and buried it under the old Boston Garden floor as a hex. The Wings still won.

Then came 2014—the last time (so far) the two met in the playoffs. Detroit took Game 1 in Boston, and Bruins fans rioted outside TD Garden. Police in riot gear clashed with fans chanting 'Wings suck blood!'

Chapter 4: The Modern War (2020s and Beyond)

The rivalry cooled as the teams shifted divisions, but the hatred never died.

2023: Bruins’ Brad Marchand and Detroit’s Dylan Larkin nearly came to blows after Larkin accused Marchand of a dirty slew-foot.

2024: A Red Wings prospect was caught on mic saying, 'I grew up hating Boston. My dad said they’re the reason Grandpa drinks.'

Now, with both teams rising again, whispers grow louder: They’re due for another playoff war.

Epilogue: The Next Bloodletting
The Bruins and Red Wings haven’t met in a playoff series in a decade. But in hockey, feuds never die—they just wait for the right moment to reignite.

And when it happens?

There will be blood on the ice again.

🔎 Case Unsolved: Who Cursed Whom?
Detroit fans swear Boston started it. Boston fans say the Wings are dirty. One thing’s certain—when these two collide, the ice turns red.

🚨 Coming Soon: The 2025 Playoffs… If They Meet.

Would you survive the feud?

Bruins vs Red Wings: A Rivalry of Blood and Ice

Report Page