The last decade brought a lot of success for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins have made the Stanley Cup Final thrice, winning it once. From those 10 years, only a couple of times the Bruins missed the playoffs. Twice it happened because of a ninth-place finish for the Bruins.
While there are many players who have spent the whole decade playing for the Black and Gold, just like Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, and David Krejci, there are some you most likely forgot about. Here is a list of five such players. If you remember every one of them playing in a Bruins uniform, you surely know the Bruins from the bottom to the top.
Gemel Smith – It was not a long time ago that Smith donned a Bruins jersey. Last season, the Dallas Stars waived him and the Bruins claimed him. The Bruins needed some healthy bodies in November and December as they were missing a bundle of important players. Smith played only three games with the Bruins without any points. In the offseason, he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning on a one-year deal.
Matt Irwin – You may have noticed Irwin playing for the Nashville Predators in the Winter Classic. In his fourth season with the Preds, Irwin has become a regular in their lineup after signing with Nashville in 2016 initially. In the 2015-16 season, he was a Boston Bruins defenseman. Following only two games at the beginning of the season, the Bruins gave up on Irwin and sent him down to Providence. Now 32, the blueliner has played in 341 NHL games with the Sharks and Predators.
Jamie Arniel – Now, we are entering a pure miscellaneous category of the former Bruins players. Arniel was selected in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Draft by Boston. In Nov. 2010, he made his NHL debut against the Atlanta Thrashers. And that was it. Only 12:26 of the ice-time in his NHL career. The currently 30-year-old forward plays for HC Bolzano in the EBEL League.
Max Sauve – A former second-round selection from the 2008 NHL Draft by Boston, this French-born skater made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2012. He logged only 3:43 of the ice time. That was it for the former second-rounder. He played 52 games in Providence a year after. Now, the 29-year-old forward plays in Bordeaux in France.
Jamie Tardif – The Bruins signed Tardif as a free agent in 2013. The right-winger was originally picked by the Calgary Flames in the fourth-round of 2003 NHL Draft. In February 2013, Tardif skated in two games versus the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, both courses on the road. Tardif logged only 9:51 of the overall ice-time. Jamie hung them up in 2018. The 34-year-old serves as an assistant coach for the Greyhounds in the OHL.
Neither of the players mentioned recorded a single point with the Bruins. Once again, if you recognized each one of those, you really know the Bruins better than your own family.
