Hockey Comes to Beantown

On December 1st, 1924, the NHL went international, with the first-ever pro hockey game in the U.S. and the debut of the Boston Bruins.

The Boston idea started brewing just a few months earlier, when New England grocery magnate Charles Adams met future Hall-of-Famer Art Ross during the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals. Adams decided he wanted to bring a franchise to Beantown, and hired Ross as his vice president, general manager, coach and scout.

Adams put out an open call to come up with a team nickname that “should preferably relate to an untamed animal…synonymous with size, strength, agility, ferocity and cunning.” Out of dozens of submissions from media and fans, he chose one that came from Ross’s secretary: the Bruins.

After a lousy debut year and a mediocre second season, Ross convinced Adams to infuse the club with talent by purchasing the foundering Western Canada Hockey League and acquiring the rights to players like the legendary Eddie Shore. They made the Stanley Cup Finals the next year, and in 1929 won their first championship.