The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, US. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and is the oldest in the United States. It is also an Original Six franchise, along with the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins have won six Stanley Cup championships, the fifth most of all-time and second most of any American NHL team (behind the Red Wings, who have 11). Their home arena is the TD Garden, where they have played since 1995. Prior to 1995, the team played its home games at the Boston Garden for 67 seasons, beginning in 1928.

The Bruins are the current Stanley Cup champions, having defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. It was their first Stanley Cup championship since 1972.

In 1924, at the convincing of Boston grocery tycoon Charles Adams, the National Hockey League decided to expand to the United States. Adams had fallen in love with hockey while watching the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals between the NHL champion Montreal Canadiens and the WCHL champion Calgary Tigers. He persuaded the NHL to grant him a franchise for Boston, which occurred on November 1, 1924. With the Montreal Maroons, the team was one of the NHL's first expansion teams.

Boston (pronounced /ˈbɒstən/ or locally /ˈbɔstən/ ( listen)) is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper, covering only 48.43 square miles, had a population of 617,594 according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Boston is also the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called Greater Boston, home to 4.5 million people and the tenth-largest metropolitan area in the country. Greater Boston as a commuting region is home to 7.6 million people, making it the fifth-largest Combined Statistical Area in the United States.

In 1630, Puritan colonists from England founded the city on the Shawmut Peninsula. During the late 18th century, Boston was the location of several major events during the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. Several early battles of the American Revolution, such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston, occurred within the city and surrounding areas. Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the peninsula. After American independence was attained Boston became a major shipping port and manufacturing center, and its rich history now helps attract many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone attracting over 20 million every year. The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635), and the first subway system in the United States (1897).

Brooks "Free Candy" Orpik (born September 26, 1980) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman, an alternate captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). His brother, Andrew, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres organization and is also currently in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Orpik grew up in Amherst, New York.

Orpik attended the Nichols School in Buffalo, NY and Thayer Academy in Braintree, Massachusetts. He played three seasons for Boston College, winning the Hockey East post-season championship in 1999 and 2001, and the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship in 2001.

Orpik was drafted in the first round (18th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He began his professional career with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 2001–02 AHL season. He made his NHL debut during the 2002–03 season, playing in 6 games and recording no points. After earning a permanent roster spot on the team next year, Orpik played in 79 games, registering 1 goal, 9 assists, and 127 penalty minutes.

Shawn Thornton (born July 23, 1977) is a Canadian professional hockey forward for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He is known to be an enforcer.

Thornton grew up playing minor hockey for his hometown Oshawa Minor Generals of the OMHA's Eastern AAA League. He was drafted in the 9th round (145th overall) by the Peterborough Petes in the 1995 OHL Priority Selection, one year after being originally passed over in the draft as a Midget-aged player.

He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1997, 190th overall. He won the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks and again in 2011 with the Boston Bruins.

On July 1, 2007, he became an unrestricted free agent and signed a three-year, 1.5 million dollar deal with the Boston Bruins.

With the Bruins, Thornton finally became an NHL regular, and he has become famous for taking on famous enforcers like Georges Laraque, Donald Brashear and Riley Cote. He also has his own video blog on the Bruins website.

Thornton was involved in the first fight in the history of the Winter Classic with Philadelphia Flyers agitator Daniel Carcillo on January 1, 2010 at Boston's Fenway Park.