The Blockbuster Trade That Shaped The Boston Bruins

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Austin Sabourin
November 7, 2023 (9:50 PM)

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Taking a stroll down memory lane, we revisit the pivotal year of 1967 in NHL history.

While the stage was set for groundbreaking events at the NHL Annual Meetings in June, our focus today shifts to a crucial day that changed the league forever.

June 6, 1967, marked a monumental moment in the world of hockey�the day of NHL Expansion.

The league underwent a seismic shift, doubling in size as it expanded from six to 12 teams. In the lead-up to this historic expansion, the original six teams worked tirelessly to prepare for the changes that lay ahead.

The Expansion Draft Day was a culmination of extensive groundwork laid by the established franchises. With the knowledge that they would lose valuable assets to the new teams, the original six sought to gain value in return for players they couldn't bear to lose without compensation.

For some teams, this presented an opportunity to reshape their rosters and narrow the gap with the more prosperous clubs. The Boston Bruins found themselves in this category.

The Pre-Esposito Era for the Boston Bruins was marked by perennial struggles. They had not made the playoffs since the 1958-59 season, enduring eight years of hardship, including six last-place finishes. The franchise had become synonymous with the phrase "the agony of defeat."

Before the May 15 deadline when rosters were frozen, only two trades were completed. The Bruins, eager to secure assets that other teams were anxious to lose, were involved in both deals.

First, Boston acquired the charismatic Eddie Shack from the Toronto Maple Leafs, sending center Murray Oliver in return. The Leafs, with no plans to protect Shack, traded him for a potential replacement for retiring pivot Red Kelly.

The second deal was a game-changer for the Boston franchise. The Bruins reluctantly traded 22-year-old defenseman Gilles Marotte as the centerpiece in a six-player trade with the Chicago Black Hawks. Also moving to Chicago were center Pit Martin and minor league goaltender Jack Norris.

In return, Boston welcomed three players whom the Hawks were eager to part with. The key player for the new Boston general manager, Milt Schmidt, was tall, lanky center Phil Esposito.

Esposito had centered a line with Bobby Hull and Chico Maki, ranking as the seventh-highest scorer in the NHL in 1966-67. However, the Blackhawk management had placed significant blame on Esposito for their playoff defeat to the eventual Cup-winning Toronto.

They felt Esposito lacked the right personality and the drive required to lead a team to playoff success. They criticized his speed, physicality, and finishing abilities.

Little did the Chicago GM, Tommy Ivan, know that an offensive explosion was brewing beneath the surface, with Esposito poised to deliver a flurry of goals and points in the coming months.

Alongside Esposito, Boston received young forwards Fred Stanfield and Ken Hodge. The two had been linemates for the Hawks' Junior A club in St. Catharines in 1963-64, part of a high-scoring trio.

Stanfield, who had spent time between Chicago and their CPHL affiliate in St. Louis, was rumored to be the St. Louis Blues' first expansion draft pick. However, Ivan preemptively traded him to Boston.

Hodge, known for his impressive junior scoring record of 63 goals in 55 games in 1964-65, had struggled to translate his OHA success into the NHL. In his final year in Chicago, he recorded 10 goals and 25 assists. Like Stanfield, he was left unprotected by the Hawks from the expansion draft.

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