February 18th is a significant date in Bruins history; On this day in 2011..
The date February 18th holds a special significance for the Boston Bruins. It's the anniversary of a trade that helped bolster their blueline back in 2011, leading to an eventual Stanley Cup victory later that year.
The addition I'm talking about is that of long-time Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle. The Leafs and the Bruins became unlikely trade partners that season. It's not often that two heated rivals swing a trade, but given where the Bruins and their counterparts were at, on opposite ends of the standings, a deal was reached sending Joe Colborne, the Bruins' first-round draft pick in 2011 and a conditional second-round pick in 2012 - the condition being that if the Bruins reached the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals or re-signed Kaberle, the Leafs would receive the pick. As we know, the Bruins hoisted the Cup that season, meeting the condition.
Kaberle was a very nice complimentary piece for the Bruins, providing them with the depth on defense that they would need down the home stretch in the regular season and during the B's subsequent playoff run, amassing 11 points over 25 games, en route to the only Stanley Cup victory in his 14-year NHL career.
Though brief, Kaberle's tenure in Boston was certainly memorable. The Czech defenseman appeared in just 24 regular season games for the Bruins along with his 25 playoff appearances. The following offseason, he signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, but was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens, where he would play the final 53 games of his NHL career.
