1999–2000 Boston Bruins season

Off-season

Following a second-round loss to the Buffalo Sabres the year previous, the Bruins headed into the 1999–2000 season with confidence that they could reach the playoffs for the third straight year under head coach Pat Burns. General manager Harry Sinden signed no free agents in the offseason and made no significant moves heading into the season. Goaltender Byron Dafoe was to be the starter for the third straight year following his best season in 1998–99, going 32–23–11 with a .926 save percentage.

Regular season

The Bruins played the first month of the season without star goaltender Byron Dafoe, who held out after becoming embroiled in a bitter contract dispute with general manager Harry Sinden. Dafoe's absence hurt Boston, who stumbled out of the gate to a 0-5-4 record. After Dafoe's return to the team, the Bruins would regroup to win eight of ten, and improved their record to 11-8-6 by the end of November, after which the team began a steep decline. Center Jason Allison, the team's leading point-scorer the previous season, was hampered by wrist and thumb injuries, and elected to undergo season-ending surgery in January. Dafoe himself saw his effectiveness limited by a worsening knee injury which would cause him to miss the final two months of the season, and in February, forward Anson Carter suffered two separate injuries of his own, which would sideline him for the final 17 games.

On February 21st, the club was further demoralized when defenseman Marty McSorley swung his stick and hit Donald Brashear in the head with seconds left during a game against the Vancouver Canucks. Brashear lost consciousness and suffered a grade 3 concussion, but not from immediate contact with the stick. The stick hit Brashear's helmet, but caused him to fall backward, and his head hit hard on the ice.

As a result of the stick incident, McSorley was charged with assault and suspended by the NHL for the remainder of the 1999–2000 season (including playoffs) missing 23 games. On October 4, 2000, a jury found McSorley guilty of assault with a weapon for his attack on Brashear. He was sentenced to 18 months probation. The trial was the first for an on-ice attack by an NHL player since 1988. After his assault conviction, his NHL suspension was extended to one full year (through February 21, 2001). This suspension was the longest in NHL history and afterwards McSorley never played in another NHL game.

In March, with the Bruins well out of playoff contention, the team received a final blow when 21 year-veteran defenseman Ray Bourque requested -- and received -- a trade to the Colorado Avalanche. Bourque would go on to win the Stanley Cup as a member of the Avalanche the following season.

During the regular season, the Bruins were the only team not to score a short-handed goal.

Final standings

Schedule and results

|- |1||October 2, 1999||1–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Carolina Hurricanes (1999–2000) ||0–1–0–0 || |- |2||October 4, 1999||0–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1999–2000) ||0–2–0–0 || |- |3||October 7, 1999||3–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Ottawa Senators (1999–2000) ||0–3–0–0 || |- |4||October 9, 1999||1–1 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia Flyers (1999–2000) ||0–3–1–0 || |- |5||October 11, 1999||3–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Colorado Avalanche (1999–2000) ||0–3–2–0 || |- |6||October 13, 1999||1–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Colorado Avalanche (1999–2000) ||0–4–2–0 || |- |7||October 15, 1999||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Dallas Stars (1999–2000) ||0–4–3–0 || |- |8||October 16, 1999||1–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Phoenix Coyotes (1999–2000) ||0–5–3–0 || |- |9||October 20, 1999||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1999–2000) ||0–5–4–0 || |- |10||October 23, 1999||3–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ San Jose Sharks (1999–2000) ||1–5–4–0 || |- |11||October 24, 1999||3–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1999–2000) ||2–5–4–0 || |- |12||October 28, 1999||7–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Tampa Bay Lightning (1999–2000) ||3–5–4–0 || |- |13||October 30, 1999||3–0 || style="text-align:left;"| Buffalo Sabres (1999–2000) ||4–5–4–0 ||

| Legend:

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
• • = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Bruins only.*
• • = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Bruins only.*

Goaltending

Awards and records

Awards

Milestones

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Signings

Waivers

Retirement

Draft picks

Boston's draft picks at the 1999 NHL entry draft held at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts.

;Notes

1. The Bruins acquired this pick as the result of a trade on June 27, 1998 that sent a ninth-round pick in 1998 to the New York Islanders in exchange for this pick.

References

References

1. Archives, L. A. Times. (1999-10-30). "Dafoe Ends Long Holdout, Signing Deal With Bruins".
2. Tribune, Chicago. (2000-01-12). "BRUINS' ALLISON OUT FOR SEASON".
3. "1999-00 Boston Bruins Schedule".
4. (2000-01-06). "B's Allison Out For Season - CBS News".
5. "ESPN.com - NHL - Dafoe returns from hamstring injury".
6. "ESPN.com - NHL - Carter to miss Boston's final 17 games".
7. (2000-11-08). "McSorley must miss a year". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
8. "ESPN.com - NHL - Bruins deal Bourque to Avalanche".
9. "Ray Bourque finally claimed the Cup after 22 years". Sports Illustrated Vault {{!}} SI.com.
10. "1999-00 NHL Summary".
11. "1999-00 Boston Bruins Schedule".
12. "2000 NHL All-Star Game Rosters".
13. Boston Bruins 2014–15 Guide & Record Book, p.239
14. Boston Bruins 2014–15 Guide & Record Book, p. 239–40
15. "1999-00 NHL Debuts".
16. "1999 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com".