The Boston-Montreal rivalry only truly began after the owners of the financially troubled Maroons, who had subsequently acquired the Canadiens, decided to contract their original franchise.

"[48] As blood dripped down his face after an earlier injury that gave him a concussion, he scored the series-winning goal of the 1952 Stanley Cup Semifinals.

Richard, although somewhat dazed, jumped off the bench and drove to the net to score past a surprised Sugar Jim Henry, the Boston Bruins' goaltender.

[52] Referee Frank Udvari signaled a delayed penalty, but allowed play to continue because the Canadiens had possession of the puck.

The linesmen attempted to restrain Richard, who repeatedly broke away from them to continue his attack on Laycoe, eventually breaking a stick over his opponent's body before linesman Cliff Thompson corralled him.

Richard was never arrested for the incident, as Bruins management finally persuaded the officers to leave with a promise that the NHL would handle the issue.

[58] After the hearing, Campbell issued a 1,200-word statement to the press and said that "Richard will be suspended from all games both league and playoff for the balance of the current season.

No sooner had the judgment been handed out than the NHL office (then located in Montreal) was deluged with hundreds of calls from enraged fans, many of whom made death threats to Campbell.

Outraged Canadiens fans immediately began pelting them with eggs, vegetables and various debris, with more being thrown at him each time the Red Wings scored, building up a 4–1 lead on Montreal.

[62] The continuous pelting of various objects stopped when a tear gas bomb was set off inside the Forum not far from where Campbell was sitting.

[68] During this period, the Bruins and Canadiens reigned exclusively as Stanley Cup champions, except in 1967 when it was won by the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974 and 1975.

[71][72] In 1970–71, the Bruins finished first in the League with Esposito and Orr shattering scoring records, but they lost in the first round to the Canadiens, who went on to win the Stanley Cup,[73] in seven games.

[76] Sportswriter Cam Cole wrote of the series, "Where the whole world stopped for the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens in the spring of 1971, and my heart was crushed by the evil Habs.

It seemed at least unfair, and possibly illegal, that anyone should be able to stop as magnificent a creature as Bobby Orr—let alone Phil Esposito and Johnny Bucyk and the rest—with some college-boy goalie [Ken Dryden]."

Cole opined "there is no scale to measure the visceral abhorrence I harboured for the Canadiens, how badly I wanted Orr to win in '71.

The mid-1970s Montreal Canadiens, coached by Scotty Bowman, had become one of the most dominant NHL dynasties of all time, with Guy Lafleur succeeding an often-injured Bobby Orr as the game's preeminent superstar.

Their main opponents in the 1976–79 playoffs were the Boston Bruins, who due to the departure of Orr and Phil Esposito were rebuilt into the "Lunch Pail Athletic Club", with head coach Don Cherry encouraging physical play and balance over brilliance.

During the 1978 Finals, which the Habs won in six games, rough tactics were used against Lafleur, whose head was swathed in bandages at the end of the 1978 series after repeated high-sticking from Bruins players.

Scotty Bowman later accused Bruins star defenceman Brad Park of being a "sneaky dirty player" during the 1978 Finals.

Ultimately, a massive boycott of Molson's in Canada compelled the Canadiens to consent to the merger, which allowed it to pass with the necessary supermajority.

In 1988, the Bruins won their first playoff series against the Canadiens in 45 years and after 19 attempts in the latter's Montreal Forum on the way to advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The reason was because the Bruins, who had won the Adams Division with 109 points, were swept in the opening round of the playoffs by the Buffalo Sabres on Brad May's famous "May Day" goal.

With the Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated in the first and second rounds, respectively, it made the Canadiens' road to their 24th Stanley Cup much easier.

[129] One game on February 9, which the Bruins won 8–6, saw a brawl in which All-Star goaltenders Carey Price and Tim Thomas squared off during the second period, leaving the penalty boxes overflowing and the ice littered with the players' equipment.

[133] Chara, who received an interference major and a game misconduct,[131] said of the hit, "I knew we were somewhere close to our bench but obviously that wasn't my intention to push him into the post.

"[139] The two teams met for the final time during the season on March 24, with Bruins David Krejci, Zdeno Chara, and Milan Lucic each scoring three assists in a 7–0 blowout of the Canadiens.

[149] Following the Bruins' elimination by the Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, events within the 2012 NHL Entry Draft saw the Bruins select the younger brother of Canadiens defenceman P. K. Subban, goaltender Malcolm Subban, as their first-round pick, prompting the chance for yet another aspect to the teams' rivalry in the future;[150] they later signed Malcolm to a three-year, entry-level contract on September 6, 2012.

Milan Lucic was again involved in controversy in a separate incident during the season when he made an obscene gesture in a game at the Bell Centre, raising his middle finger to the crowd as he entered the penalty box.

[160] This did not come to pass, however, as both teams lost in six games in a best-of-seven series to be eliminated in the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs.

[162] Following the first four games of the pre-season schedule, Galipeau was invited to the Providence Bruins training camp, as the main Boston team began cutting down their roster for the regular 2018–19 season.