
(Photo: Bridget Samuels/Ikeastan Hockey) Chara was one of the pieces to the puzzle after the Bruins traded Joe Thornton
The Bruins trip to the Stanley Cup Finals has been nearly six years in the making.
On November 30th, 2005, many Bruins fans and media members criticized then Boston General Manager Mike O’Connell when he traded former No. 1 pick and star player Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart.
Yes, the Thornton trade did set the team back during the rest of the 2005-06 season as the Black and Gold finished 13th in the Eastern Conference with 74 points. The year after saw Boston improve by just two points from the previous season with 76.

February 28 is almost here: the NHL trade deadline.