===The 21st century===
[[Image:Boston alternate.gif|200px|left|thumb|Third jersey, 1996-2006]]
The Bruins got off to a poor start in the new century. Despite a fifteen-point improvement from the previous season, the Bruins missed the playoffs in [[2000-01 NHL season|2000-01]]. Leading scorer [[Jason Allison]] was the lone explosive player forled the Bruins.
The following season, [[2001-02 NHL season|2001-02]], saw the Bruins with a thirteen-point improvement, winning their first Northeast Division title since [[1992-93 NHL season|1993]] under a solid core built around [[Joe Thornton]], [[Sergei Samsonov]], [[Brian Rolston]], [[Bill Guerin]], and the newly acquired [[Glen Murray (hockey player)|Glen Murray]]. Their regular season success didn't translate to the postseason, though, as they bowed out in six games to the underdog eighth-place Canadiens in the first round. Goaltending was the biggest flaw, as [[Byron Dafoe]] struggled in the playoffs, while Habs net minder [[Jose Theodore]] starred.
The [[2002-03 NHL season|2002-03]] season saw very little improvement between the pipes, asfound the Bruins enteredplatooning the season with weaktheir goaltending once again. They platoonedstaff between the inconsistent [[Steve Shields (hockey player)|Steve Shields]] and the inexperienced [[John Grahame]] for most of the season, but. aA mid-season trade, however, brought in veteran [[Jeff Hackett]], who showed signs of improvement, but wasn't the answer to the Bruins' problems. The Bruins managed to finish seventh in the East, but lost to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion [[New Jersey Devils]] in five games.
In [[2003-04 NHL season|2003-04]], the Bruins again failed to bring in a solid goaltender and began the season with yet another inconsistent goalie between the pipes, ex-[[Toronto Maple Leafs|Toronto Maple Leaf]] goalie [[Felix Potvin]]. Potvinbetween startedthe outpipes. solid,Later butin struggledthe soon enoughseason, forcing the Bruins to put [[rookie]] [[Andrew Raycroft]] into the starting role. Raycroft provedeventually superb, en route to winningwon the Calder. Raycroft,Award asthat wellseason. asThe Thornton,Bruins Samsonov,went Rolston,on Murray,to [[Mike Knuble]], [[Nick Boynton]], and fellow rookie [[Patrice Bergeron]], carried the Bruins towon another division title. The Bruinsand appeared destined to get out of the first round for the first time in five years, with a solid 3-1 series lead on the rival Canadiens. The Canadiens miraculously rallied back, however, to win three straight games, upsetting the Bruins once again.
The [[2004-05 NHL season]] was wiped out by a [[2004-05 NHL lockout|lockout]], and the Bruins appeared to be in good position for the following year, withhad a lot of space within the new salary cap implemented for [[2005-06 NHL season|2005-06]]. However, Bruins management eschewed younger free agents in their prime in favor of older veterans such as [[Alexei Zhamnov]] and [[Brian Leetch]]. The newcomers were oft-injured and underachieved, and by the end of [[November]], a strugglingthe Bruins team traded their captain and franchise player, [[Joe Thornton]] (who would go on to win the Art Ross and Hart Trophies that season). In exchange, the Bruins received [[Marco Sturm]], [[Brad Stuart]] and [[Wayne Primeau]] from the [[San Jose Sharks]].
[[image:Boston-alternate.gif|thumb|left|120px|Alternate logo, 1996-2006-also used on shoulders of current uniform]]
After losing ten of eleven games before the trade (while the Shark TankSharks won Thornton's first seven games in San Jose), the Bruins stormedcame back with a 3-0 victory over the league-leading [[Ottawa Senators]], as rookie goaltender [[Hannu Toivonen]] earned his first career NHL shutout victory. When Toivonen went down (for the rest of the season) with an injury in January, lightning struck twice, as journeyman goalie [[Tim Thomas]] started sixteen straight games and brought the Bruins back into the playoff hunt. Two points out of eighth place at the Winter Olympic break, the Bruins struggled throughout March, resulting in the firing offired general manager [[Mike O'Connell]], in March and the Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time in five years. They finished thirteenth in the [[Eastern Conference]] and earned the fifth pick in the NHL Draft Lottery, which they used to draft promising U.S. college starplayer [[Phil Kessel]], who dropped out of college early to sign with the team on [[August 17]], [[2006]].
In May, former [[Ottawa]] assistant general manager [[Peter Chiarelli]] was hired as the new GM of the team. Head coach [[Mike Sullivan (hockey)|Mike Sullivan]] was fired because of his humiliating record during his second season as the Bruins coach &mdash: he'd got the Bears to first place in the Northeast Division in 2004, only to see them freefall in 2006 to last — and [[Dave Lewis (hockey)|Dave Lewis]], former coach of the [[Detroit Red Wings]], was hired to replace him while [[Marc Habscheid]] was named associate coach. The Bruins then made a big splashheadlines on the first day of free-agent signing when they inked [[Zdeno Chara]], one of the most coveted defensemen in the NHL and a former NHL All-Star, from the SensSenators, and [[Marc Savard]], who finished just three points short of a 100-point season in [[2005-06 NHL season|'05-'06]] with the [[Atlanta Thrashers]], to long-term deals. Bergeron was re-signed by the Bruins on [[August 22]], [[2006]] to a multi-year contract, keeping the developing starplayer forwardon inthe black and goldteam for some years to come. ButGoaltender Raycroft and big bluelinerdefenseman [[Hal Gill]] both went to [[Toronto]].
On [[August 20]], [[2006]], The Boston Globe reported that the Bruins will mothballget rid of their gold third jerseys for [[2006-07 NHL season|2006-07]] in favor of a new third jersey mimicking the [[1966-67 NHL season|1966-67]] jerseys. The new third jersey will be used against [[Original Six]] opponents, and one matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
=="Unofficial" Theme songs==
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