“There is much to be proud of, [with] the history here,” said Bruins chief executive Charlie Jacobs, whose father, Delaware North chairman Jeremy Jacobs, bought the team nearly 50 years ago and remains its primary owner today. .
One of the major goals, said Charlie Jacobs, is to involve former players, or “alumni” as he calls them, in different activities.
“People who were Bruins … understand what it means to be a Bruin and maybe bring that to our current roster and to this community,” Jacobs said.
The “Centennial Takeoff” planned for the JetBlue hangar at Logan Airport on Sept. 16. That’s when the club’s centenary jersey and related merchandise will be unveiled, fashion-show style. Working with Adidas and the NHL, the team has created three new uniforms to wear in the upcoming season.
On opening night, Oct. 11, the Bruins will hold a “Rafters Reunion” ceremony to bring together the team’s alums, before playing the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden to open the season. The following night the team will host a black-tie gala at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel to benefit the Boston Bruins Foundation, an event that will also feature prominent alums as well as current players. The team is currently looking for corporate sponsors for the event.
“Getting our alumni involved is a big part of this,” said Bruins President, and Hockey Hall of Famer, Cam Neely. “You’re talking about 100 years worth of hockey players. The heartbeat of our team.”
Then, in November, the team will release a coffee-table photo book, titled, “Blood, Sweat & 100 Years,” which is also the name of a marketing campaign the team will launch this fall with the help of local advertising agency. GYK Antler. Also that month, NESN will air a four-part “documentary” about Bruins history that will feature interviews with several former and current players.
In early 2024, the Bruins will open Heritage Hall, a permanent exhibit on the second floor of TD Garden celebrating 100 years of franchise history, featuring a collection of B’s ​​artifacts as well as interactive exhibits.
And later next year, the team will host “100 Days of Hockey,” a series of community events, such as hockey clinics and school visits, throughout New England that will span more than three month and ends on December 1, 2024, the 100th anniversary of the club’s first game, against the Montreal Maroons.
Still to be determined: If the commemorative bear sculpture, sculpted by Harry Weber, will be built, and where it will stand. (Weber also carved the statue of Bobby Orr in front of TD Garden.) Also TBD: The team will pledge a significant amount of money for what it calls a “legacy project” in Boston, though the location and nature of this project are not yet again announced.
The team has come a long way from its early days as the first National Hockey League franchise in the US, launched by businessman Charles F. Adams in 1924. Adams most famously headed the First National Stores grocery chain, which later known as Finast. After starting the Bruins, Adams was also part of the group that opened the Suffolk Downs horse track and became a minority investor in the Boston Bruins baseball team. Under the leadership of Adams and general manager Art Ross, the team won the first of six Stanley Cups in 2029.
Jim Davis/Globe Staff
Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.