Mailbag: Bruins playoff bound? Stadium Series jersey rating

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Thanks for the comment, Jesse!

You're far from alone in terms of being pleasantly surprised by the Bruins success so far.

As far as Marco Sturm being in the Jack Adams discussion as coach of the year - he's absolutely coached his way into serious consideration to this point.

And yes - if Boston makes the playoffs, he should be the favorite to win that award.

In fact - not to toot my own horn (but to completely toot my own horn) - Sturm winning the Jack Adams was my BOLD prediction way back on October 8th during Episode 485 of The Skate Podcast.

Here's the link to that episode with the time stamp of my prediction being 1:03:16.

Appreciate the questions, Jason!

Let's start with the recent reveal of the Bruins Stadium Series uniforms set to be worn on February 1st, 2026 when Boston faces off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

First and foremost, being a fan of the more traditional, and classic hockey uniform designs - my general standards are pretty low regarding any set of Stadium Series uniforms as they tend to lean more futuristic, and non-traditional.

That said, here's what the Bruins will be sporting come February.

(Photo Credit: Boston Bruins via their website)

Overall, they're borderline okay considering the nature of the occasion.

According to a team press release, the Bruins deviated to a different shade of gold than that used in their primary uniforms.

This shade of gold is called Florida Sunshine.

I'm sure you can guess why they did that ...

To me that's the biggest issue.

That and the white gloves.

If the uniform was their traditional yellow with black gloves then the look would have been better in my opinion.

Here's a closer look:

(Photo Credit: Boston Bruins via their website)

You'll notice sun shine rays embroidered into the sleeves, and a center crest that says BOSTON using a New England Patriots inspired word mark along with a centennial style bear design that says BRUINS.

It's not what I would have designed as their logo ...

But alas ...

(Photo Credit: Boston Bruins via their website)

The shoulder patch is a black B with white outline and bear claw marks through it - while the pants are black with yellow bear claw marks.

Overall and on a normal scale of 1-10 ... these uniforms are a 2.5/3.

But on a curved scale of 1-10 compared to other teams' Stadium Series uniforms over the years, they are probably a 5.5/6.

I've seen better in the Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers.

But I've also seen worse in the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and Carolina Hurricanes.

In terms of Stadium Series uniforms, the Bruins in my opinion fall into the same category as the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, and the Tampa Bay Lightning - uniforms that weren't great, but not overly offensive.

Speaking of the Lightning, here is what they’ll be wearing:

(Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Lighting via their website)

Okay, now on to the question about predicting if the Bruins will make the playoffs.

It is still extremely early.

But if being called upon to give a yes or no answer?

My answer is yes.

Their advanced analytics at even strength aren't favorable but they are top ten in both special teams categories, are a top ten scoring team, have one of the best performing goalies in the league this season, have established an identity as a tough team to play against, and have done a great job of weathering what's been a never ending injury bug to impact players and are now finally getting healthy again.

Add to all that, the Eastern Conference is a crowed field of mediocrity this season and many teams have issues and uncertainties far greater than any of Boston's (right now).

With a record 19-13-0, Boston is 2nd place in the Atlantic Division both in points (38), and on point percentage (.594).

Their win total is most in the division, and tied for most in the conference.

Was this expected?

Not by me it wasn't.

But there's no denying that the Bruins are playing like a team that has better chemistry, continuity, toughness, and swagger than many of their competitors in the conference.

So why shouldn't they make the playoffs?