The Boston Bruins are currently 59 days away from their regular-season opener against the Washington Capitals. Due to this, let's take a look at which players in Bruins history have worn No. 59 for the Original Six club.
Rich Brennan, D (2002-03)
The first player to wear No. 59 for the Bruins was defenseman Rich Brennan during the 2002-03 season. With this, the Bruins went 79 seasons without a player wearing No. 59 before Brennan sported the number for the Original Six club.
Brennan can likely be described as a forgotten Bruin, as he only appeared in seven games for Boston in 2002-03. During that season with Boston, the 6-foot-2 blueliner recorded one assist, six penalty minutes, and a plus-3 rating. He spent the majority of that season down in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins, where he had three goals, 29 assists, 32 points, 51 penalty minutes, and a plus-1 rating in 41 games.
Brennan remained with the Bruins organization during the 2003-04 season but did not make a single NHL appearance for Boston during it. Instead, he spent the entirety of the 2003-04 campaign down in the AHL with Providence, where he had 12 goals, 15 assists, and 27 points in 56 games.
Following the 2003-04 season, Brennan spent the rest of his professional hockey career overseas, as he had stints in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria before hanging up the skates after the 2008-09 campaign. In 50 career NHL games over six seasons split between the Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Bruins, Brennan had two goals, six assists, eight points, and a minus-8 rating.
Tim Schaller, LW (2016-17 to 2017-18)
Tim Schaller would be the next Bruins player to wear No. 59, as he sported the number for the Original Six club during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. The Merrimack, New Hampshire native played his best NHL hockey as a member of the Bruins, as he became a solid part of their bottom six and penalty kill due to his steady two-way play.
In his first season with the Bruins during the 2016-17 campaign, Schaller recorded seven goals, seven assists, 14 points, and 73 hits in 59 games. He then followed up by putting together the best year of his NHL career in 2017-18, as he set career highs with 12 goals, 10 assists, and 132 hits in 82 games.
After his strong 2017-18 campaign with the Bruins, Schaller became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) the following off-season and landed himself a two-year, $3.8 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks. This marked the end of his Bruins tenure, and he was never able to get back to his 2017-18 form after this. In 2018-19 with the Canucks, he recorded three goals and 10 points in 47 games. He then followed that up by posting five goals, one assist, and a minus-14 rating in 2019-20 split between the Canucks and Kings. This would end up being his final season in the NHL.
Schaller spent each of his three final seasons in the AHL, split between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Bakersfield Condors, and Milwaukee Admirals. He would then officially retire from professional hockey after the 2022-23 season.
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Tyler Bertuzzi, LW (2022-23)
Out of the Bruins who wore No. 59, there is no question that Tyler Bertuzzi was the most notable. The Bruins acquired the gritty winger from the Detroit Red Wings at the 2023 NHL trade deadline, and he made a notable impact during his brief time as a rental for Boston.
In 21 regular-season games with the Bruins during the 2022-23 campaign following the trade, Bertuzzi had four goals, 12 assists, 16 points, and a plus-4 rating. He then followed that up by posting five goals and 10 points in seven playoff games for the Bruins. Overall, Bertuzzi proved to be a great fit on the Bruins, but his time in Boston came to an end quickly. This is because he signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2023 NHL off-season.
After spending the 2023-24 campaign with Toronto, Bertuzzi became a UFA again during the 2024 NHL off-season and signed a four-year, $22 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. In 82 games this past season for Chicago, he had 23 goals, 46 points, and a minus-39 rating.
Frederic Brunet, D (2024-25 to Present)
Frederic Brunet currently wears No. 59 for the Bruins. The Bruins prospect kicked off his NHL career during Boston's season finale against the New Jersey Devils in 2024-25, where he recorded zero points, one hit, and five blocks. While he only got into one game for Boston this past season, the young blueliner should get more chances on their NHL roster in 2025-26.
Brunet took a nice step forward this past season down in the AHL with Providence, recording five goals, 25 points, and a plus-15 rating in 69 games. This was after he had two goals and 12 points in 48 games with Providence during the 2023-24 campaign.
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