By: Cullen McIntyre, Staff Writer
“Cue the Duckboats,” is a phrase that New England Sports fans have been hearing a lot in the past seventeen years. From the five Super Bowls the New England Patriots have won, the four World Series from the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics each winning one championship in this time frame, Boston itself has earned the nickname ‘Titletown,’ having dominated in nearly every sport.
Before then, winning wasn’t something the city of Boston was very accustomed to. Besides the Celtics, who have won the most NBA Championships of any team in the league, winning a championship was not as common as it is today.
Before 2001, the Patriots had never won a Super Bowl since the teams inception in 1959. Once they were under the ownership of Robert Kraft, coaching of Bill Belichick and talent of quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots were able to win their first Super Bowl in 2001. The dynasty didn’t stop there, the Patriots would go on to win four more Super Bowls in 2003, 2004, 2014 and 2016. The team would make its way to the playoffs in all but two years since 2001. The Patriots are continuing to enjoy success with a 40-year-old Tom Brady who is still playing to his best ability.
The Red Sox have had much more success in the 2000s than they have had since the team was founded in 1901. They’ve won four World Series since 2004, including this year, with a franchise record of 108-54. The 2004 World Series is the most important in the franchise’s history, as the team had not won a World Series since 1918, 86 years before their next one. Having watched their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees win an MLB best 27 World Series titles, it was getting old for many Red Sox fans. Until 2004 when the team came back from being 3-1 down in the American League Championship Series, to beat the Yankees and advance to the World Series where they would sweep the Cardinals in a four game series.
“Anything is possible” are three words Boston Celtics fans will never forget from their 2007/2008 NBA Championship win over the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Known as the NBA’s first ‘superteam,’ the Celtics dominated the NBA with a roster of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. The team finished the season with a 66-16 record, topping the Eastern Conference under head coach Doc Rivers. The Celtics saw some disappointing seasons in the early 2010s, but mastermind general manager Danny Ainge has now crafted one of the current best teams in the NBA under head coach Brad Stevens. With the likes of star point guard Kyrie Irving, the return of small forward Gordon Hayward, second-year small forward Jayson Tatum, third-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown, veteran center Al Horford and one of the best benches in the NBA, the Celtics are in position for a great season and future.
The Boston Bruins success has not amassed to the success of the other Boston teams, but their 2011 championship was destined since 1972, when they had won their last Stanley Cup trophy. The Bruins were one of the original six teams in the NHL and have a rich history of success. In the 2000s they have not seen as much success, winning only one Stanley Cup. The winning season saw them take every playoff series to seven games, where they would beat the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals with a 4-0 victory in game seven to claim the Stanley Cup. The Bruins have been playoff contenders in recent years, making it to the second round of the playoffs where they were knocked out by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Boston’s recent successes in professional sports has been unparalleled by any other city in the United States and may go on to be the most successful era in sports history. With the Patriots dynasty continuing, the Red Sox assembling one of the best teams in the MLB, the Celtics having a team full of young superstars and the Bruins being playoff contenders each year, Boston’s success doesn’t seem like it will ending anytime soon.