1927: At the old Boston Arena, a flashing red light is used for the first time when a goal is scored. Before that, goal judges waved a flag.

1934: Lionel Hitchman plays the final game of his NHL career against the Ottawa Senators, the team where he started his career. The Senators beat the Bruins 3-1. Later on, Hitchman’s number #3 would be retired by Boston. Hitchman was also given $500 from the fans, $500 from then-owner Charles F. Adams and a silver chest from coach and GM Art Ross.

A year ago today: The Bruins win 3-1 against Calgary, their first win against the Flames at the Saddledome since Oct. 18, 1997. Rich Peverley makes his Bruins debut. Milan Lucic scores twice and Brad Marchand adds another while Tim Thomas makes 28 saves.

Coach Claude Julien told John Bishop:

Postpractice, Coach Julien's said Nathan Horton has not returned to skating...^BISH

February 21, 2012 12:27 pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite

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However, an anonymous source close to Horton spoke more definitively to Joe Haggerty about the timetable for Horton’s return, saying that it “is going to be awhile. He’s not close right now.” The source stayed somewhat positive, saying that they believe Horton will be back before the end of the regular season. Team GM Peter Chiarelli also told Haggerty that hopes for Horton to return soon, although he did admit that he has considered the possibility of players filling Horton’s role in the meantime. (Maybe Carter Camper? Maybe someone in a trade? Maybe both?)

Since Horton’s been gone, the Bruins have been shut out four times in 11 games and the team has seen a huge drop in their production. That isn’t the only reason the team has been slumping, but perhaps his absence has exacerbated things. Here’s hoping things get better for Horton and the rest of the team too.

Coach Claude Julien seemed pretty impressed during the practice session. He told Bishop that he watched Carter work and saw “a guy capable of making plays – a smart player.” Bishop agreed, saying that he had a “very nice first go-around.”

There’s no definite word about whether or not Camper will play against the Blues, although I personally think they should at least give him a try.

But, outside of P-Bruins fans and the Miami University community, many interested parties might not know much about this guy, so here’s a little primer about Carter Camper. Much of this information comes from the Bruins’ 2011-12 Guide and Record Book.

Full name: Carter James Camper

Born: July 6, 1988 (age 23) in Cleveland, Ohio

Hometown: Rocky River, Ohio

Position: Right wing who shoots right

Hobbies: Boating and fishing

Ideal vacation spot: “Somewhere on the water”

Pet peeves: “Cheating and lying”

Favorite food: Steak, potatoes and green beans

Number: 58 when with Boston, 19 when with Providence

Played for: Lincoln Stars (USHL) 2006-07, Miami RedHawks (CCHA) 2007-08 to 2010-11, Providence Bruins (AHL) 2010-11 (for three appearances) and 2011-12

Achievements: Four NCAA tournament appearances and two Frozen Four appearances, including a loss to Boston University in the 2009 final; Hobey Baker Award finalist, 2011; CCHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, first for a RedHawk; AHL All-Star appearance, 2012; hat trick, Feb. 19, 2012, against the Connecticut Whale

Last season’s record: 19 points and 38 assists in 39 games with Miami, one goal and one assist in three games with Providence

1933: The Bruins defeat the Montreal Canadiens with a 10-0 shutout. Not only is it a wide margin of victory against a rival team, it is the most goals scored in any NHL game for 1932-33.

1939: The Bruins beat the Chicago Black Hawks 8-2 and Roy Conacher ties a Bs record by scoring four goals.

1960: Larry Melnyk (full name Larry Joseph Melnyk) is born in New Westminster, British Columbia. He was a defenseman drafted in 1979 by the Bruins and he began his NHL career in Boston for 1980-81. Over three seasons as a Bruin, he played 75 games and scored 12 points. He went to the Edmonton Oilers for 1983-84 and, while he has a Stanley Cup ring from that year, his name isn’t on the chalice. That’s because he spent all of the regular season in the minors and was only called up for six playoff games. He joined the Oilers full time for the next season and his name is on the Cup from that campaign. After time spent with the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, he left the NHL in 1990.

1974: Kevin Sawyer (full name Kevin John Sawyer) is born in Christina Lake, British Columbia. Sawyer was a right-winger and an enforcer whose time with the Bruins was rather short–just two games played in Boston, but 60 played in Providence from 1996-97 before he was released by the team. After hopping around some minor teams and signing contracts with teams that rarely played him, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim took him on in 2000 and shaped him into a prominent enforcer. He was involved in a huge fight during an Anaheim-Calgary game. A Calgary player hit the Anaheim goalie, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, so on the next play Sawyer went in and ran the Calgary goalie, Mike Vernon. This touched off a cloud of fights that resulted in 300 penalty minutes once the dust settled. He suffered a head injury in 2002-03 and retired in 2003.

1973: Brian Rolston (full name Brian Lee Rolston) is born in Flint, Michigan. Rolston is a versatile forward because he can play any forward position. He was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 1991 and spent five full seasons with them before a short stint with the Colorado Avalanche, followed by his time as a Bruin. He wore black and gold from 1999 to 2003 and during this tenure, he notched a then-high career point total of 62, including nine shorthanded goals. He blossomed as a leader with the Minnesota Wild and is known for having a slapshot hard enough to literally make goalies cower in fear (in the case of Giguere) or feel dazed after a mask block (in the case of Roberto Luongo). He had stints with Tampa Bay and a return to New Jersey, but now he is with the New York Islanders and serves as an alternate captain.

1982: The team’s longest streak without recording a shutout finally ends at 123 games when the Bruins shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0. The streak began on Nov. 20, 1980.

2000: In a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Marty McSorley deliberately  injures Donald Brashear at 19:57 of the third period by hitting him in the head with his stick. He earns himself a ten-minute match penalty and later gets suspended for the rest of the regular season (23 games) and the playoffs (Boston didn’t qualify that year), which is the longest suspension in NHL history.

2008: Boston wins 5-4 against the Florida Panthers in a shootout with the deciding goal going to Marco Sturm, who now plays for the Panthers.

A year ago today: It’s a quiet practice day as the Bruins prepare to take on the Calgary Flames the next night.

A slight majority of players, 53 percent, feel that the instigator rule should stay in place. However, when it comes to fighting in hockey, the opinion was almost unanimous: 98 percent of players want to keep fighting in the game if the only other option is a total ban.

Five percent of players enjoy playing in TD Garden over any other arena. Having been to TD Garden, I can see why they’d enjoy the atmosphere. (Montreal’s Centre Bell won out in this category, though, garnering 33 percent of the vote.) Also, 11 percent expressed a wish to play on the Bruins, third behind two other recent Stanley Cup champion teams, Chicago and Detroit.

Bruins fans may also agree with the selection of the Vancouver Canucks as the most overrated team in the league.

To see the full span of results, click here, or check out some of the specific Bruins who were honored in this slideshow.

Zdeno Chara

1 of 6

Chara received more than half of the votes for the hardest shot among players, maybe inspired by his 108.8 mph performance in the All-Star Game this year. He also came in second for toughest player to play against and won the honor of toughest defenseman to play against. Photo by Eric Bolte-US PRESSWIRE

Camper has had a very good season with the Providence Bruins, tallying 14 goals and 24 assists in 53 games. Not only does he lead the entire team in overall points and assists, he also had a hat trick recently against the Connecticut Whale. He was also the Providence Bruins’ sole representative at the AHL All-Star Game on Jan. 29.

His stellar career started with Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He spent four years as a RedHawk and went to the NCAA tournament during all of them, including two Frozen Four appearances. He was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award in his senior year, was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year and had 69 goals and 114 assists in 156 total college games. During his college career, he was called up to Providence three times.

Perhaps Camper’s recall is because the team wants a 13th forward to join the road trip, or maybe they hope to inject a little new blood into the lagging offense. Either way, this is Camper’s first AHL-to-NHL recall. He became part of the team as a free agent on April 7, 2011.

1942: Phil Esposito (full name Philip Anthony Esposito, OC) is born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. While Esposito, a center, started out as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks (then spelled Black Hawks) organization, it was when he was traded to Boston in 1967 that he really began to shine. He passed the century mark, scoring 100 points a season, six times including a consecutive run from 1971 to 1975. He won the Art Ross trophy twice and led the entire league in goals for six straight seasons. As a part of both of the Bruins’ 1970s Stanley Cup champion teams, “Espo” became a legend around Boston. There may still be cars out there with the bumper stickers reading “Jesus saves, Espo scores on the rebound.” He was given the Order of Canada (hence the OC) after a stellar performance in the 1972 Summit Series against the USSR. Scolding the Canadian crowd for booing their home team after a 5-3 loss in the series helped inspire his teammates. After a little time with New York, he retired in 1981 and served as the Rangers’ GM and coach. He was famous for making lots of trades during that tenure. Then, it was down to Florida to help found the Tampa Bay Lightning in the early 1990s. Today, he still serves as their radio color commentator. He is in the Hockey Hall of Fame and his number is retired with the Bruins. In fact, during a jersey retirement ceremony in 1984, Ray Bourque gave up wearing the number 7 so it could be retired, revealing a #77 jersey under the old number in Esposito’s presence. This moved Esposito practically to tears. His record is studded with all sorts of impressive achievements and he even has a statue now outside the Tampa Bay Times Arena.

1940: Before the Bruins shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-0, Toronto’s captain Red Horner gave a female fan a bouquet of roses. She had been injured in a Dec. 19 game when Conn Smythe, who was protesting a call, fell off the boards.

1971: Esposito scores 50 goals in a single season. At that time, he is only the fourth player in the league to do so. The Bruins lose the game in which he scores #50, 5-4 to Los Angeles.

1972: Esposito scores his 50th goal of a single season again, scoring against his brother Tony in a 3-1 Bruins victory over Chicago. (Yes, it was exactly a year after the first time he hit the threshold for the Rocket Richard trophy.)

1974: Esposito scores his 50th goal of a season for the fourth time during a 5-5 tie with the Minnesota North Stars.

1979: Peter McNab and Terry O’Reilly each have a five-point game (two goals and three assists for McNab; one goal and four assists for O’Reilly) as Boston wins 5-3 over the old Colorado Rockies.

1980: The Bruins are shut out by the Los Angeles Kings, 3-0. This is the first time they had been shut out since Oct. 26, 1977–a team record of 209 games.

A year ago today: The Bruins host their Casino Night to benefit the Boston Bruins Foundation at the Westin Copley Place hotel in Boston.

As per usual lately, the Bruins started the game with a good tempo. Again Daniel Paille stood out as someone trying very hard. He got two breakaways, although neither were successful (Paille breakaways tend to be unsuccessful as a whole, though). Paille’s line, as well as the line centered by Patrice Bergeron, both stood out as ones trying hard to get one past Niklas Backstrom. Backstrom, though, would not be solved today. That’s not because the Bruins didn’t try–throughout the game, they fired 48 shots at him–but because they didn’t try effectively.

Backstrom often gave up huge rebounds or even left the net vacated for a few moments. However, instead of the Bruins managing their net-front presence and consistently stationing someone there to handle rebounds, they settled for taking the puck past the blue line and firing independently at Backstrom from the perimeter. Shawn Thornton later told Anthony Gulizia that “it’s tough to beat [goalies] from the perimeter.” Perhaps he should have told this to his teammates. Most of the Bruins’ shots were taken right at Backstrom’s chest protector.

Thornton did try to inject some life into the game, telling Gulizia that he felt there was enough time for him to fight and sway the game Boston’s way when he took on Matt Kassian at the start of the third. This fight was unusual, though, because not only was it so long, Thornton seemed a lot less dominant than he has been in many of his fights. Much of it seemed like bear hugging between he and Kassian without much actual fighting. Thornton’s effort is admirable, though, when so many of his teammates seemed discouraged.

Backstrom was tested on a quality chance by Milan Lucic towards the end of the game, though, and full-on robbed him with his catching glove. This made Lucic so upset that he smacked his stick against the ice. (The Xcel Energy Center DJ then played the Bruins’ goal song, a tune that hasn’t been heard too often lately back at TD Garden.) Joe Haggerty reported that Lucic, in a bout of frustration, “pulverized [his] stick into shards [and] he threw it onto the ice in frustration as final buzzer sounded.”

The difference maker here may have been a penalty called. Already down 1-0 on Chad Rau’s second goal of his NHL career, Chris Kelly was called for tripping. Just before that call, Brad Marchand had been tripped behind Minnesota’s net, but there was no call there. With Kelly in the box, Matt Cullen scored, finishing off all that the Wild needed to defeat the Stanley Cup champions in their only meeting this season. After that point, aside from the Thornton and Lucic outbursts of passion, the team seemed complacent.

Once again, there were the same defensive failings as seen in recent games. Zdeno Chara came away with another -1 rating, but over the past four games, he’s a -7. Dennis Seidenberg’s idea for defending Cullen’s shot was to stand with his back to Cullen and hope for the best.

Performance like this is unacceptable, unlike the Bruins and something needs to change immediately. It’s time they made some trades. The team is in desperate need of both someone to goose the under-productive offense and to shore up the defensive structure. Maybe GM Peter Chiarelli has something in mind already.

Next up for the Bruins is their only visit to the St. Louis Blues this season on Feb. 22.

The Bruins and Wild don’t meet up very often. This is their only game this season. Their last meeting was more than a year ago, Jan. 6, 2011, in Boston. The Bruins lost that one 3-1.

Do you remember back in the earlier stages of this season when Minnesota came, seemingly out of nowhere, and was suddenly at or near the top of the overall standings? It seems as if those glory days are over now. The Wild now sit 12th in the West and bring a seven-game losing streak in with them today. They are also playing the second part of back-to-back games, having been shut out last night against the still-hot St. Louis Blues (the Bruins’ next opponents). In fact, a lot of the frustration within the Wild organization sounds pretty similar to the Bruins as of late.

The Bs are looking for improved consistency. Their recent pattern is a win followed by a loss, followed by a win, followed by a loss and the team still has not won two consecutive games since January. If this recent pattern holds, though, that could portend well. Coach Claude Julien certainly seems to understand what is happening and has ideas for how to change things:

“There’s a lot in our game that has to be better. The commitment to play the way we can and the work we put behind it and the enthusiasm. Enthusiasm creates energy and we haven’t had that in a while. When we have in spurts, against certain teams, it makes a big difference so we have to find that again and get ourselves geared up to head in the right direction…It’s just a matter of us righting the ship here and getting our focus at doing the little things right again. It’s not just one area, it’s many many areas.”

There is no morning skate before today’s game, so there isn’t much advanced knowledge of who will be minding net for Boston. It could go either way, but something tells me that they’ll tie in to Hockey Day in America by spotlighting one of the very few Americans on the team and go with Tim Thomas. (Other games on today have spotlighted American players, like Buffalo’s Ryan Miller, Pittsburgh’s Brent Johnson and Chicago’s Patrick Kane.)

Tune in at 3 p.m. on NBC.

Just how rigorous?

Ask forward Chris Kelly, who crashed face first into the boards and shattered two front teeth.  The Bruins assistant captain rushed off the ice, only to return to the practice later.  That is the kind of inspiration and dedication the Bruins need right now through their inconsistent play.

Kelly admitted he would be spending the rest of the day at the dentist office.  It is not reported whether he will be wearing a special mouth piece or a cage for today’s game.

Missing from practice was forward Tyler Seguin, who Julien said was at the rink and will play today against Minnesota.  Coincidentally, the last time the Bruins were in Winnipeg, Seguin missed an important team meeting and was scratched for that game.  Julien however, did not comment on the nature of his absence.

The Bruins play the third game of their six game road trip today against the Minnesota Wild.