AN ODE TO THE BIG BAD BRUINS/ QUOTES OF THE WEEK
This weekend one of the most exciting, and drama-filled spectacles in sports makes its triumphant return after a year absence. Of course I am referring to the NHL playoffs, a two month endurance test which contains some of the most emotional, and gut wrenching action that North American sports has to offer. It does not matter if one is a Hockey fan or not, the NHL "tournament" captures your attention. It takes Sixteen victories to win the Stanley Cup, and each of the contests is a mini-war unto itself. Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman once stated that with each of the 16 wins he felt as if five years was taken off his career.
As a fan some of my fondest memories are of being in Boston Garden during the late 80's and early 90's, and watching the Bruins do battle with the likes of the Hartford Whalers, Montreal Canadiens, and Pittsburgh Penguins (although more often than not, Boston would come out on the losing end vs.The Penguins). The energy in the old building was the most intense I have ever experienced in any sports environment, and that includes recent Patriots games I have attended at Gillette Stadium. it is in this spirit that I give you a tribute to one of the most unique teams in Boston sports history, the "Big Bad Bruins" of the late 60's and early 70's.
In every city that has four major sports teams, a particular group of athletes come around every now and then that defines that city or region; sometimes these teams are a microsm for the era in which they play. For New England during the time period of aproximatley 1966-1974, that team was the Big Bad Bruins. This was a team that lived by the credo "all for one and one for all. This was a team for which the "Third Man In" rule was created in the NHL (this rule states that during a fight if a third man jumps in, then that player is automatically ejected) They were hard living, hard partying, and a group of men that would be labeled very politically incorrect if they played in today's era. The best description I have heard of this group came from author and fomer WCVB Boston commentator Clark Booth in his brilliant book, "Boston Bruins Celebrating 75 Years." In discussing the teams' penchant for "wine and women" Booth states: "These were the type of guys that would play cards with your uncle on a Friday night. They drank, they swore, they got into fights, your uncle would tell you not to do what they did, but you still considered them part of the family."
More importantly it was the way they played the game, and their influence on Hockey in New England that seperates the Bruins of that time period. Rinks were built by the dozens all throughout the boston area in the early 70's. Participation in youth Hockey programs soared, and remains high. What's more, there are many kids today who were not even born during his era, that consider Bobby Orr their favorite athlete of all time.
Robert Gordon Orr. Every discussion of Bruins hockey during the late 60's and early 70's must begin and end with the greatest player in NHL history. Yes you read that correctly. There have been many Centericemen, forwards, and even some goalies that have had the ability to take over and dominate a game, but there have been no Defensemen before or since that have had the impact that Orr did in his career. Goals, assists, end to end rushes were the staple of his game. The man could kill penalties all by himself, which was why during penalties, the Bruins would often put Orr with three forwards on the penalty killing unit, the thought being that there were goals to be had if Orr could get sprung loose into the attacking zone, and more often than not they were right. This was man who led the the NHL in goals and assists during the 1973-74 season, won the Hart Trophy (league MVP), led histeam to the Stanley Cup Finals (where they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers), and did it all without cartiledge in his right knee. Fellow Bruins legend and Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt ( the anchor of the famous "Kraut" Line of the 1940's along with Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer) once said of Orr: "If someone comes along better than Bobby Orr, I just hope God keeps me alive long enough to see him, because that will be one Hell of a Hockey player."
The signature moment for these Bruins came at the old Boston Garden on Mother's Day, May 10th, 1970. The St. Louis Blues were the opponent. (or, the Christians, with the Bruins playing the role of the lions, according to coach, and future General Manager Harry Sinden's description of that day's proceedings) 40 seconds into overtime Orr flew through the air and delivered the Bruins their first Stanley Cup in 29 years, as well as one of the single most memorable moments in Boston sports history, if not all of sports. Go into any sports bar in the Boston area and you are bound to see Ray Lussier's famous black and white photo of Orr soaring like Superman, after recieving the feed from Derek Sanderson, getting tripped by Noel Pickard, and thus cementing the legend of that Bruins team. Here is Clark Booth's account of that day:"It was Mother's Day, and the old Garden, brimming with at least three thousand more people than the fire laws allowed, was a sauna. Orr stuffed the puck past the Blue's legendary goalie Glenn Hall, 40 seconds into sudden death overtime, thus setting off a city-wide, and region-wide jubilation". Everytime I see a film ofthe goal, announcer Dan Kelly's call always givesme goosebumps:
"Esselstone plays it off the boards, and Keenan clears it but not out...Bobby Orr...behind the net to Sanderson to ORR!!!...BOBBY ORR, SCORES!!! AND THE BOSTON BRUINS HAVE WON THE STANLEY CUP!!!...ORR CUT TO THE NET AND TOOK THE FEED, AND LOOK AT THE MOB SCENE ON THE ICE!!!!"
Booth's description of said celebration is classic: "The celebration that followed was epic. the jubilant ceremonies on the ice, with the skating of the Stanley Cup in scores of victory laps, was but the warm-up for a festival in the locker room that lasted five hours and then moved onto the streets, threading through various downtown bistros until noon the next day when the entire team, greatly the worse for wear, gathered on the mayor's balcony at City Hall to be trumpeted by some five hundred thousand screaming admirers. There, a part-time rodeo bronco buster and full time right winger named Johnny McKenzie, known as "Pie", topped the proceedings by dumping a bucket of beer over the head of Mayor Kevin White. It was Homeric."
Sadly, like many eras in professional sports, this one did not last anywhere near as long as it should have. although another cup was won in 1972, injuries, bad trades, as well as the advent of the upstart WHA conspired to bring this particular era to a premature end, and that really is a shame. Sanderson, McKenzie, goalie Gerry Cheevers among others left for more money in the new league, and numerous knee operations forced Orr to miss significant time. Then the unthinkable happened when Orr was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1976. The reasons for this trade are still the subject of much debate to this day. Harry Sinden's story (which he is sticking to) is that Orr was offered a front office position, as well as part ownership of the team, in exchange for him signing a one year deal to stay in Boston which Orr was not informed of according to Sinden, so that Orr and by extension Eagleson, could take advantage of the millions of dollars the Blackhawks were willing to throw their way. On the surface this scenario could make perfect sense. Eagleson was very dishonest in many of his business dealings (he went to jail for stealing money from the pensions of some of his clients, including Phil Esposito) and he stood to make more money from Orr, than anyone else he represented. The problem I have with this explanation is that it ignores two very important questions.
Number 1: Assuming this did in fact take place, why did the Bruins let it reach that point? It is not unreasonable to expect the organization to have had a deal worked out with the best player in their history, long before a corrupt agent got involved.
Number 2: Why did Sinden wait until he locked in the same type of contentious negotations with Ray Bourque prior to the 1993-94 season to inform everyone of this conspiracy? Sinden has been lambasted (and righfully so) in Boston over the years for allowing the very team that he built to be broken apart, a deveopment that the organization in many respects has still not recovered from. Does it not stand to reason that he could have saved the team and himself from some terrible PR by making the story of this alleged collusion public before he did? Perhaps we will never the know the true story of what took place 30 years ago. The only ones who know are the principles, and none of them have been willing to talk about it.
Despite the dissapointing epilogue to this story, it does not diminish the place that the Big Bad Bruins have in the hearts of Boston sports fans to this day. The players are long since retired and the building they played in has been torn down for over ten years, but the Bruins from that era are what Bruins hockey is all about.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"I hear the voices and I read the front page and I know the speculation, But I'm the decider and I decide what's best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."
- Bush
"Someone very close to the president said to me, you know, he won't fire Rumsfeld because it would be the equivalent of firing himself."
- Tim Russert
(Courtesy of Smokin Steve):
"We didn't make the playoffs. I've got a lot of [bleeping] work to do, and this is some [bleep] that is a distraction to me. Am I pissed off? You're goddamn right I am. Is that what you want to hear? You [bleeping] heard it."
-Philadelphia 76ers GM Billy King, reacting to the controversy as a result of Allen Iverson and Chris Webber arriving late
"I've never experienced it before, not in Little League, high school, just complete euphoria ...You almost have to step back and say, 'Is the game really over?' Do the math real quick."
- Red Sox second baseman Mark Loretta reacting to his game winning homerun on Patriot's Day
This weekend one of the most exciting, and drama-filled spectacles in sports makes its triumphant return after a year absence. Of course I am referring to the NHL playoffs, a two month endurance test which contains some of the most emotional, and gut wrenching action that North American sports has to offer. It does not matter if one is a Hockey fan or not, the NHL "tournament" captures your attention. It takes Sixteen victories to win the Stanley Cup, and each of the contests is a mini-war unto itself. Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman once stated that with each of the 16 wins he felt as if five years was taken off his career.
As a fan some of my fondest memories are of being in Boston Garden during the late 80's and early 90's, and watching the Bruins do battle with the likes of the Hartford Whalers, Montreal Canadiens, and Pittsburgh Penguins (although more often than not, Boston would come out on the losing end vs.The Penguins). The energy in the old building was the most intense I have ever experienced in any sports environment, and that includes recent Patriots games I have attended at Gillette Stadium. it is in this spirit that I give you a tribute to one of the most unique teams in Boston sports history, the "Big Bad Bruins" of the late 60's and early 70's.
In every city that has four major sports teams, a particular group of athletes come around every now and then that defines that city or region; sometimes these teams are a microsm for the era in which they play. For New England during the time period of aproximatley 1966-1974, that team was the Big Bad Bruins. This was a team that lived by the credo "all for one and one for all. This was a team for which the "Third Man In" rule was created in the NHL (this rule states that during a fight if a third man jumps in, then that player is automatically ejected) They were hard living, hard partying, and a group of men that would be labeled very politically incorrect if they played in today's era. The best description I have heard of this group came from author and fomer WCVB Boston commentator Clark Booth in his brilliant book, "Boston Bruins Celebrating 75 Years." In discussing the teams' penchant for "wine and women" Booth states: "These were the type of guys that would play cards with your uncle on a Friday night. They drank, they swore, they got into fights, your uncle would tell you not to do what they did, but you still considered them part of the family."
More importantly it was the way they played the game, and their influence on Hockey in New England that seperates the Bruins of that time period. Rinks were built by the dozens all throughout the boston area in the early 70's. Participation in youth Hockey programs soared, and remains high. What's more, there are many kids today who were not even born during his era, that consider Bobby Orr their favorite athlete of all time.
Robert Gordon Orr. Every discussion of Bruins hockey during the late 60's and early 70's must begin and end with the greatest player in NHL history. Yes you read that correctly. There have been many Centericemen, forwards, and even some goalies that have had the ability to take over and dominate a game, but there have been no Defensemen before or since that have had the impact that Orr did in his career. Goals, assists, end to end rushes were the staple of his game. The man could kill penalties all by himself, which was why during penalties, the Bruins would often put Orr with three forwards on the penalty killing unit, the thought being that there were goals to be had if Orr could get sprung loose into the attacking zone, and more often than not they were right. This was man who led the the NHL in goals and assists during the 1973-74 season, won the Hart Trophy (league MVP), led histeam to the Stanley Cup Finals (where they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers), and did it all without cartiledge in his right knee. Fellow Bruins legend and Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt ( the anchor of the famous "Kraut" Line of the 1940's along with Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer) once said of Orr: "If someone comes along better than Bobby Orr, I just hope God keeps me alive long enough to see him, because that will be one Hell of a Hockey player."
The signature moment for these Bruins came at the old Boston Garden on Mother's Day, May 10th, 1970. The St. Louis Blues were the opponent. (or, the Christians, with the Bruins playing the role of the lions, according to coach, and future General Manager Harry Sinden's description of that day's proceedings) 40 seconds into overtime Orr flew through the air and delivered the Bruins their first Stanley Cup in 29 years, as well as one of the single most memorable moments in Boston sports history, if not all of sports. Go into any sports bar in the Boston area and you are bound to see Ray Lussier's famous black and white photo of Orr soaring like Superman, after recieving the feed from Derek Sanderson, getting tripped by Noel Pickard, and thus cementing the legend of that Bruins team. Here is Clark Booth's account of that day:"It was Mother's Day, and the old Garden, brimming with at least three thousand more people than the fire laws allowed, was a sauna. Orr stuffed the puck past the Blue's legendary goalie Glenn Hall, 40 seconds into sudden death overtime, thus setting off a city-wide, and region-wide jubilation". Everytime I see a film ofthe goal, announcer Dan Kelly's call always givesme goosebumps:
"Esselstone plays it off the boards, and Keenan clears it but not out...Bobby Orr...behind the net to Sanderson to ORR!!!...BOBBY ORR, SCORES!!! AND THE BOSTON BRUINS HAVE WON THE STANLEY CUP!!!...ORR CUT TO THE NET AND TOOK THE FEED, AND LOOK AT THE MOB SCENE ON THE ICE!!!!"
Booth's description of said celebration is classic: "The celebration that followed was epic. the jubilant ceremonies on the ice, with the skating of the Stanley Cup in scores of victory laps, was but the warm-up for a festival in the locker room that lasted five hours and then moved onto the streets, threading through various downtown bistros until noon the next day when the entire team, greatly the worse for wear, gathered on the mayor's balcony at City Hall to be trumpeted by some five hundred thousand screaming admirers. There, a part-time rodeo bronco buster and full time right winger named Johnny McKenzie, known as "Pie", topped the proceedings by dumping a bucket of beer over the head of Mayor Kevin White. It was Homeric."
Sadly, like many eras in professional sports, this one did not last anywhere near as long as it should have. although another cup was won in 1972, injuries, bad trades, as well as the advent of the upstart WHA conspired to bring this particular era to a premature end, and that really is a shame. Sanderson, McKenzie, goalie Gerry Cheevers among others left for more money in the new league, and numerous knee operations forced Orr to miss significant time. Then the unthinkable happened when Orr was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1976. The reasons for this trade are still the subject of much debate to this day. Harry Sinden's story (which he is sticking to) is that Orr was offered a front office position, as well as part ownership of the team, in exchange for him signing a one year deal to stay in Boston which Orr was not informed of according to Sinden, so that Orr and by extension Eagleson, could take advantage of the millions of dollars the Blackhawks were willing to throw their way. On the surface this scenario could make perfect sense. Eagleson was very dishonest in many of his business dealings (he went to jail for stealing money from the pensions of some of his clients, including Phil Esposito) and he stood to make more money from Orr, than anyone else he represented. The problem I have with this explanation is that it ignores two very important questions.
Number 1: Assuming this did in fact take place, why did the Bruins let it reach that point? It is not unreasonable to expect the organization to have had a deal worked out with the best player in their history, long before a corrupt agent got involved.
Number 2: Why did Sinden wait until he locked in the same type of contentious negotations with Ray Bourque prior to the 1993-94 season to inform everyone of this conspiracy? Sinden has been lambasted (and righfully so) in Boston over the years for allowing the very team that he built to be broken apart, a deveopment that the organization in many respects has still not recovered from. Does it not stand to reason that he could have saved the team and himself from some terrible PR by making the story of this alleged collusion public before he did? Perhaps we will never the know the true story of what took place 30 years ago. The only ones who know are the principles, and none of them have been willing to talk about it.
Despite the dissapointing epilogue to this story, it does not diminish the place that the Big Bad Bruins have in the hearts of Boston sports fans to this day. The players are long since retired and the building they played in has been torn down for over ten years, but the Bruins from that era are what Bruins hockey is all about.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"I hear the voices and I read the front page and I know the speculation, But I'm the decider and I decide what's best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."
- Bush
"Someone very close to the president said to me, you know, he won't fire Rumsfeld because it would be the equivalent of firing himself."
- Tim Russert
(Courtesy of Smokin Steve):
"We didn't make the playoffs. I've got a lot of [bleeping] work to do, and this is some [bleep] that is a distraction to me. Am I pissed off? You're goddamn right I am. Is that what you want to hear? You [bleeping] heard it."
-Philadelphia 76ers GM Billy King, reacting to the controversy as a result of Allen Iverson and Chris Webber arriving late
"I've never experienced it before, not in Little League, high school, just complete euphoria ...You almost have to step back and say, 'Is the game really over?' Do the math real quick."
- Red Sox second baseman Mark Loretta reacting to his game winning homerun on Patriot's Day
posted by smialek316 at 2:07 PM
1 Comments:
I love hockey and wish the Bruins had captured my attention more this season. ) : You are right, out of all sports, I would watch the NHL playoffs even if my team was (IS) not in it.
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