January 21, 1980
The LA loss of a week ago had hit Bill Fitch hard. He hadn't come down 24 hours after the fact. He wasn't even sure he had gotten over it by Wednesday's game.
But yesterday's 108-106 double-overtime loss to the Seattle SuperSonics was a different matter. The locker-room tone was far more upbeat, and the man setting that tone was Bill Fitch. "I was as happy and proud of of my team today as I've been after most of our victories," he said. "I think we were a better team today than we were a week ago, and maybe we'll be even better next week if they put the cameras on us again.
"It was a tough loss, but the key now is to get over it by Tuesday and Wednesday (when the team plays Houston and Chicago, respectively) so that what happens on Sunday won't affect us. This will be a gut check for the players."
Asked if he thought the game reminded him of a playoff game, Fitch replied, "It was more than that. These games take a bite out of you more than just the effect of one game, because if you don't know how to recover, you can be in trouble for 10 games. But this should be a confidence builder once the heartbreak is over."
Larry Bird on his missed free throw with three seconds to play in regulation, a shot which could have put the game beyond even Dennis Johnson's reach: "I haven't been bothering myself about it, because I knew we couldn't lose if I just made one. I went to the line earlier in the game and I didn't feel right, and I missed both, but this time I was sure I'd walk up there and make them." . . . Jack Sikma was 0 for 7 in the first half, but he shot 6 for 7 in the third quarter, the last four baskets coming after Dave Cowens sat down with his (undeserved) fourth foul . . . The Celtics had difficulty generating a first-half set offense, accumulating 27 of their 39 halftime points via second-chance shots and fast breaks . . . Fitch lauded Seattle's team defense rather than its individual defense . . . John Johnson submitted a quiet, but vital, 10-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist contribution augmented by good defense on Bird . . . The only negative concerned with the game was the officiating of Earl Strom (who tried to take over from the start) and the confused Billy Oakes . . . Ford's five three-pointers (the last one a buzzer- beater to create the final score) matched a season high and ended a two- game drought . . . That's three straight to kick off a six-game road trip for Seattle, which is now 33-8 since Nov. 1. The Celtics have a rare home Tuesday game with Houston tomorrow, capping the seven-game homestand, which now stands at 4-2.
About Me
SILAS STILL MAKING THE BIG PLAYS
January 21, 1980
He's still the master of the stop watch. Paul Silas has the knack and experience to make the maximum use of the full three seconds. Yet, he always seems to be in the right place - around the offensive basket - at the right time."
- Celtic Coach Bill Fitch
Naturally, his name came up right away. Despite the talents of Dennis Johnson and Gus Williams or the tenacity of Jack Sikma, Paul Silas remains a powerful force around the basket, and the Celtics may long regret they let him get away.
"Sure, I'm still a little disappointed that I'm not with Boston," said Silas, Seattle's veteran forward. "Believe me, they have a good team, especially when you consider how things went last year. I'd love the chance to play with Dave again.
"But I think I'm in a pretty good position where I am. I don't play as much as I did in other years, maybe 18 minutes a night. They count on me to be a leader, sort of. I just go out and do the same things I've done over the years. As long as I feel I can contribute to this team and to winning, I guess I'll still play."
When Silas made his first appearance in the second quarter of yesterday's game at the Garden, there was a scattering of applause from the Celtic fans among the sellout crowd of 15,320. Many must have been wondering why the Sonics were still relying on a 15-year veteran whose 240-pound body hardly seems suited to the Sonics' effective finesse style of play.
However, after the Celtics had lost the game, 108-106, in double overtime, those at the Garden had no doubt about his value. He has turned the skill of offensive rebounding into a science. He also has no peer when it comes to making the "big play."
"Why is he so effective? Because he knows his limitations and never tries to do anything outside of it," said M.L. Carr. "But, he is the best at what he does, and his teammates know that and have confidence in him because of it. He gets great position on the offensive and defensive boards.
"He's got the experience. And the thing he does so well is that he finds a way to get to the ball or keep you from it. I mean, you can screen him out of bounds on a play. But before you know it, he's back and he's got you out of bounds."
The sellout crowd and national television audience saw Johnson hit a sensational three-point goal with one second left to revive the Sonics and send the game into overtime. The Celtics then managed to waste 11 seconds at the end of the first overtime and missed a poor-percentage shot.
"I can't get mad at my team after a game like this," said Celtic coach Bill Fitch. "We got beat by a good team and a player who threw in tremendous shot. What I'm still unhappy about is that we had a play and 11 seconds to get it off, and we wound up with the same shot 11 seconds later. We missed, and they got a better one that they made in two seconds. We didn't run the play."
Even in the second overtime, the game looked as if it would be decided by a Celtic three-pointer from organist John Kiley's seat in the upper deck, or a triple spin and reverse axel basket by Gus Williams as he recited the Lord's Prayer. But these pressure situations are when Silas seems to be at his best.
Boston trailed, 103-101, when the 36-year-old Silas took over. Williams put up a shot with two minutes left. Larry Bird seemed to be in the perfect spot to grab the rebound, apparently having screened out Silas. But Silas slipped inside and sank an easy layup for a 105-101 lead.
"Larry had pushed him out of bounds," said Carr. "But he got back inside and got the basket."
Less than 30 seconds later, Silas sank one of two free throws for 106-101 lead. He'd gotten away from Bird and was fouled by Cedric Maxwell, who had moved over to help out.
"I think Larry was thinking a little about helping out someplace else in that situation," said Silas."He has a tendency to do that. But that's all I need to get a little edge . . . to have my man thinking of somebody besides me."
Silas' poise under pressure is rapidly becoming part of Seattle's philosophy.
"The thing is that we've been in this situation before and we know what we want to do," he said. "We have a good basketball team, one that has been together 2 1/2 years now and know each other very well.
"The only difference now between this team and the good Celtic teams I played on is that we're still letting teams that we are supposed to beat easily beat us. That seldom happened with the old Celtics, but this team has lost a few games to teams we shouldn't have. It is something we've got to work on."
The Sonics won their third straight, and, since they beat the Celtics on the road, that speaks well of the team.
"Even as a player," said Sonic coach Lenny Wilkens, "I believed that you could win on the road. You have to play well, but the rest of it is a mental thing. We played well enough, today. And we got a little luck on Dennis' shot that got us to the overtime. But that is part of it, too."
He's still the master of the stop watch. Paul Silas has the knack and experience to make the maximum use of the full three seconds. Yet, he always seems to be in the right place - around the offensive basket - at the right time."
- Celtic Coach Bill Fitch
Naturally, his name came up right away. Despite the talents of Dennis Johnson and Gus Williams or the tenacity of Jack Sikma, Paul Silas remains a powerful force around the basket, and the Celtics may long regret they let him get away.
"Sure, I'm still a little disappointed that I'm not with Boston," said Silas, Seattle's veteran forward. "Believe me, they have a good team, especially when you consider how things went last year. I'd love the chance to play with Dave again.
"But I think I'm in a pretty good position where I am. I don't play as much as I did in other years, maybe 18 minutes a night. They count on me to be a leader, sort of. I just go out and do the same things I've done over the years. As long as I feel I can contribute to this team and to winning, I guess I'll still play."
When Silas made his first appearance in the second quarter of yesterday's game at the Garden, there was a scattering of applause from the Celtic fans among the sellout crowd of 15,320. Many must have been wondering why the Sonics were still relying on a 15-year veteran whose 240-pound body hardly seems suited to the Sonics' effective finesse style of play.
However, after the Celtics had lost the game, 108-106, in double overtime, those at the Garden had no doubt about his value. He has turned the skill of offensive rebounding into a science. He also has no peer when it comes to making the "big play."
"Why is he so effective? Because he knows his limitations and never tries to do anything outside of it," said M.L. Carr. "But, he is the best at what he does, and his teammates know that and have confidence in him because of it. He gets great position on the offensive and defensive boards.
"He's got the experience. And the thing he does so well is that he finds a way to get to the ball or keep you from it. I mean, you can screen him out of bounds on a play. But before you know it, he's back and he's got you out of bounds."
The sellout crowd and national television audience saw Johnson hit a sensational three-point goal with one second left to revive the Sonics and send the game into overtime. The Celtics then managed to waste 11 seconds at the end of the first overtime and missed a poor-percentage shot.
"I can't get mad at my team after a game like this," said Celtic coach Bill Fitch. "We got beat by a good team and a player who threw in tremendous shot. What I'm still unhappy about is that we had a play and 11 seconds to get it off, and we wound up with the same shot 11 seconds later. We missed, and they got a better one that they made in two seconds. We didn't run the play."
Even in the second overtime, the game looked as if it would be decided by a Celtic three-pointer from organist John Kiley's seat in the upper deck, or a triple spin and reverse axel basket by Gus Williams as he recited the Lord's Prayer. But these pressure situations are when Silas seems to be at his best.
Boston trailed, 103-101, when the 36-year-old Silas took over. Williams put up a shot with two minutes left. Larry Bird seemed to be in the perfect spot to grab the rebound, apparently having screened out Silas. But Silas slipped inside and sank an easy layup for a 105-101 lead.
"Larry had pushed him out of bounds," said Carr. "But he got back inside and got the basket."
Less than 30 seconds later, Silas sank one of two free throws for 106-101 lead. He'd gotten away from Bird and was fouled by Cedric Maxwell, who had moved over to help out.
"I think Larry was thinking a little about helping out someplace else in that situation," said Silas."He has a tendency to do that. But that's all I need to get a little edge . . . to have my man thinking of somebody besides me."
Silas' poise under pressure is rapidly becoming part of Seattle's philosophy.
"The thing is that we've been in this situation before and we know what we want to do," he said. "We have a good basketball team, one that has been together 2 1/2 years now and know each other very well.
"The only difference now between this team and the good Celtic teams I played on is that we're still letting teams that we are supposed to beat easily beat us. That seldom happened with the old Celtics, but this team has lost a few games to teams we shouldn't have. It is something we've got to work on."
The Sonics won their third straight, and, since they beat the Celtics on the road, that speaks well of the team.
"Even as a player," said Sonic coach Lenny Wilkens, "I believed that you could win on the road. You have to play well, but the rest of it is a mental thing. We played well enough, today. And we got a little luck on Dennis' shot that got us to the overtime. But that is part of it, too."
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Remembering the Big Bad Bruins
1998
Life was measured then not in years, not in academic seasons, not in one week to the next. To grow up around Boston in the late '60s and early '70s, specifically to grow up a Bruins fan, was to measure life from one game to the next, shift by shift.
On the heels of the Red Sox winning the American League pennant in 1967, the Bruins owned Boston for the better part of five years, monopolizing the sports consciousness like no other team in town. Ice rinks sprouted up in every neighborhood. Street hockey was played at every corner. Children dressed in black-and-gold sweaters that laced at the neck, and boarded yellow school buses at every third or fourth street sign with the numbers of Cheevers (30), Orr (4), Bucyk (9), Sanderson (16), and Hodge (8) stitched on their backs.
Your family car just wasn't worthy of the road unless both polished chrome bumpers carried the requisite bumpersticker, "Jesus saves . . . but Esposito scores on the rebound." You dreamed of owning a goalie's mask -- if not to stop pucks, just to use a black felt-tipped pen to draw stitch marks all over forehead, cheek, and chin the way Cheevers did.
The Hub was Hockeytown. There was room for little else.
Now entering their 75th season, the Bruins open the 1998-99 campaign tomorrow night against the Blues, the distant sons of the St. Louis club they rubbed out, four straight, to win the 1970 Stanley Cup.
It was May 10, a hot and sticky Mother's Day, when Bobby Orr fed Derek Sanderson, galloped to the net, and tapped Sanderson's return pass behind defenseless Blues goalie Glenn Hall for the overtime winner. The Bruins had their first Cup in 29 years. Celebration ruled the day, the night, and well into the morning.
Almost 29 years later, the famous picture of Orr, suspended in air, is afixed to barroom walls across New England and throughout Canada. He had been sent flying by defenseman Noel Picard's pitchfork to his leather skates and steel blades. And Orr was in full-scale celebration even before he hit the ice. Quintessential Orr -- forever anticipating, always a split second ahead of everyone else's move.
It was a time of Stanley Cup parades and devilish deeds. To wit: Johnny "Pie" McKenzie dousing Kevin White with a beer when hizzoner stood cheek to jowl and buddy-buddy in a frenzied City Hall celebration. A true Bostonian, when White talked he could make "Orr" a three-syllable word.
It was a club that drank freely and openly, in a time when alcohol was easily accepted as a way to amplify, even honor, heroics. They were the Big Bad Bruins. They smoked cigars, clutched pints, and walked with a swagger. Today they'd be chastised as heathens, social pariahs, brutes. But this was just before Archie Bunker began to lift America's consciousness and decades ahead of Oprah turning America into a nation that revels in its guilts.
The Bruins won, and they enjoyed it. No one was asking for explanations or apologies. Had they been better about taking care of themselves, been more mindful of their bodies and what they put in them, there might have been a string of Cups. But that, too, is hindsight.
They were comets, burning brilliantly and quickly, their dynasty smashed to smithereens when Orr's knees gave out, when the World Hockey Association moved in, when Ken Dryden walked from Ivy campus to hallowed Forum.
The NHL soon will be 30 teams wide, exactly five times bigger than it was when Orr signed his first contract with the Bruins, a deal that included a paint job for his family home in Parry Sound, Ontario. The game didn't warm up to US-born players until well into the '70s and not in earnest until the Yanks won the Olympic gold medal at Lake Placid in 1980. Now on the verge of opening shops in Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Minneapolis/St. Paul, the NHL accepts job applications from every corner of the world. Nationality? Who'd want to know?
To replicate the period of the Big Bad Bruins today would be impossible, at almost every level. With twentysomething teams to stock, one team couldn't amass such talent, and if it could, market dynamics (i.e. free agency and exorbitant salaries) would bleed it dry within months after its first championship. One city couldn't be so enraptured. There are just too many options, too many teams, too many games. Fans see these athletes as heroes one minute, then see them dragged through the court systems the next, hauled in for their use of drugs, abuse of women, callousness toward tax laws. Heroes can be huggable, but they're more likely to be held at arm's distance.
Jimmy Young, a former staff member and now part-time contributor at New England Cable News, was a sixth-grader at the Angier School in Newton during the height of the Bruins craze. He and his pals kept faithful track of the points scored by Messrs. Orr and Esposito on a bulletin board in Mr. Atwood's English class. The day after a Bruins game, the goals and assists for Orr and Esposito were duly posted.
"If you didn't see the Bruins game on TV the night before, forget it," recalled Young. "You just didn't have anything to talk about."
It was hockey's gold rush in our town. Unlike the great Bruins teams of the late 1930s and early '40s, which won Cups in '39 and '41, television made the Bruins that much bigger and spread them out there for the masses. Zealots in the viewing crowd had to attach UHF tuners to their black-and-white TVs to pull in Ch. 38's broadcast. The crowning touch was a well-placed piece of aluminum foil draped on the rabbit ears or loop antenna, crystallizing the picture as it was beamed in from Boston Garden, the Montreal Forum, the Olympia in Detroit.
For three-quarters of a century now, from Arena to Garden to FleetCenter, the Bruins have worked the corners, skated their wing, proudly carried the black-and-orange NHL flag. But never did they do it so vividly or as boldly or as well as in the days of Orr and Esposito, Bucyk and Sanderson, Hodge and Cheevers, et al.
They were gifted and they were great, and we enjoyed it, without reservation or fear or care of what tomorrow would bring. In a sports world that today is so complex, so difficult for anyone to win (athlete, team, or fan), all that seems too simple to believe.
Life was measured then not in years, not in academic seasons, not in one week to the next. To grow up around Boston in the late '60s and early '70s, specifically to grow up a Bruins fan, was to measure life from one game to the next, shift by shift.
On the heels of the Red Sox winning the American League pennant in 1967, the Bruins owned Boston for the better part of five years, monopolizing the sports consciousness like no other team in town. Ice rinks sprouted up in every neighborhood. Street hockey was played at every corner. Children dressed in black-and-gold sweaters that laced at the neck, and boarded yellow school buses at every third or fourth street sign with the numbers of Cheevers (30), Orr (4), Bucyk (9), Sanderson (16), and Hodge (8) stitched on their backs.
Your family car just wasn't worthy of the road unless both polished chrome bumpers carried the requisite bumpersticker, "Jesus saves . . . but Esposito scores on the rebound." You dreamed of owning a goalie's mask -- if not to stop pucks, just to use a black felt-tipped pen to draw stitch marks all over forehead, cheek, and chin the way Cheevers did.
The Hub was Hockeytown. There was room for little else.
Now entering their 75th season, the Bruins open the 1998-99 campaign tomorrow night against the Blues, the distant sons of the St. Louis club they rubbed out, four straight, to win the 1970 Stanley Cup.
It was May 10, a hot and sticky Mother's Day, when Bobby Orr fed Derek Sanderson, galloped to the net, and tapped Sanderson's return pass behind defenseless Blues goalie Glenn Hall for the overtime winner. The Bruins had their first Cup in 29 years. Celebration ruled the day, the night, and well into the morning.
Almost 29 years later, the famous picture of Orr, suspended in air, is afixed to barroom walls across New England and throughout Canada. He had been sent flying by defenseman Noel Picard's pitchfork to his leather skates and steel blades. And Orr was in full-scale celebration even before he hit the ice. Quintessential Orr -- forever anticipating, always a split second ahead of everyone else's move.
It was a time of Stanley Cup parades and devilish deeds. To wit: Johnny "Pie" McKenzie dousing Kevin White with a beer when hizzoner stood cheek to jowl and buddy-buddy in a frenzied City Hall celebration. A true Bostonian, when White talked he could make "Orr" a three-syllable word.
It was a club that drank freely and openly, in a time when alcohol was easily accepted as a way to amplify, even honor, heroics. They were the Big Bad Bruins. They smoked cigars, clutched pints, and walked with a swagger. Today they'd be chastised as heathens, social pariahs, brutes. But this was just before Archie Bunker began to lift America's consciousness and decades ahead of Oprah turning America into a nation that revels in its guilts.
The Bruins won, and they enjoyed it. No one was asking for explanations or apologies. Had they been better about taking care of themselves, been more mindful of their bodies and what they put in them, there might have been a string of Cups. But that, too, is hindsight.
They were comets, burning brilliantly and quickly, their dynasty smashed to smithereens when Orr's knees gave out, when the World Hockey Association moved in, when Ken Dryden walked from Ivy campus to hallowed Forum.
The NHL soon will be 30 teams wide, exactly five times bigger than it was when Orr signed his first contract with the Bruins, a deal that included a paint job for his family home in Parry Sound, Ontario. The game didn't warm up to US-born players until well into the '70s and not in earnest until the Yanks won the Olympic gold medal at Lake Placid in 1980. Now on the verge of opening shops in Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Minneapolis/St. Paul, the NHL accepts job applications from every corner of the world. Nationality? Who'd want to know?
To replicate the period of the Big Bad Bruins today would be impossible, at almost every level. With twentysomething teams to stock, one team couldn't amass such talent, and if it could, market dynamics (i.e. free agency and exorbitant salaries) would bleed it dry within months after its first championship. One city couldn't be so enraptured. There are just too many options, too many teams, too many games. Fans see these athletes as heroes one minute, then see them dragged through the court systems the next, hauled in for their use of drugs, abuse of women, callousness toward tax laws. Heroes can be huggable, but they're more likely to be held at arm's distance.
Jimmy Young, a former staff member and now part-time contributor at New England Cable News, was a sixth-grader at the Angier School in Newton during the height of the Bruins craze. He and his pals kept faithful track of the points scored by Messrs. Orr and Esposito on a bulletin board in Mr. Atwood's English class. The day after a Bruins game, the goals and assists for Orr and Esposito were duly posted.
"If you didn't see the Bruins game on TV the night before, forget it," recalled Young. "You just didn't have anything to talk about."
It was hockey's gold rush in our town. Unlike the great Bruins teams of the late 1930s and early '40s, which won Cups in '39 and '41, television made the Bruins that much bigger and spread them out there for the masses. Zealots in the viewing crowd had to attach UHF tuners to their black-and-white TVs to pull in Ch. 38's broadcast. The crowning touch was a well-placed piece of aluminum foil draped on the rabbit ears or loop antenna, crystallizing the picture as it was beamed in from Boston Garden, the Montreal Forum, the Olympia in Detroit.
For three-quarters of a century now, from Arena to Garden to FleetCenter, the Bruins have worked the corners, skated their wing, proudly carried the black-and-orange NHL flag. But never did they do it so vividly or as boldly or as well as in the days of Orr and Esposito, Bucyk and Sanderson, Hodge and Cheevers, et al.
They were gifted and they were great, and we enjoyed it, without reservation or fear or care of what tomorrow would bring. In a sports world that today is so complex, so difficult for anyone to win (athlete, team, or fan), all that seems too simple to believe.
The Statue
May 2010
On a day in which the Bruins' greatest player was getting his own statue to greet fans on Causeway Street, there was a moment of technical error.
"Get a teamster to do it!" yelled someone in the crowd, drawing laughter, as people struggled to tear the curtain off a statue of Bobby Orr flying the air
It was fitting, perhaps, that Orr finally grabbed the scissors himself and cut a loose piece of rope, setting the sheet free after some two minutes of struggle. All these years later, still getting it done
Yesterday's ceremony unveiling a bronze statue of Bobby Orr flying through the air on the 40th anniversary of his overtime goal that clinched the Stanley Cup was full of iconic praise and lighthearted war stories about the good ol' days
There was Mayor Thomas Menino up to his old language tricks again, calling Orr's goal an "ionic" moment in Boston sports history, right up there with "Varitek splitting the uprights."
There was Harry Sinden calling the score "an indelible goal in history," making a push to call this particular location "Bobby Orr Place."
But mostly, it was moments of reflection about Orr's charm and fierce loyalty - on the ice, yes, but mostly off of it
Derek Sanderson has seen it first-hand for four decades. He recalled with delight visits with Orr to Children's Hospital on game days, and how fired up Orr got from the smiles of ill children. But even at the lowest depths in his long fight with alcoholism, Sanderson said, Orr was there with him
So when Orr went to the podium and commended Sanderson for sticking through it, Sanderson was significantly touched
"He knows what I went through, because he went through it with me on numerous occasions," Sanderson said. "Alcoholism is a disease. Once you contract it, there's no cure. Only one of 37 ever recovers, and without the help of friends and family it's near impossible."
No player on the Bruins or Flyers from last night's Game 5 at TD Garden is old enough to truly remember the mastery of No. 4 first-hand, but everybody still lights up at the mention of his name.
"Bobby Orr is Bobby Orr. I mean, what else can you say about him that hasn't been said already?" smiled Dennis Wideman. "The thing that impresses me about him is what kind of guy he is still to this day.
"When I played golf with him, I just couldn't believe how . . . you know, I was pretty intimidated when I met him, I didn't know what to say, and he's just so outgoing, so talkative, really makes you feel comfortable. He's just a real good guy."
Said Patrice Bergeron, "He's pretty much the Bruins. Soon as I came here, I had a chance to actually meet him. I didn't get a chance to actually see him play, but he's such a legend, such a gentleman as well when I met him. I think it's going to mean a lot not only for the Boston Bruins, but also for all the Bruins fans."
For the coaches, the praise is even stronger
Said Bruins coach Claude Julien, "He's been my idol. When I was growing up, it was Bobby Orr, and I couldn't play like him - trust me - but I still liked him. I think he's been an idol for a lot of people. Not only that, but when you get the chance to meet him and spend some time with him, he's such a great gentleman and fun to be around."
Orr choked up at one point in his speech, when praising his parents. He entertained reporters underneath the statue, talking about everything from his playing memories to the current crop of talent ("I like the Krejcis of the world") to the future (one of his clients, top prospect Taylor Hall "would make a great Bruin")
It was a day to celebrate him. But as usual, he wanted to be deferential.
Orr, the Bruins, and the Last Game at Da Gah-den
9/27/1995
Last one off the ice turns out the lights. That means you, Bobby Orr.
After 67 years of thrills, chills and occasional beer spills, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens last night played the final game of any kind at Boston Garden. When the 3-0 Bruin victory was over, descendants of the 1928 B's and Habs (who played the first game in the old barn) watched and wept with 14,448 New England sports fans as Orr and pals from the past took one more spin around the Garden ice.
It raised the hair on your back and brought a tear to your eye. It made some of us say, "Who needs air conditioning? Let 'em play another 67 years in the grimy gym."
The old Garden's "Last Hurrah" was loaded with lasts and hurrahs. There was the last trek up the filthy ramps, the last bombastic anthem by Rene Rancourt and the last sniffs of the stale hallways that always smelled like the bottom of your popcorn bag. Finally, before the place went dark, there was the final opportunity to see the greatest player who ever wore skates. Orr was the last person to skate on the sacred surface, stepping off the ice at 10:58, long after most of the fans had left the building.
It was a night for camera flashes and collectibles. The Bruins thanked their loyal legions, giving every ticket-holder a puck, a poster and a handshake from an ex-Bruin. Fans folded empty ice cream wrappers and saved them -- like teen-age girls pressing prom flowers into book pages lined with wax paper (of course, the standard souvenirs weren't enough for those who brought Black and Deckers in an effort to remove entire rows of seats from the moribund museum).
It was the culmination of a full year of long goodbyes.
The tone was set at 4:55 yesterday afternoon when a young man walked to the edge of the ratty old rink, took a photograph, then assumed the pushup position and kissed the ice surface. Almost papal. Frozen holy water.
And on this night of hockey gods, past and present, Orr was the one fans wanted to see. "It's been a long time since I skated on this ice," he said.
Happily, Orr was among the golden oldies who served as official greeters. Just before 6:30 p.m., he manned his post at the West Entrance, across from Canal Street, and pressed the flesh with every fan who passed through the turnstile.
Extraordinary. Imagine Paul McCartney greeting fans the night they close Royal Albert Hall, or Joe DiMaggio high-fiving patrons when the Yankees play their final game in The House That Ruth Built.
But there he was, No. 4, Bobby Orr, saying, "Welcome to my house."
Fans were moved. They hugged Orr. They kissed him. They thanked him for the memories. They tried to take pictures. They said they loved his commercials. Many of them just said his name . . . "Bobby Orr" . . . in case he needed to be reminded that he is, in fact, Bobby Orr.
Eleven-year-old Billy Bartlett of Plaistow, N.H., a child with a brain tumor who'd been released from Massachusetts General Hospital just a few hours earlier, walked up to Orr, whipped off the cap that covered his bald head and asked Orr to sign the hat. Orr signed the bill of the hat and wished the boy well.
"I think this will be a very emotional night," said Orr.
One of the most emotional moments occurred during the postgame ceremony when Normand Leveille came out on the ice to be honored with other ex-Bruins. Leveille, a once-promising winger, lost his career and almost his life when he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 1982. But last night brave Normand was back, wearing skates and circling the ice with help from Bruins captain Raymond Bourque. It was at once sad and triumphant.
"Talk about heart," Orr said. "Normand has heart. To me, that was the highlight of the night."
Orr's introduction, the last of the evening, prompted the longest, loudest ovation. As he attempted to rattle off the long list of Orr's career highlights, announcer Fred Cusick could not be heard over the din.
After circling the ice with the likes of ex-teammates Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Johnny McKenzie, Orr hung around and did some interviews. It was a little weird because almost all the fans were gone by the time Orr set out on his last waltz. After posing for a photo with the bull gang, he glided around the rink one more time, then stepped off the ice.
Goodbye, Garden. No more games.
"Some people are going to remember this place because of Bobby Orr," he said. "But some will remember it maybe for a political happening or a music show. Everyone will remember it for different reasons."
Many folks will remember last night. Garden management put on quite a show. They did everything but hand out cubes of the Garden ice.
Of course, blue crystal patches of the Bruins' rink wouldn't last very long. Ice melts. But like a lot of other things that happened there in 67 years, the sight of Bobby Orr skating on the Garden ice will remain frozen in our minds for all time.
Last one off the ice turns out the lights. That means you, Bobby Orr.
After 67 years of thrills, chills and occasional beer spills, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens last night played the final game of any kind at Boston Garden. When the 3-0 Bruin victory was over, descendants of the 1928 B's and Habs (who played the first game in the old barn) watched and wept with 14,448 New England sports fans as Orr and pals from the past took one more spin around the Garden ice.
It raised the hair on your back and brought a tear to your eye. It made some of us say, "Who needs air conditioning? Let 'em play another 67 years in the grimy gym."
The old Garden's "Last Hurrah" was loaded with lasts and hurrahs. There was the last trek up the filthy ramps, the last bombastic anthem by Rene Rancourt and the last sniffs of the stale hallways that always smelled like the bottom of your popcorn bag. Finally, before the place went dark, there was the final opportunity to see the greatest player who ever wore skates. Orr was the last person to skate on the sacred surface, stepping off the ice at 10:58, long after most of the fans had left the building.
It was a night for camera flashes and collectibles. The Bruins thanked their loyal legions, giving every ticket-holder a puck, a poster and a handshake from an ex-Bruin. Fans folded empty ice cream wrappers and saved them -- like teen-age girls pressing prom flowers into book pages lined with wax paper (of course, the standard souvenirs weren't enough for those who brought Black and Deckers in an effort to remove entire rows of seats from the moribund museum).
It was the culmination of a full year of long goodbyes.
The tone was set at 4:55 yesterday afternoon when a young man walked to the edge of the ratty old rink, took a photograph, then assumed the pushup position and kissed the ice surface. Almost papal. Frozen holy water.
And on this night of hockey gods, past and present, Orr was the one fans wanted to see. "It's been a long time since I skated on this ice," he said.
Happily, Orr was among the golden oldies who served as official greeters. Just before 6:30 p.m., he manned his post at the West Entrance, across from Canal Street, and pressed the flesh with every fan who passed through the turnstile.
Extraordinary. Imagine Paul McCartney greeting fans the night they close Royal Albert Hall, or Joe DiMaggio high-fiving patrons when the Yankees play their final game in The House That Ruth Built.
But there he was, No. 4, Bobby Orr, saying, "Welcome to my house."
Fans were moved. They hugged Orr. They kissed him. They thanked him for the memories. They tried to take pictures. They said they loved his commercials. Many of them just said his name . . . "Bobby Orr" . . . in case he needed to be reminded that he is, in fact, Bobby Orr.
Eleven-year-old Billy Bartlett of Plaistow, N.H., a child with a brain tumor who'd been released from Massachusetts General Hospital just a few hours earlier, walked up to Orr, whipped off the cap that covered his bald head and asked Orr to sign the hat. Orr signed the bill of the hat and wished the boy well.
"I think this will be a very emotional night," said Orr.
One of the most emotional moments occurred during the postgame ceremony when Normand Leveille came out on the ice to be honored with other ex-Bruins. Leveille, a once-promising winger, lost his career and almost his life when he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 1982. But last night brave Normand was back, wearing skates and circling the ice with help from Bruins captain Raymond Bourque. It was at once sad and triumphant.
"Talk about heart," Orr said. "Normand has heart. To me, that was the highlight of the night."
Orr's introduction, the last of the evening, prompted the longest, loudest ovation. As he attempted to rattle off the long list of Orr's career highlights, announcer Fred Cusick could not be heard over the din.
After circling the ice with the likes of ex-teammates Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Johnny McKenzie, Orr hung around and did some interviews. It was a little weird because almost all the fans were gone by the time Orr set out on his last waltz. After posing for a photo with the bull gang, he glided around the rink one more time, then stepped off the ice.
Goodbye, Garden. No more games.
"Some people are going to remember this place because of Bobby Orr," he said. "But some will remember it maybe for a political happening or a music show. Everyone will remember it for different reasons."
Many folks will remember last night. Garden management put on quite a show. They did everything but hand out cubes of the Garden ice.
Of course, blue crystal patches of the Bruins' rink wouldn't last very long. Ice melts. But like a lot of other things that happened there in 67 years, the sight of Bobby Orr skating on the Garden ice will remain frozen in our minds for all time.
Bourque Better than Orr?
2004
Back in Boston, where Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr both made
their names, there probably isn't a puck-loving, Bruins-worshiping
baby boomer who would consider Bourque the better player.
Well, time to consider it.
Better yet, with Bourque entering the Hockey Hall of Fame here last
night, it is finally time to believe it.
We could end this discussion right here on the numbers. By the
stats alone, Bourque wins it skating away, backwards. He played 22
seasons to Orr's 12, averaged 73 games per season to Orr's 55, and
finished as the No. 1 scoring defenceman of all time, leading in
goals (410), assists (1,169) and points (1,579). Orr finished with
915 points, a total 664 fewer than Bourque.
If the issue at hand were simply to answer a different question -
who had the better career? - the total tonnage of Bourque's numbers
would provide the answer.
But as for who's the better player, well, that encompasses so much
more. And one thing Orr has going for him, beyond any argument, is
the residual aura of his career. In that sense, he remains the John
F. Kennedy of the Boston Bruins, a man forever cherished for his
presence and accomplishments over what was, for most of us in Bruins
Country, a regrettably short period of time.
Orr was the crown jewel of the Big, Bad Bruins, a team that turned
New England into hockey's Camelot, and his daring dashes from the
back end of the ice gave birth to a new breed of defenceman - of
whom Bourque was one, Denis Potvin another, and Paul Coffey (another
inductee last night) makes three.
The National Hockey League had never seen the likes of Orr, not
only for how he controlled the puck and raced up the ice, but also
for those dazzling, unbelievable moments when he rushed the puck
daringly toward the blue line, then curled back with it into the
neutral zone. He made penalty killing high art, or was it trick
photography? The puck seemingly stuck to his stick blade, Orr
sometimes even retreated to his end of the ice and crazily turned
what should have been the opponent's power-play forward into a
befuddled forechecker. It was wickedly outrageous, at times bordered
on the absurd, and in today's chip-it-off-the-glass and
dump-it-in-the-end NHL, the likes of Orr would be a lightning rod
for a coach's ire.
Bourque was no fancy Dan. Although strong, fast, and iron-tough
with the puck, and as ornery as a bull when in competition for it on
the rear board or anywhere in the defensive zone, he did not have
Orr's raw speed or agility to change direction.
Orr was a risk-taker at a time when the game not only allowed
creativity but, get this, encouraged creativity.
By the time Bourque came down Causeway - just a few months after
Orr hoisted his No. 4 to the Garden's rafters - the league had grown
to 21 teams, and the Bruins still were reeling, on a personnel
basis, from seeing their swashbuckling roster of the late '60s and
early '70s stripped by the short-lived World Hockey Association. It
didn't help that Orr bolted as a free agent to Chicago, but by then
his career was essentially over, his knees never to recover.
For much of his time in the Hub of Hockey, though, Orr was
surrounded by far better talent than ever accompanied Bourque. The
best it got for Bourque was when trades brought Cam Neely and Adam
Oates to town, and the Andy Moog-Reggie Lemelin tandem was in net,
but in no way did he ever have the luxury of dancing with the likes
of Messrs. Cheevers, Esposito, Sanderson, Bucyk, Hodge, Cashman,
McKenzie, et al.
Oft-forgotten, too, is that Orr's first year, 1966-67, was the
final season of the Original Six NHL. By his sophomore season, six
teams had been added, and that 100-per-cent expansion delivered a
six-pack of tomato cans that the likes of Orr and his teammates
absolutely crushed. The living was easy, the land lush.
Go back and check some of Orr's mesmerizing highlights. Yes, he
sometimes toyed with the opposition, to the point where you would
sometimes cringe when seeing an opposing forward humiliated by one
of his turnbacks or video-game-like bursts of speed. We never saw
anything like that from Bourque. But again, they played in vastly
different eras. The bet here is that Orr, even in a 21-, 26-, or
30-team NHL, wouldn't have found opponents' rosters as stacked with
tomato cans as he did in the late '60s and early '70s. He would have
been a great player, but working with far less in terms of teammates
and faced with more worthy opponents.
Among Bruins fans, especially the boomers, to think of Bourque as
better than Orr is nothing short of blasphemy. Just the other day,
even Coffey called Orr the best defenceman who ever played. "Myself
and Ray Bourque," he said, "were just followers."
Over the years, Harry Sinden, who coached Orr and was general
manager when Bourque was drafted in 1979, has said he would opt for
Orr if he needed a goal, but turn to Bourque if he had to protect a
one-goal lead.
Orr was, without a doubt, a more sensational player, but it was an
era of incredible hype. He was the shooting star in the clear night
sky over Camelot.
The only things that compare with the Big, Bad Bruins era of the
late '60s and early '70s, in terms of how they defined Boston sports
culture, is the recent Red Sox win in the World Series and their
Impossible Dream season of 1967. As successful as the Celtics,
Patriots, and other Red Sox teams have been in the last 30 years,
only this year's Sox accomplishment surpasses the Bruins' two Cups
in the early '70s for how it influenced everything we talked about
in Boston sports for a stretch. And when we talked about the Bruins,
we first talked about Orr, and then got to everybody else.
For his 20 years with the "spoked B" on his chest, Bourque never
knew that luxury. For many of those years, he was the prized member
of a team that often ranked fourth in the Boston sports
consciousness.
Along the way, though, Bourque somehow managed to win the Calder
Trophy as rookie of the year (as did Orr), copped five Norris
Trophies as best defenceman (compared with Orr's record eight in a
row), and stood last night inside the Hall of Fame as the No. 1
scoring defenceman of all time.
It's not myth, what Orr did. He was magnificent. He remains the
player I most liked to watch, and saying that, I only wish I could
have seen Rocket Richard when he was the king of Montreal.
But consider that Bourque was bigger and stronger, vastly more
durable, far more of a defensive presence, and no one, absolutely no
one, played his position for as long as he did at such an elite
level, right to that one last shake of the Stanley Cup over his head
in career game No. 1,826 (postseason included).
It's hard to let go of the memories and the beliefs we hold most
dear. But for all he did, and for as long as he did it, and for as
well as he did it in the era he did it, Bourque was better.
Back in Boston, where Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr both made
their names, there probably isn't a puck-loving, Bruins-worshiping
baby boomer who would consider Bourque the better player.
Well, time to consider it.
Better yet, with Bourque entering the Hockey Hall of Fame here last
night, it is finally time to believe it.
We could end this discussion right here on the numbers. By the
stats alone, Bourque wins it skating away, backwards. He played 22
seasons to Orr's 12, averaged 73 games per season to Orr's 55, and
finished as the No. 1 scoring defenceman of all time, leading in
goals (410), assists (1,169) and points (1,579). Orr finished with
915 points, a total 664 fewer than Bourque.
If the issue at hand were simply to answer a different question -
who had the better career? - the total tonnage of Bourque's numbers
would provide the answer.
But as for who's the better player, well, that encompasses so much
more. And one thing Orr has going for him, beyond any argument, is
the residual aura of his career. In that sense, he remains the John
F. Kennedy of the Boston Bruins, a man forever cherished for his
presence and accomplishments over what was, for most of us in Bruins
Country, a regrettably short period of time.
Orr was the crown jewel of the Big, Bad Bruins, a team that turned
New England into hockey's Camelot, and his daring dashes from the
back end of the ice gave birth to a new breed of defenceman - of
whom Bourque was one, Denis Potvin another, and Paul Coffey (another
inductee last night) makes three.
The National Hockey League had never seen the likes of Orr, not
only for how he controlled the puck and raced up the ice, but also
for those dazzling, unbelievable moments when he rushed the puck
daringly toward the blue line, then curled back with it into the
neutral zone. He made penalty killing high art, or was it trick
photography? The puck seemingly stuck to his stick blade, Orr
sometimes even retreated to his end of the ice and crazily turned
what should have been the opponent's power-play forward into a
befuddled forechecker. It was wickedly outrageous, at times bordered
on the absurd, and in today's chip-it-off-the-glass and
dump-it-in-the-end NHL, the likes of Orr would be a lightning rod
for a coach's ire.
Bourque was no fancy Dan. Although strong, fast, and iron-tough
with the puck, and as ornery as a bull when in competition for it on
the rear board or anywhere in the defensive zone, he did not have
Orr's raw speed or agility to change direction.
Orr was a risk-taker at a time when the game not only allowed
creativity but, get this, encouraged creativity.
By the time Bourque came down Causeway - just a few months after
Orr hoisted his No. 4 to the Garden's rafters - the league had grown
to 21 teams, and the Bruins still were reeling, on a personnel
basis, from seeing their swashbuckling roster of the late '60s and
early '70s stripped by the short-lived World Hockey Association. It
didn't help that Orr bolted as a free agent to Chicago, but by then
his career was essentially over, his knees never to recover.
For much of his time in the Hub of Hockey, though, Orr was
surrounded by far better talent than ever accompanied Bourque. The
best it got for Bourque was when trades brought Cam Neely and Adam
Oates to town, and the Andy Moog-Reggie Lemelin tandem was in net,
but in no way did he ever have the luxury of dancing with the likes
of Messrs. Cheevers, Esposito, Sanderson, Bucyk, Hodge, Cashman,
McKenzie, et al.
Oft-forgotten, too, is that Orr's first year, 1966-67, was the
final season of the Original Six NHL. By his sophomore season, six
teams had been added, and that 100-per-cent expansion delivered a
six-pack of tomato cans that the likes of Orr and his teammates
absolutely crushed. The living was easy, the land lush.
Go back and check some of Orr's mesmerizing highlights. Yes, he
sometimes toyed with the opposition, to the point where you would
sometimes cringe when seeing an opposing forward humiliated by one
of his turnbacks or video-game-like bursts of speed. We never saw
anything like that from Bourque. But again, they played in vastly
different eras. The bet here is that Orr, even in a 21-, 26-, or
30-team NHL, wouldn't have found opponents' rosters as stacked with
tomato cans as he did in the late '60s and early '70s. He would have
been a great player, but working with far less in terms of teammates
and faced with more worthy opponents.
Among Bruins fans, especially the boomers, to think of Bourque as
better than Orr is nothing short of blasphemy. Just the other day,
even Coffey called Orr the best defenceman who ever played. "Myself
and Ray Bourque," he said, "were just followers."
Over the years, Harry Sinden, who coached Orr and was general
manager when Bourque was drafted in 1979, has said he would opt for
Orr if he needed a goal, but turn to Bourque if he had to protect a
one-goal lead.
Orr was, without a doubt, a more sensational player, but it was an
era of incredible hype. He was the shooting star in the clear night
sky over Camelot.
The only things that compare with the Big, Bad Bruins era of the
late '60s and early '70s, in terms of how they defined Boston sports
culture, is the recent Red Sox win in the World Series and their
Impossible Dream season of 1967. As successful as the Celtics,
Patriots, and other Red Sox teams have been in the last 30 years,
only this year's Sox accomplishment surpasses the Bruins' two Cups
in the early '70s for how it influenced everything we talked about
in Boston sports for a stretch. And when we talked about the Bruins,
we first talked about Orr, and then got to everybody else.
For his 20 years with the "spoked B" on his chest, Bourque never
knew that luxury. For many of those years, he was the prized member
of a team that often ranked fourth in the Boston sports
consciousness.
Along the way, though, Bourque somehow managed to win the Calder
Trophy as rookie of the year (as did Orr), copped five Norris
Trophies as best defenceman (compared with Orr's record eight in a
row), and stood last night inside the Hall of Fame as the No. 1
scoring defenceman of all time.
It's not myth, what Orr did. He was magnificent. He remains the
player I most liked to watch, and saying that, I only wish I could
have seen Rocket Richard when he was the king of Montreal.
But consider that Bourque was bigger and stronger, vastly more
durable, far more of a defensive presence, and no one, absolutely no
one, played his position for as long as he did at such an elite
level, right to that one last shake of the Stanley Cup over his head
in career game No. 1,826 (postseason included).
It's hard to let go of the memories and the beliefs we hold most
dear. But for all he did, and for as long as he did it, and for as
well as he did it in the era he did it, Bourque was better.
The Big Bad Bruins
1998
When a promising 21-year-old left winger named John Bucyk was traded from the Detroit Red Wings to the Boston Bruins for goalie Terry Sawchuk in July 1957, Bucyk said goodbye to a powerful club fresh off three Stanley Cup championships in five years, a team led by NHL greats Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay.
And Bucyk found a situation that would get a whole lot worse before it got better.
In Bucyk's second season as a Bruin, the team would edge above .500 at 32-29-9 -- but it was the only winning team in his first 10 years in Boston.
Worse, while the B's actually reached the Stanley Cup final in his first season -- losing the Cup to Montreal in six games -- and then were eliminated by Toronto in the first round in seven games the next spring, they failed to reach the postseason the next eight years.
In the six-team NHL, with four teams qualifying for the Cup chase, such failure wasn't easy -- nor was it much fun.
"When I first came here, things weren't that bad," said Bucyk. "We made the playoffs a couple of years. But then for eight consecutive years, we never even made the playoffs. Things were kind of bleak.
"But the thing was, we filled the building up anyway. People still came and cheered us on. And we tried. We had a lot of fun. We've always had that, that atmosphere here with the Bruins, where we're one big happy family and the guys have a lot of fun.
"We stuck together whether we won or lost. We lost a lot. But you could just see the wheel was going to turn. And then it did. That was one of the reasons I never wanted to be traded, for the simple fact that I was so happy playing in Boston and knew that eventually, we were going to get stronger and stronger. And we did."
Teen angel
Bucyk had good reason for believing early in the 1960s that the Bruins fortunes would improve before long. That's because he'd seen Bobby Orr play.
In 1962, the B's discovered the 14-year-old Orr playing midget hockey in Parry Sound, Ontario. They arranged for him to join Oshawa of the Ontario junior league, where he delivered three dominant seasons. Many believed Orr could have played effectively in the NHL at 14, but under NHL rules, a player had to be 18.
So the B's struggled those three years, hopelessly stuck at or near the bottom of the standings, awaiting the arrival of the savior who would change everything on Causeway Street.
"Before he arrived here, we had days off in Toronto a couple of times, and I was fortunate enough to go and watch him play when he was in juniors with Oshawa," said Bucyk. "I knew right away something was going to happen with that kid. He was just outstanding, so good that we could hardly wait for him to get up. I didn't know he was going to be the great superstar that he was, but I knew he was going to be a star, a big factor on our team."
Rookie can play
Joining the Bruins in 1966, Orr turned in a terrific rookie season in 1966-67, posting 13-28-41 totals and easily winning the Calder Trophy. Alas, not even Orr could lift the Bruins out of the NHL cellar, as they went just 17-43-10 -- 29 points out of a playoff berth.
But Orr's impact was immediate and immense. When New York Ranger Harry Howell won the '67 Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman, he remarked, "I'm glad I won it now, because it's going to belong to Orr from now on."
How right he was: Orr won the Norris the next eight years.
"He pretty well took over as soon as he got here," said Bucyk. "He was the backbone of the club. Bobby pretty well controlled everything from the back, he made the power play work, he killed penalties, he spent so much time on the ice and did so many things well."
Orr's rookie season was the final year of the six-team NHL, as the league doubled in size for the 1967-68 campaign. The B's left their losing ways behind, too, as they made the playoffs for the first time since 1959. They wouldn't miss again until 1997.
In 1968-69, the B's finished second in the East Division. Their 100 points trailed only division winner Montreal. The Bruins swept Toronto in the quarterfinals, but then dropped a six-game semifinal matchup to the Habs, who then brushed aside St. Louis for the Cup. The B's went home that summer believing the Cup could have been theirs that season; a year later, it was.
In 1969-70, Orr became the first defenseman to win the scoring title, putting up incredible 33-87-120 totals. The B's tied Chicago with 99 points in the regular season, then found themselves in a rugged 2-2 tie with the Rangers after four games of the playoff quarters.
But the Bruins then awakened to win their next 10 playoff games -- meaning a six-game defeat of New York, then sweeps of Chicago and St. Louis -- to capture their first Stanley Cup in 29 years.
The final image of the series became one of the most famous sports photographs ever made: Orr flying past the St. Louis goal after taking teammate Derek Sanderson's pass and beating Blues goalie Glenn Hall for the Cup-winning score.
Wild about Harry
The B's were coached to that first Cup by 36-year-old Harry Sinden, a former defenseman on the Canadian Olympic team.
"He was very sharp, very alert," said Bucyk. "He knew when to give you a little bit of heck, and when to pat you on the back. That's something now a lot of coaches don't do anymore. The game has changed so much. How does a coach that's making $500,000 say something to a guy who's making $5 million? They turn around and give you a dirty look, like, 'Who are you to yell at me?'
"It's all different now. In those days, we never made much money. We never cared about money. We just wanted to be on the team and play. We didn't even know what the wages were, we had no idea what the other players were making. So it was easier for a coach to coach and a GM to manage."
It was former Bruins great center Milt Schmidt who, as GM of the Bruins in 1967, engineered one of the all-time great trades, sending defenseman Gilles Marotte, center Pit Martin and goalie Jack Norris to Chicago for Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield -- all keys to the two Cup winners.
Club for ages
The swashbuckling, fun-loving Bruins of 1970-71 enjoyed one of the greatest campaigns in the history of team sports. They ran away with the regular-season title, compiling a 57-14-7 record, scoring 108 more goals than next-best team. The incredible Bruins scoring machine included the top four scorers in the NHL, all with more than 100 points: Esposito (76-76-152), Orr (37-102-139), Bucyk (51-65-116) and Ken Hodge (43-62-105). Bobby Hull and Norm Ullman ranked next in the league scoring parade, but then came Bruins Wayne Cashman (21-58-79) and Johnny (Pie) McKenzie (31-47-78) -- meaning the B's had six of hockey's top eight scorers.
The Bruins were expected to steamroll to a second successive Cup. But a young Montreal goalie from Cornell named Ken Dryden -- he had just six games of big-league experience -- was brilliant, as the Canadiens sprung a stunning seven-game, first-round upset of the B's. Ironically, the Bruins owned the rights to Dryden, but they traded those rights to Montreal in 1964 for a pair of nobodies.
In 1971-72, the Bruins remained atop the league with a 54-13-11 record -- with Esposito and Orr leading all scorers for the third straight year -- and this time the B's didn't let the Cup escape them: They lost only three games in knocking off Toronto, St. Louis and New York.
In September 1972, Sinden-coached Team Canada faced the best of the Soviet Union in what was expected to be an easy win for the NHL players. The hockey world was stunned to learn that the Russians were every bit the equal of the Canadians, who had just a win and a tie in the first four games of the series in Canada. But Sinden's team took 3-of-4 in Moscow to earn the narrowest of wins in the historic and emotional series.
Falling short
The B's of 1971-72 were again loaded, totaling 107 regular-season points. But they were ousted quickly in the playoffs, knocked out in five games by the New York Rangers. The legacy of those great teams: They won twice, but it should have been more.
"We won it in '70, but I thought we were stronger in '71," said Bucyk. "We ran into some hot goaltending, and it cost us. We lost out again in '73, and we should have won it that year, too."
The B's also just missed in '74, advancing to the final with wins against Toronto and Chicago. But Orr & Co. were done in in the final by the new bully of the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers, who, behind goalie Bernie Parent and top center Bobby Clarke, became the first expansion team to win the Cup.
Not long after, the greatest Bruins team ever assembled began to come apart. Sanderson and goalie Gerry Cheevers headed off to the World Hockey Association. Early in 1975-76, Esposito was dealt to the Rangers in a five-layer deal that delivered Jean Ratelle and Brad Park to Boston.
In 1974-75, Orr piled up 135 points, 46 of them goals. But the next year, he played only 10 games before reinjuring his knee in December. And in June of '76, Orr, a free agent, signed a five-year, $3 million deal with the Chicago Black Hawks. He had been deceived by agent Alan Eagleson, led to believe the B's didn't want him -- when in fact they had offered him 18.5 percent ownership of the team to stay.
But Orr was just about done anyway. He missed all of the 1977-78 season after undergoing his sixth knee operation and played just six games the following year before quitting. He was 30 years old.
"It was just so unfortunate that he had the knee injuries," said Bucyk. "He played with a lot of injuries, he played hurting when he shouldn't have played. But he felt he could help the team. And of course, even when he was injured, he was still the best player on the ice. If he hadn't done that, if he hadn't played hurt so much, he probably would have lasted longer."
As it was, Orr may have had more impact on the NHL style of play than any other player.
"All Bobby did," Esposito once noted, "was change the face of hockey all by himself."
(Information included in this series came from interviews and numerous published sources, notably "Boston Bruins, Celebrating 75 Years," by Clark Booth. Also helpful were "The Complete Encyclopedia of Hockey," edited by Zander Hollander; NHL publication "The Six-Team Era"; "The Complete History of the Boston Bruins" CD-ROM.)
DEFINING MOMENT: Bobby Orr takes flight after scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal in overtime against the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 on Mothers' Day, May 10, 1970. Herald file photo by Ray Lussier
ORR AND ESPO: Bobby Orr celebrates with Phil Esposito after the Bruins clinched the East Division championship on March 22, 1971. Herald file photo
SOME SUPER HARDWARE: Standout Bobby Orr poses with the Norris and Hart trophies for being the NHL's top defenseman and MVP. The Bruins superstar won both awards in the same year three times. Photo courtesy New England Sports Museum
OLD SCAR FACE: Gerry Cheevers was a stalwart during the Big, Bad Bruins days of the '70s. Herald file photo
THE YOUNG CHEIF: Johnny Bucyk struggled through 10 seasons with the Bruins before Bobby Orr came along to save the day. Herald file photo.
When a promising 21-year-old left winger named John Bucyk was traded from the Detroit Red Wings to the Boston Bruins for goalie Terry Sawchuk in July 1957, Bucyk said goodbye to a powerful club fresh off three Stanley Cup championships in five years, a team led by NHL greats Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay.
And Bucyk found a situation that would get a whole lot worse before it got better.
In Bucyk's second season as a Bruin, the team would edge above .500 at 32-29-9 -- but it was the only winning team in his first 10 years in Boston.
Worse, while the B's actually reached the Stanley Cup final in his first season -- losing the Cup to Montreal in six games -- and then were eliminated by Toronto in the first round in seven games the next spring, they failed to reach the postseason the next eight years.
In the six-team NHL, with four teams qualifying for the Cup chase, such failure wasn't easy -- nor was it much fun.
"When I first came here, things weren't that bad," said Bucyk. "We made the playoffs a couple of years. But then for eight consecutive years, we never even made the playoffs. Things were kind of bleak.
"But the thing was, we filled the building up anyway. People still came and cheered us on. And we tried. We had a lot of fun. We've always had that, that atmosphere here with the Bruins, where we're one big happy family and the guys have a lot of fun.
"We stuck together whether we won or lost. We lost a lot. But you could just see the wheel was going to turn. And then it did. That was one of the reasons I never wanted to be traded, for the simple fact that I was so happy playing in Boston and knew that eventually, we were going to get stronger and stronger. And we did."
Teen angel
Bucyk had good reason for believing early in the 1960s that the Bruins fortunes would improve before long. That's because he'd seen Bobby Orr play.
In 1962, the B's discovered the 14-year-old Orr playing midget hockey in Parry Sound, Ontario. They arranged for him to join Oshawa of the Ontario junior league, where he delivered three dominant seasons. Many believed Orr could have played effectively in the NHL at 14, but under NHL rules, a player had to be 18.
So the B's struggled those three years, hopelessly stuck at or near the bottom of the standings, awaiting the arrival of the savior who would change everything on Causeway Street.
"Before he arrived here, we had days off in Toronto a couple of times, and I was fortunate enough to go and watch him play when he was in juniors with Oshawa," said Bucyk. "I knew right away something was going to happen with that kid. He was just outstanding, so good that we could hardly wait for him to get up. I didn't know he was going to be the great superstar that he was, but I knew he was going to be a star, a big factor on our team."
Rookie can play
Joining the Bruins in 1966, Orr turned in a terrific rookie season in 1966-67, posting 13-28-41 totals and easily winning the Calder Trophy. Alas, not even Orr could lift the Bruins out of the NHL cellar, as they went just 17-43-10 -- 29 points out of a playoff berth.
But Orr's impact was immediate and immense. When New York Ranger Harry Howell won the '67 Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman, he remarked, "I'm glad I won it now, because it's going to belong to Orr from now on."
How right he was: Orr won the Norris the next eight years.
"He pretty well took over as soon as he got here," said Bucyk. "He was the backbone of the club. Bobby pretty well controlled everything from the back, he made the power play work, he killed penalties, he spent so much time on the ice and did so many things well."
Orr's rookie season was the final year of the six-team NHL, as the league doubled in size for the 1967-68 campaign. The B's left their losing ways behind, too, as they made the playoffs for the first time since 1959. They wouldn't miss again until 1997.
In 1968-69, the B's finished second in the East Division. Their 100 points trailed only division winner Montreal. The Bruins swept Toronto in the quarterfinals, but then dropped a six-game semifinal matchup to the Habs, who then brushed aside St. Louis for the Cup. The B's went home that summer believing the Cup could have been theirs that season; a year later, it was.
In 1969-70, Orr became the first defenseman to win the scoring title, putting up incredible 33-87-120 totals. The B's tied Chicago with 99 points in the regular season, then found themselves in a rugged 2-2 tie with the Rangers after four games of the playoff quarters.
But the Bruins then awakened to win their next 10 playoff games -- meaning a six-game defeat of New York, then sweeps of Chicago and St. Louis -- to capture their first Stanley Cup in 29 years.
The final image of the series became one of the most famous sports photographs ever made: Orr flying past the St. Louis goal after taking teammate Derek Sanderson's pass and beating Blues goalie Glenn Hall for the Cup-winning score.
Wild about Harry
The B's were coached to that first Cup by 36-year-old Harry Sinden, a former defenseman on the Canadian Olympic team.
"He was very sharp, very alert," said Bucyk. "He knew when to give you a little bit of heck, and when to pat you on the back. That's something now a lot of coaches don't do anymore. The game has changed so much. How does a coach that's making $500,000 say something to a guy who's making $5 million? They turn around and give you a dirty look, like, 'Who are you to yell at me?'
"It's all different now. In those days, we never made much money. We never cared about money. We just wanted to be on the team and play. We didn't even know what the wages were, we had no idea what the other players were making. So it was easier for a coach to coach and a GM to manage."
It was former Bruins great center Milt Schmidt who, as GM of the Bruins in 1967, engineered one of the all-time great trades, sending defenseman Gilles Marotte, center Pit Martin and goalie Jack Norris to Chicago for Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield -- all keys to the two Cup winners.
Club for ages
The swashbuckling, fun-loving Bruins of 1970-71 enjoyed one of the greatest campaigns in the history of team sports. They ran away with the regular-season title, compiling a 57-14-7 record, scoring 108 more goals than next-best team. The incredible Bruins scoring machine included the top four scorers in the NHL, all with more than 100 points: Esposito (76-76-152), Orr (37-102-139), Bucyk (51-65-116) and Ken Hodge (43-62-105). Bobby Hull and Norm Ullman ranked next in the league scoring parade, but then came Bruins Wayne Cashman (21-58-79) and Johnny (Pie) McKenzie (31-47-78) -- meaning the B's had six of hockey's top eight scorers.
The Bruins were expected to steamroll to a second successive Cup. But a young Montreal goalie from Cornell named Ken Dryden -- he had just six games of big-league experience -- was brilliant, as the Canadiens sprung a stunning seven-game, first-round upset of the B's. Ironically, the Bruins owned the rights to Dryden, but they traded those rights to Montreal in 1964 for a pair of nobodies.
In 1971-72, the Bruins remained atop the league with a 54-13-11 record -- with Esposito and Orr leading all scorers for the third straight year -- and this time the B's didn't let the Cup escape them: They lost only three games in knocking off Toronto, St. Louis and New York.
In September 1972, Sinden-coached Team Canada faced the best of the Soviet Union in what was expected to be an easy win for the NHL players. The hockey world was stunned to learn that the Russians were every bit the equal of the Canadians, who had just a win and a tie in the first four games of the series in Canada. But Sinden's team took 3-of-4 in Moscow to earn the narrowest of wins in the historic and emotional series.
Falling short
The B's of 1971-72 were again loaded, totaling 107 regular-season points. But they were ousted quickly in the playoffs, knocked out in five games by the New York Rangers. The legacy of those great teams: They won twice, but it should have been more.
"We won it in '70, but I thought we were stronger in '71," said Bucyk. "We ran into some hot goaltending, and it cost us. We lost out again in '73, and we should have won it that year, too."
The B's also just missed in '74, advancing to the final with wins against Toronto and Chicago. But Orr & Co. were done in in the final by the new bully of the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers, who, behind goalie Bernie Parent and top center Bobby Clarke, became the first expansion team to win the Cup.
Not long after, the greatest Bruins team ever assembled began to come apart. Sanderson and goalie Gerry Cheevers headed off to the World Hockey Association. Early in 1975-76, Esposito was dealt to the Rangers in a five-layer deal that delivered Jean Ratelle and Brad Park to Boston.
In 1974-75, Orr piled up 135 points, 46 of them goals. But the next year, he played only 10 games before reinjuring his knee in December. And in June of '76, Orr, a free agent, signed a five-year, $3 million deal with the Chicago Black Hawks. He had been deceived by agent Alan Eagleson, led to believe the B's didn't want him -- when in fact they had offered him 18.5 percent ownership of the team to stay.
But Orr was just about done anyway. He missed all of the 1977-78 season after undergoing his sixth knee operation and played just six games the following year before quitting. He was 30 years old.
"It was just so unfortunate that he had the knee injuries," said Bucyk. "He played with a lot of injuries, he played hurting when he shouldn't have played. But he felt he could help the team. And of course, even when he was injured, he was still the best player on the ice. If he hadn't done that, if he hadn't played hurt so much, he probably would have lasted longer."
As it was, Orr may have had more impact on the NHL style of play than any other player.
"All Bobby did," Esposito once noted, "was change the face of hockey all by himself."
(Information included in this series came from interviews and numerous published sources, notably "Boston Bruins, Celebrating 75 Years," by Clark Booth. Also helpful were "The Complete Encyclopedia of Hockey," edited by Zander Hollander; NHL publication "The Six-Team Era"; "The Complete History of the Boston Bruins" CD-ROM.)
DEFINING MOMENT: Bobby Orr takes flight after scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal in overtime against the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 on Mothers' Day, May 10, 1970. Herald file photo by Ray Lussier
ORR AND ESPO: Bobby Orr celebrates with Phil Esposito after the Bruins clinched the East Division championship on March 22, 1971. Herald file photo
SOME SUPER HARDWARE: Standout Bobby Orr poses with the Norris and Hart trophies for being the NHL's top defenseman and MVP. The Bruins superstar won both awards in the same year three times. Photo courtesy New England Sports Museum
OLD SCAR FACE: Gerry Cheevers was a stalwart during the Big, Bad Bruins days of the '70s. Herald file photo
THE YOUNG CHEIF: Johnny Bucyk struggled through 10 seasons with the Bruins before Bobby Orr came along to save the day. Herald file photo.
More from Orr
5/29/2011
He sounded no different than a million other Bruins fans who called talk shows and friends yesterday
"Last night was a hell of a game. Unbelievable. A great game like that with no penalties? They let the players play. How many people were sitting in that third period? Is there another city in the country that has this? No way. Look at the championships. For one city to have this number of championship teams is incredible."
Standard stuff, right. You heard from everybody in town the day after the Bruins' epic Game 7 win over Tampa Bay. But this was not just another yahoo talking. This was Bobby Orr, the greatest Bruin of them all - the man who ignited the Hub hockey craze that spawned two Stanley Cups and a million memories back in the 1970s
When the Celtics get to the NBA Finals in this century, we look for Bill Russell. When the Red Sox make it to the World Series, we watch Carl Yastrzemski throw out the first pitch. And now that the Bruins are back in the Cup finals for the first time in 21 years, we go to No. 4
"I think it's wonderful," said Orr, who lives locally and watched Boston's epic game from his home. "The other teams in the city have been doing so well, winning championships.
"To see the Bruins in there warms my heart. It really does. They played great. It's great to see Cam [Neely] and his crew put all the pieces together. They did a hell of a job and I think it's great
"I'm a sports fan here in Boston and it's already great to see the teams do well and win championships and be the talk of the town. The Bruins have been beat up a little bit and it took a while. But to see this happening now is great.
"I see a lot of the players from the other [Boston] teams there and I know a lot of them like hockey because they're attending."
What about the long-suffering Bruins fans who never fail to tell Bobby how much he changed their lives in the early 1970s?
"They're loyal and knowledgeable," said Orr. "They expect an honest effort. If you don't give them that honest effort, they can be tough, but they're very knowledgeable and supportive. They die with the players, they really do
"I can remember when we were playing, we were very close to our fans; I think that's happening now. They're loving their team. I played golf this morning and the Bruins hats are out. Kids are wearing Bruins T-shirts. A guy was asking me, 'What was it like? What was the highlight?' On and on and on. It's great
"I'm so happy for all the players. They've put a nice group together and the guys that are supposed to be scoring are scoring and the guys that defend are defending. It's great to see
"When you get to playoff time, I don't care what sport it is, when it's over, a lot of players are physically hurting. They're sticking it out. They're paying the price. And to win, you have to pay a price.
"When this is over, I'm sure we'll hear that guys are hurting, and if this were the regular season, some of them wouldn't be playing."
Orr was only 22 when he put the puck in the net, then flew through the air, to win the Stanley Cup in 1970. Today there is a statue of Orr's moment in front of the west entrance of the New Garden. Was Orr too young to appreciate the magnitude when it happened?
"No, not at all," he said. "When you were growing up, your goal was to play in the NHL and be on a Stanley Cup team. I appreciated everything then, a whole lot
"I've signed a lot of those pictures over the years. I can't even count. But I don't get tired of seeing it. I'm honored by the statue. It was nice for the Bruins to do that. It was a great time for everybody, not only the players, but the city of Boston."
There were no Duck Boats in 1970
"We gathered at the Garden and had a parade," said Orr. "We left the Garden and went down Storrow and came up to City Hall. It was unbelievable. We had our fathers in it
"If the Bruins win this, there's going to be a hell of a celebration. This is a great sports city, and now after 20 years, to have the Bruins in it is great. I've watched the other teams in their Duck Boats and I think that's a great way to honor the players and to celebrate."
Can Boston recapture the hockey fever of the '70s?
"I think it can. I do. I mean, this is it. The fans are getting to know their guys. I really think it can. And I think it's going to be a hell of a series."
The Cup finals start Wednesday night in Vancouver. The Canucks are attempting to become the first Canadian team in 18 years to win a Stanley Cup
"To have a Canadian team in the Stanley Cup finals is huge," said Orr. "But there are a lot of Bruins fans in Canada. Big-time. I don't mind the Bruins going in as underdogs. None of these games is going to be high-scoring, I don't think."
In the early days of the Ted Williams Tunnel, it was exclusive to cabs and commercial vehicles. Private vehicles were ticketed if they were caught in the tunnel. I told Ted Williams that one of my goals was to pick him up at Logan, drive him through the Ted Williams tunnel, get pulled over by the police, and say, "Oh yeah? Well, guess who I have with me here in the front seat, officer."
Ted liked that one, but he said, "They probably wouldn't know who the hell I am."
In this spirit, I asked Orr if he'd meet me at his statue outside the Garden before Game 3
"No way," he said. "I've driven by the statue a few times, but I wouldn't meet you there."
Still, it would be pretty cool. How many people get to do that? Imagine arranging to connect with a friend before a big game and being able to say, "Meet me at my statue at 6:30."
If you're Bobby Orr, you could say that
But you would not say it
Because you are Bobby Orr.
He sounded no different than a million other Bruins fans who called talk shows and friends yesterday
"Last night was a hell of a game. Unbelievable. A great game like that with no penalties? They let the players play. How many people were sitting in that third period? Is there another city in the country that has this? No way. Look at the championships. For one city to have this number of championship teams is incredible."
Standard stuff, right. You heard from everybody in town the day after the Bruins' epic Game 7 win over Tampa Bay. But this was not just another yahoo talking. This was Bobby Orr, the greatest Bruin of them all - the man who ignited the Hub hockey craze that spawned two Stanley Cups and a million memories back in the 1970s
When the Celtics get to the NBA Finals in this century, we look for Bill Russell. When the Red Sox make it to the World Series, we watch Carl Yastrzemski throw out the first pitch. And now that the Bruins are back in the Cup finals for the first time in 21 years, we go to No. 4
"I think it's wonderful," said Orr, who lives locally and watched Boston's epic game from his home. "The other teams in the city have been doing so well, winning championships.
"To see the Bruins in there warms my heart. It really does. They played great. It's great to see Cam [Neely] and his crew put all the pieces together. They did a hell of a job and I think it's great
"I'm a sports fan here in Boston and it's already great to see the teams do well and win championships and be the talk of the town. The Bruins have been beat up a little bit and it took a while. But to see this happening now is great.
"I see a lot of the players from the other [Boston] teams there and I know a lot of them like hockey because they're attending."
What about the long-suffering Bruins fans who never fail to tell Bobby how much he changed their lives in the early 1970s?
"They're loyal and knowledgeable," said Orr. "They expect an honest effort. If you don't give them that honest effort, they can be tough, but they're very knowledgeable and supportive. They die with the players, they really do
"I can remember when we were playing, we were very close to our fans; I think that's happening now. They're loving their team. I played golf this morning and the Bruins hats are out. Kids are wearing Bruins T-shirts. A guy was asking me, 'What was it like? What was the highlight?' On and on and on. It's great
"I'm so happy for all the players. They've put a nice group together and the guys that are supposed to be scoring are scoring and the guys that defend are defending. It's great to see
"When you get to playoff time, I don't care what sport it is, when it's over, a lot of players are physically hurting. They're sticking it out. They're paying the price. And to win, you have to pay a price.
"When this is over, I'm sure we'll hear that guys are hurting, and if this were the regular season, some of them wouldn't be playing."
Orr was only 22 when he put the puck in the net, then flew through the air, to win the Stanley Cup in 1970. Today there is a statue of Orr's moment in front of the west entrance of the New Garden. Was Orr too young to appreciate the magnitude when it happened?
"No, not at all," he said. "When you were growing up, your goal was to play in the NHL and be on a Stanley Cup team. I appreciated everything then, a whole lot
"I've signed a lot of those pictures over the years. I can't even count. But I don't get tired of seeing it. I'm honored by the statue. It was nice for the Bruins to do that. It was a great time for everybody, not only the players, but the city of Boston."
There were no Duck Boats in 1970
"We gathered at the Garden and had a parade," said Orr. "We left the Garden and went down Storrow and came up to City Hall. It was unbelievable. We had our fathers in it
"If the Bruins win this, there's going to be a hell of a celebration. This is a great sports city, and now after 20 years, to have the Bruins in it is great. I've watched the other teams in their Duck Boats and I think that's a great way to honor the players and to celebrate."
Can Boston recapture the hockey fever of the '70s?
"I think it can. I do. I mean, this is it. The fans are getting to know their guys. I really think it can. And I think it's going to be a hell of a series."
The Cup finals start Wednesday night in Vancouver. The Canucks are attempting to become the first Canadian team in 18 years to win a Stanley Cup
"To have a Canadian team in the Stanley Cup finals is huge," said Orr. "But there are a lot of Bruins fans in Canada. Big-time. I don't mind the Bruins going in as underdogs. None of these games is going to be high-scoring, I don't think."
In the early days of the Ted Williams Tunnel, it was exclusive to cabs and commercial vehicles. Private vehicles were ticketed if they were caught in the tunnel. I told Ted Williams that one of my goals was to pick him up at Logan, drive him through the Ted Williams tunnel, get pulled over by the police, and say, "Oh yeah? Well, guess who I have with me here in the front seat, officer."
Ted liked that one, but he said, "They probably wouldn't know who the hell I am."
In this spirit, I asked Orr if he'd meet me at his statue outside the Garden before Game 3
"No way," he said. "I've driven by the statue a few times, but I wouldn't meet you there."
Still, it would be pretty cool. How many people get to do that? Imagine arranging to connect with a friend before a big game and being able to say, "Meet me at my statue at 6:30."
If you're Bobby Orr, you could say that
But you would not say it
Because you are Bobby Orr.
Orr Weighs in on the 2011 Bruins
June 6, 2011
You want to know about a real Boston sports curse? Try going through life as a member of the Bruins and being constantly reminded of those legendary Stanley Cup-winning teams from the early 1970s.
But here's some good news for the 2010-11 Bruins as they prepare for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Vancouver Canucks tonight at the Garden: The Greatest Player Who Ever Lived is in their corner.
While Bobby Orr is too respectful of the current Bruins to compare them with those great teams of yesteryear, he has found a way to connect the new with the old that offends nobody.
"All they should think about is the feeling of being a part of the best team in the world," said Orr, who will be at the Garden tonight. "That's what they're trying to achieve. That's what we were trying to achieve. Being the best."
Along with his otherworldly hockey skills, this is the kind of brilliant diplomacy that separates Bobby Orr from the rest of the pack. The rest of us — fans, media — can write odes and sing songs about the Big, Bad Bruins, but Orr — No. 4 — speaks with reverence about the new Bruins.
"I don't compare the teams," he said. "This is their time. We had ours, and this is theirs. I'm very impressed with what this team has done. I'm very impressed with how they put the pieces together. They have a little mix of everything, from trades to the draft."
That's the one area Orr is willing to make a comparison — roster makeup.
"The turning point to our team was the trade with Chicago," said Orr, referring to the one-sided deal that brought Phil Esposito, Fred Stanfield and Ken Hodge from Chicago to the Bruins in exchange for Pit Martin, Jack Norris and Gilles Marotte. "The mix came together with the veterans and the young players. That's what I see on this team.
"I like what they've done. They work hard . . . but everyone is going to have to do something if they're going to win. I like them. I hope no one writes this team off, especially after all they went through this year. They beat Montreal, and then they overcame all that happened with Philadelphia the year before, and then they go to seven games with Tampa and they win. There's a lot going on with this team."
This respect for the new Bruins is reminiscent of Ted Williams, who had nothing but praise for Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Tony Gwynn and Nomar Garciaparra.
And it was genuine, as it is with Orr.
"I have a soft spot for the Bruins," he said. "And I'm excited, just like any Boston Bruins fan would be. I'm looking forward to Games 3 and 4. I still think it's going to be a long series. I think they're pretty evenly matched."
Orr didn't have to look very far to learn this area has gone hockey crazy.
"My golfing buddies, they're big Red Sox fans," he said. "But now they're coming out, they're wearing Bruins T-shirts, they're wearing Bruins caps."
Though there isn't much shared sports history between the Bruins and Canucks, old-time sports fans in Vancouver have fond memories of the 1970-71 season — especially a Feb. 16, 1971 game at the old Pacific Coliseum between the expansion Canucks and the defending Stanley Cup-champion Bruins. The Canucks, having already lost three times that season to the Bruins, stormed back that night with a 5-4 home-ice victory against Orr & Co.
"I remember being out there and losing that game," Orr said. "An expansion team, and all the rest. Believe me, I remember. It was an exciting evening for Vancouver fans.
"But it was more than that. The Bruins were a very popular team in Canada and they had fans in Vancouver. The Bruins were an Original Six, and many times those new teams would beat an Original Six team, and that would be pretty exciting for their fans."
Looking back to Game 1 of this year's Cup finals, a 1-0 Vancouver victory, Orr was asked about the dustup between Patrice Bergeron and Vancouver's Alex Burrows, in which Burrows either did or did not bite Bergeron's finger.
Did Orr ever get bitten? Did Orr ever bite?
"I don't remember ever being bitten, or biting anyone," he said.
Orr's favorite game from this postseason is Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The game was hard-fought, fast and emotional, yet not a single penalty was called. The B's came out of it with a 1-0 victory. Though Orr and his crew got into many a scrape back in the day — not for nothing were they called the Big, Bad Bruins — he considers the Tampa Bay finale "a perfect game."
Orr is correct when he says of the 2010-11 Bruins, "This is their time."
But it is, in a way, his time too. Let's not forget that there's a statue outside the Garden commemorating Orr's game-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup finals. It's impossible to play for the current Bruins and not be familiar with that goal and the man who scored it.
So, yes, absolutely, Bobby Orr has to be in the house tonight. Could anybody imagine a Stanley Cup final on Causeway Street without him?
You want to know about a real Boston sports curse? Try going through life as a member of the Bruins and being constantly reminded of those legendary Stanley Cup-winning teams from the early 1970s.
But here's some good news for the 2010-11 Bruins as they prepare for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Vancouver Canucks tonight at the Garden: The Greatest Player Who Ever Lived is in their corner.
While Bobby Orr is too respectful of the current Bruins to compare them with those great teams of yesteryear, he has found a way to connect the new with the old that offends nobody.
"All they should think about is the feeling of being a part of the best team in the world," said Orr, who will be at the Garden tonight. "That's what they're trying to achieve. That's what we were trying to achieve. Being the best."
Along with his otherworldly hockey skills, this is the kind of brilliant diplomacy that separates Bobby Orr from the rest of the pack. The rest of us — fans, media — can write odes and sing songs about the Big, Bad Bruins, but Orr — No. 4 — speaks with reverence about the new Bruins.
"I don't compare the teams," he said. "This is their time. We had ours, and this is theirs. I'm very impressed with what this team has done. I'm very impressed with how they put the pieces together. They have a little mix of everything, from trades to the draft."
That's the one area Orr is willing to make a comparison — roster makeup.
"The turning point to our team was the trade with Chicago," said Orr, referring to the one-sided deal that brought Phil Esposito, Fred Stanfield and Ken Hodge from Chicago to the Bruins in exchange for Pit Martin, Jack Norris and Gilles Marotte. "The mix came together with the veterans and the young players. That's what I see on this team.
"I like what they've done. They work hard . . . but everyone is going to have to do something if they're going to win. I like them. I hope no one writes this team off, especially after all they went through this year. They beat Montreal, and then they overcame all that happened with Philadelphia the year before, and then they go to seven games with Tampa and they win. There's a lot going on with this team."
This respect for the new Bruins is reminiscent of Ted Williams, who had nothing but praise for Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Tony Gwynn and Nomar Garciaparra.
And it was genuine, as it is with Orr.
"I have a soft spot for the Bruins," he said. "And I'm excited, just like any Boston Bruins fan would be. I'm looking forward to Games 3 and 4. I still think it's going to be a long series. I think they're pretty evenly matched."
Orr didn't have to look very far to learn this area has gone hockey crazy.
"My golfing buddies, they're big Red Sox fans," he said. "But now they're coming out, they're wearing Bruins T-shirts, they're wearing Bruins caps."
Though there isn't much shared sports history between the Bruins and Canucks, old-time sports fans in Vancouver have fond memories of the 1970-71 season — especially a Feb. 16, 1971 game at the old Pacific Coliseum between the expansion Canucks and the defending Stanley Cup-champion Bruins. The Canucks, having already lost three times that season to the Bruins, stormed back that night with a 5-4 home-ice victory against Orr & Co.
"I remember being out there and losing that game," Orr said. "An expansion team, and all the rest. Believe me, I remember. It was an exciting evening for Vancouver fans.
"But it was more than that. The Bruins were a very popular team in Canada and they had fans in Vancouver. The Bruins were an Original Six, and many times those new teams would beat an Original Six team, and that would be pretty exciting for their fans."
Looking back to Game 1 of this year's Cup finals, a 1-0 Vancouver victory, Orr was asked about the dustup between Patrice Bergeron and Vancouver's Alex Burrows, in which Burrows either did or did not bite Bergeron's finger.
Did Orr ever get bitten? Did Orr ever bite?
"I don't remember ever being bitten, or biting anyone," he said.
Orr's favorite game from this postseason is Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The game was hard-fought, fast and emotional, yet not a single penalty was called. The B's came out of it with a 1-0 victory. Though Orr and his crew got into many a scrape back in the day — not for nothing were they called the Big, Bad Bruins — he considers the Tampa Bay finale "a perfect game."
Orr is correct when he says of the 2010-11 Bruins, "This is their time."
But it is, in a way, his time too. Let's not forget that there's a statue outside the Garden commemorating Orr's game-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup finals. It's impossible to play for the current Bruins and not be familiar with that goal and the man who scored it.
So, yes, absolutely, Bobby Orr has to be in the house tonight. Could anybody imagine a Stanley Cup final on Causeway Street without him?
Bobby Orr: The Great What If
2009
Bobby Orr has become hockey's Jimi Hendrix, its Jim Brown, its Ben Hogan--the ultimate, wistful argument over what might have been.
Hendrix's death at age 27 . . . Brown's retirement at 29 as the NFL's reigning MVP . . . Hogan's near-fatal car accident at 36, in the prime of his golf career. . . .
And Orr's surgery-ravaged knees, effectively ending his career at 28, though he would try to keep playing until age 30, in constant pain, a best-forgotten closing sequence with Chicago.
But if half of Orr's legacy is the sadness of "what if," the other half is surely the glory of what was.
Orr's 10-season prime in Boston was the most breathtaking I ever saw.
There was nothing he could not do, in close quarters, at high speed --and though I saw Wayne Gretzky up close for a decade like that in Edmonton, when he separated himself from every other forward in the game by miles, his was a more cerebral art, something more like sleight of hand, not fully understood until the puck was in the net.
Gretzky, for all his greatness, rarely made the pulse race quite the same way Orr did, rarely brought you out of your seat before the fact the way Orr could when he circled behind his net, surveying the ice, starting a rush.
Other supremely talented defencemen lasted longer, scored more. No one before, or since, made me smile for the sheer joy of watching him play. No one made me sadder when his legs wouldn't carry him any more. When he played in the 1976 Canada Cup, he was barely a shadow of what he had been, and still scored nine points in seven games and was named the tournament's MVP. It was, in essence, his farewell to the game.
Was he the greatest ever? Impossible to say. Give Gordie Howe the final word.
"Losing Bobby," he once said, "was the greatest blow the National Hockey League has ever suffered.'
Bobby Orr has become hockey's Jimi Hendrix, its Jim Brown, its Ben Hogan--the ultimate, wistful argument over what might have been.
Hendrix's death at age 27 . . . Brown's retirement at 29 as the NFL's reigning MVP . . . Hogan's near-fatal car accident at 36, in the prime of his golf career. . . .
And Orr's surgery-ravaged knees, effectively ending his career at 28, though he would try to keep playing until age 30, in constant pain, a best-forgotten closing sequence with Chicago.
But if half of Orr's legacy is the sadness of "what if," the other half is surely the glory of what was.
Orr's 10-season prime in Boston was the most breathtaking I ever saw.
There was nothing he could not do, in close quarters, at high speed --and though I saw Wayne Gretzky up close for a decade like that in Edmonton, when he separated himself from every other forward in the game by miles, his was a more cerebral art, something more like sleight of hand, not fully understood until the puck was in the net.
Gretzky, for all his greatness, rarely made the pulse race quite the same way Orr did, rarely brought you out of your seat before the fact the way Orr could when he circled behind his net, surveying the ice, starting a rush.
Other supremely talented defencemen lasted longer, scored more. No one before, or since, made me smile for the sheer joy of watching him play. No one made me sadder when his legs wouldn't carry him any more. When he played in the 1976 Canada Cup, he was barely a shadow of what he had been, and still scored nine points in seven games and was named the tournament's MVP. It was, in essence, his farewell to the game.
Was he the greatest ever? Impossible to say. Give Gordie Howe the final word.
"Losing Bobby," he once said, "was the greatest blow the National Hockey League has ever suffered.'
Gretzky or Orr?
2005
For eight seasons overlapping the '60s and '70s, Bobby Orr was completely unique, the best player in hockey at both ends of the ice. There have been many imitators, but Orr was the original, the master.
The most popular of all of Boston's performers revolutionized his game, bringing defensemen into the attacking zone, finishing plays with a dramatic flourish. Unfortunately, his full-throttle style of play coupled with the limits of medicine in his time forced Orr out of uniform years too soon. Like Sandy Koufax, Gale Sayers and Bill Walton, dazzling comets in other arenas, Bobby had roughly half a career. But what a time it was, while it lasted.
For one game, for one series, for one season, Orr is the man I'd take over all others.
It was my good fortune to watch him play the last great hockey of his life, in the 1976 Canada Cup in Montreal. At maybe three-quarters speed, Orr clearly was the world's best player.
In his prime, Bobby was more valuable to his team and had a more profound impact on his game than anyone else. Yet, in the final analysis, No. 4 lands at No. 2.
Soon after Orr had retired to quieter pursuits, along came another Ontario native to take hockey to exciting new places. The Great One was the greatest one.
1. Wayne Gretzky. Like Babe Ruth and Wilt Chamberlain, No. 99 made the record book his private property. His standards - goals (92) and points (215) in a season, career goals (885) and points (2,795) - will survive his lifespan, unless they decide permanently to remove the goalie.
Canada's favorite son led four Stanley Cup champions in Edmonton before a 1988 trade left his homeland in tears. His numbers declined somewhat in L.A., but his popularity soared. The league's expansion into the sunbelt is Wayne's legacy; roughly one-fourth of the league exists because of No. 99.
Some crusty insiders dispute Gretzky's ranking as a performer, but none challenge his matchless impact as an ambassador.
2. Bobby Orr. Pure genius, with guts.
3. Gordie Howe. Old-timers argue there was no one to compare with the great, enduring No. 9. Detroit's dynamo could punch you out one shift and outskate you the next. Gretzky's hero joins Wayne on the all-time line. The other winger slides over from center, a transition Super Mario makes gracefully.
4. Mario Lemieux. A bigger Gretzky, exceeded only by Gretzky as a scorer, he acquired leadership skills in driving Pittsburgh to greatness.
5. Maurice Richard. Montreal's Rocket was decades ahead of his time.
6. Jean Beliveau. Hockey's DiMaggio.
7. Mark Messier. Much more than Wayne's sidekick, a fierce two-way force.
8. Bobby Hull. Father of Brett, the "Golden Jet" was more exciting, more dangerous with his wicked shot, simply more talented than his kid.
9. Dominik Hasek. Czech acrobat does things no goalie ever did.
10. Doug Harvey. Greatest pure defenseman.
11. Eddie Shore. Old-time defenseman extraordinaire.
12. Denis Potvin. Backbone of four-time champion Islanders.
13. Terry Sawchuk. Widely viewed as the best in goal before the Dominator.
14. Jacques Plante. Maybe as good as Sawchuk.
15. Jaromir Jagr. Gretzky's heir.
16. Ray Bourque. Orr's iron-man descendant in Beantown.
17. Guy Lafleur. Beautiful to watch, that blond mane flying.
18. Marcel Dionne. Guy's rival, magical with puck but undervalued because he played on inferior teams.
19. Bobby Clarke. Leader of the dreaded Broad Street Bullies.
20. Phil Esposito. Brother, could he score.
21. Glenn Hall. Flawless technician in goal.
22. Howie Morenz. First great center man.
23. Larry Robinson. Huge, smart, champion's heart.
24. Ken Dryden. Robinson's teammate wrote as beautifully as he tended goal for Montreal's '70s champs.
25. Stan Mikita. Chicago's passing master.
For eight seasons overlapping the '60s and '70s, Bobby Orr was completely unique, the best player in hockey at both ends of the ice. There have been many imitators, but Orr was the original, the master.
The most popular of all of Boston's performers revolutionized his game, bringing defensemen into the attacking zone, finishing plays with a dramatic flourish. Unfortunately, his full-throttle style of play coupled with the limits of medicine in his time forced Orr out of uniform years too soon. Like Sandy Koufax, Gale Sayers and Bill Walton, dazzling comets in other arenas, Bobby had roughly half a career. But what a time it was, while it lasted.
For one game, for one series, for one season, Orr is the man I'd take over all others.
It was my good fortune to watch him play the last great hockey of his life, in the 1976 Canada Cup in Montreal. At maybe three-quarters speed, Orr clearly was the world's best player.
In his prime, Bobby was more valuable to his team and had a more profound impact on his game than anyone else. Yet, in the final analysis, No. 4 lands at No. 2.
Soon after Orr had retired to quieter pursuits, along came another Ontario native to take hockey to exciting new places. The Great One was the greatest one.
1. Wayne Gretzky. Like Babe Ruth and Wilt Chamberlain, No. 99 made the record book his private property. His standards - goals (92) and points (215) in a season, career goals (885) and points (2,795) - will survive his lifespan, unless they decide permanently to remove the goalie.
Canada's favorite son led four Stanley Cup champions in Edmonton before a 1988 trade left his homeland in tears. His numbers declined somewhat in L.A., but his popularity soared. The league's expansion into the sunbelt is Wayne's legacy; roughly one-fourth of the league exists because of No. 99.
Some crusty insiders dispute Gretzky's ranking as a performer, but none challenge his matchless impact as an ambassador.
2. Bobby Orr. Pure genius, with guts.
3. Gordie Howe. Old-timers argue there was no one to compare with the great, enduring No. 9. Detroit's dynamo could punch you out one shift and outskate you the next. Gretzky's hero joins Wayne on the all-time line. The other winger slides over from center, a transition Super Mario makes gracefully.
4. Mario Lemieux. A bigger Gretzky, exceeded only by Gretzky as a scorer, he acquired leadership skills in driving Pittsburgh to greatness.
5. Maurice Richard. Montreal's Rocket was decades ahead of his time.
6. Jean Beliveau. Hockey's DiMaggio.
7. Mark Messier. Much more than Wayne's sidekick, a fierce two-way force.
8. Bobby Hull. Father of Brett, the "Golden Jet" was more exciting, more dangerous with his wicked shot, simply more talented than his kid.
9. Dominik Hasek. Czech acrobat does things no goalie ever did.
10. Doug Harvey. Greatest pure defenseman.
11. Eddie Shore. Old-time defenseman extraordinaire.
12. Denis Potvin. Backbone of four-time champion Islanders.
13. Terry Sawchuk. Widely viewed as the best in goal before the Dominator.
14. Jacques Plante. Maybe as good as Sawchuk.
15. Jaromir Jagr. Gretzky's heir.
16. Ray Bourque. Orr's iron-man descendant in Beantown.
17. Guy Lafleur. Beautiful to watch, that blond mane flying.
18. Marcel Dionne. Guy's rival, magical with puck but undervalued because he played on inferior teams.
19. Bobby Clarke. Leader of the dreaded Broad Street Bullies.
20. Phil Esposito. Brother, could he score.
21. Glenn Hall. Flawless technician in goal.
22. Howie Morenz. First great center man.
23. Larry Robinson. Huge, smart, champion's heart.
24. Ken Dryden. Robinson's teammate wrote as beautifully as he tended goal for Montreal's '70s champs.
25. Stan Mikita. Chicago's passing master.
Was Paul Coffey Better than Orr?
1995
Now that Detroit's Paul Coffey has crested 1,000 assists, becoming only the fourth player and first defenseman to do so, is it time to call Coffey, so swift he should be called "Instant," the greatest offensive defenseman ever?
Nope. That's still Bobby Orr. And for those who scream to look at the numbers, OK, we'll do just that.
First, a little obvious subjective question for you: who would you rather play with if you wanted big point totals? Phil Esposito, Wayne Cashman and Ken Hodge in the goon-heavy 1970s or Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson and Mario Lemieux in the supersonic 1980s?
Even given the advantages of playing with the most offensively talented team ever (Edmonton 1981-87), the most talented teams since then (Pittsburgh 1988-92, Detroit 1993-present) and playing 12 1/2 seasons with the two greatest offensive players ever (Gretzky in Edmonton and Lemieux in Pittsburgh), Coffey trails Orr in several offensive categories.
Orr still is third all-time in assists per game, behind only Gretzky and Lemieux, respectively. Those two, plus Islanders' great Mike Bossy are the only ones that top Orr's points-per-game career numbers.
Of the top five totals for defenseman assists in a season, Orr has four, including No. 1 -- the 102 assists in 1970-71 that were the pre-Gretzky NHL record. In defenseman points in a season, Orr has Nos. 1, 3 and 5, Coffey has Nos. 2 and 4. Orr had six 100-point seasons in what was essentially a nine-season career. Coffey has hit the century mark five times in 15 seasons.
At least Cof is a better goal scorer, right? After all, he broke Orr's defenseman record of 46 in a season with 48 in 1985-86. But Orr's goals-per-game average over a career was .411, Coffey's entering this season was only .332.
Besides, Coffey's 48-goal season came during what Gretzky and the record books remember as Gretzky's ultimate year as setup man with a blinding 163 assists. The year Orr scored 46 (1974-75), he also led the league in assists. That was the year of his second scoring title, the only two ever won by a defenseman. When it comes to greatest all-around defenseman, you can argue Orr vs. Doug Harvey vs. Denis Potvin vs. Eddie Shore vs. Ray Bourque (who will hit 1,000 assists next season). But for pure offense, nobody has surpassed Orr.
Now that Detroit's Paul Coffey has crested 1,000 assists, becoming only the fourth player and first defenseman to do so, is it time to call Coffey, so swift he should be called "Instant," the greatest offensive defenseman ever?
Nope. That's still Bobby Orr. And for those who scream to look at the numbers, OK, we'll do just that.
First, a little obvious subjective question for you: who would you rather play with if you wanted big point totals? Phil Esposito, Wayne Cashman and Ken Hodge in the goon-heavy 1970s or Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson and Mario Lemieux in the supersonic 1980s?
Even given the advantages of playing with the most offensively talented team ever (Edmonton 1981-87), the most talented teams since then (Pittsburgh 1988-92, Detroit 1993-present) and playing 12 1/2 seasons with the two greatest offensive players ever (Gretzky in Edmonton and Lemieux in Pittsburgh), Coffey trails Orr in several offensive categories.
Orr still is third all-time in assists per game, behind only Gretzky and Lemieux, respectively. Those two, plus Islanders' great Mike Bossy are the only ones that top Orr's points-per-game career numbers.
Of the top five totals for defenseman assists in a season, Orr has four, including No. 1 -- the 102 assists in 1970-71 that were the pre-Gretzky NHL record. In defenseman points in a season, Orr has Nos. 1, 3 and 5, Coffey has Nos. 2 and 4. Orr had six 100-point seasons in what was essentially a nine-season career. Coffey has hit the century mark five times in 15 seasons.
At least Cof is a better goal scorer, right? After all, he broke Orr's defenseman record of 46 in a season with 48 in 1985-86. But Orr's goals-per-game average over a career was .411, Coffey's entering this season was only .332.
Besides, Coffey's 48-goal season came during what Gretzky and the record books remember as Gretzky's ultimate year as setup man with a blinding 163 assists. The year Orr scored 46 (1974-75), he also led the league in assists. That was the year of his second scoring title, the only two ever won by a defenseman. When it comes to greatest all-around defenseman, you can argue Orr vs. Doug Harvey vs. Denis Potvin vs. Eddie Shore vs. Ray Bourque (who will hit 1,000 assists next season). But for pure offense, nobody has surpassed Orr.
Orr and Gretzky Teammates?
2004
On the day that Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky played on the same team for the only time in their respective careers, goaltender Ron Low was at home in Foxwarren, Man., seeding his canola crop. It was the spring of 1980 and Orr was one season removed from his Hall Of Fame playing career, while Gretzky had just completed a splashy National Hockey League debut, tying the legendary Marcel Dionne for the league's scoring title.
The two came together at the Winnipeg Arena to play a charity game for Billy Heindl, Orr's former teammate on the Oshawa Generals' 1967 Memorial Cup-winning team. Heindl had fallen on hard times after his playing career and a failed suicide attempt had left him a paraplegic. So Heindl's friends in Winnipeg scheduled a charity game to raise money on his behalf. Orr was one of the first to opt in.
Orr put the arm on Gretzky, who was playing for an Edmonton Oilers team that had missed the NHL playoffs in 1979-80, and Gretzky cut short a Hawaiian vacation to participate. It ended up as a once-in-a-lifetime moment, but when you're involved in history, you never get that sense at the time.
"You know what? I can hardly remember the game," answered Low, who drove in from Foxwarren and played goal. "All I can remember is seeing the two of them on the ice together and thinking, 'Wow!' I had had the opportunity of playing with Wayne earlier that year, so I pretty much knew about him. And, of course, I had played against Orr for too many nights before that."
Today, the Winnipeg Arena closes after 50 years, making way for the new MTS Centre, which will open on Nov. 17. While it may not be as well known as the Montreal Forum or Maple Leaf Gardens, the Winnipeg Arena saw more than its share of hockey history.
In 1972, the third game of the historic Summit Series, the one that ended in a 4-4 tie, was played there. Soon after, the World Hockey Association made its biggest splash by signing Bobby Hull to an unprecedented $1-million contract. Hull and two Swedish players, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, redefined the way hockey would be played in North America for the next decade.
The Arena played host to the Memorial Cup, the Allen Cup, to Canada's national team in the mid-1960s, and the 1999 world junior championship. Gretzky scored his 2,000th point there. It was also where former Winnipeg Jet Teemu Selanne obliterated Mike Bossy's single-season rookie goal-scoring record of 53, finishing the 1992-93 season with 76 goals, a record that may stand forever.
Of all the things that made the Winnipeg Arena special, perhaps nothing compares with that Apr. 25, 1980, night when the past met the future in the Heindl charity game.
"There's a photo of the two of us sitting on the bench together and people have no idea what it's from," Orr said. "It was the only time I'd ever been on the ice with Wayne and I've never been on the ice since with him, so obviously it was a thrill. But the game itself? Remember, it was for charity. It wasn't all-out, magnificent plays or anything like that. But to be on the ice, with a player like Wayne and a person like Wayne, was special, it really was."
And although the game made front-page news in Winnipeg, the event ? pitting members and former members of the Canadian national team against a collection of ex-NHLers ? received little notoriety elsewhere. A total of 15,052 fans showed up at a cost of only $5 per ticket.
Prominent player agent Don Baizley, a member of the game's organizing committee, recalled that Orr was in his office, helping to recruit players, when Gretzky's name came up. Together, they put in a call to Gretzky's boss, Oilers' general manager Glen Sather. As it happened, Gretzky was in Sather's office, conducting an informal exit interview, so Sather put him on the line. Orr took the phone from Baizley and minutes later had Gretzky's commitment.
The event raised $85,000 for Heindl. Gretzky spent much of his time in the company of fellow WHA alumnus Jets' defenceman Lars-Erik Sjoberg, and according to Baizley, "Shoe said to Wayne, 'You should watch [Orr], because this is what's ahead for you.' "Orr just handled himself so well among the people. We had an event afterwards at Viscount Gort [hotel] and I drove over with Bobby. As we were driving over, Orr said: 'When we get to this event tonight, I'd like you to stay with me, because I want to make sure I meet everybody in the room who actually did the work.' "And was Bobby ever good. He talked to everybody and he was very charming. I've been a huge Orr fan ever since."
On the day that Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky played on the same team for the only time in their respective careers, goaltender Ron Low was at home in Foxwarren, Man., seeding his canola crop. It was the spring of 1980 and Orr was one season removed from his Hall Of Fame playing career, while Gretzky had just completed a splashy National Hockey League debut, tying the legendary Marcel Dionne for the league's scoring title.
The two came together at the Winnipeg Arena to play a charity game for Billy Heindl, Orr's former teammate on the Oshawa Generals' 1967 Memorial Cup-winning team. Heindl had fallen on hard times after his playing career and a failed suicide attempt had left him a paraplegic. So Heindl's friends in Winnipeg scheduled a charity game to raise money on his behalf. Orr was one of the first to opt in.
Orr put the arm on Gretzky, who was playing for an Edmonton Oilers team that had missed the NHL playoffs in 1979-80, and Gretzky cut short a Hawaiian vacation to participate. It ended up as a once-in-a-lifetime moment, but when you're involved in history, you never get that sense at the time.
"You know what? I can hardly remember the game," answered Low, who drove in from Foxwarren and played goal. "All I can remember is seeing the two of them on the ice together and thinking, 'Wow!' I had had the opportunity of playing with Wayne earlier that year, so I pretty much knew about him. And, of course, I had played against Orr for too many nights before that."
Today, the Winnipeg Arena closes after 50 years, making way for the new MTS Centre, which will open on Nov. 17. While it may not be as well known as the Montreal Forum or Maple Leaf Gardens, the Winnipeg Arena saw more than its share of hockey history.
In 1972, the third game of the historic Summit Series, the one that ended in a 4-4 tie, was played there. Soon after, the World Hockey Association made its biggest splash by signing Bobby Hull to an unprecedented $1-million contract. Hull and two Swedish players, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, redefined the way hockey would be played in North America for the next decade.
The Arena played host to the Memorial Cup, the Allen Cup, to Canada's national team in the mid-1960s, and the 1999 world junior championship. Gretzky scored his 2,000th point there. It was also where former Winnipeg Jet Teemu Selanne obliterated Mike Bossy's single-season rookie goal-scoring record of 53, finishing the 1992-93 season with 76 goals, a record that may stand forever.
Of all the things that made the Winnipeg Arena special, perhaps nothing compares with that Apr. 25, 1980, night when the past met the future in the Heindl charity game.
"There's a photo of the two of us sitting on the bench together and people have no idea what it's from," Orr said. "It was the only time I'd ever been on the ice with Wayne and I've never been on the ice since with him, so obviously it was a thrill. But the game itself? Remember, it was for charity. It wasn't all-out, magnificent plays or anything like that. But to be on the ice, with a player like Wayne and a person like Wayne, was special, it really was."
And although the game made front-page news in Winnipeg, the event ? pitting members and former members of the Canadian national team against a collection of ex-NHLers ? received little notoriety elsewhere. A total of 15,052 fans showed up at a cost of only $5 per ticket.
Prominent player agent Don Baizley, a member of the game's organizing committee, recalled that Orr was in his office, helping to recruit players, when Gretzky's name came up. Together, they put in a call to Gretzky's boss, Oilers' general manager Glen Sather. As it happened, Gretzky was in Sather's office, conducting an informal exit interview, so Sather put him on the line. Orr took the phone from Baizley and minutes later had Gretzky's commitment.
The event raised $85,000 for Heindl. Gretzky spent much of his time in the company of fellow WHA alumnus Jets' defenceman Lars-Erik Sjoberg, and according to Baizley, "Shoe said to Wayne, 'You should watch [Orr], because this is what's ahead for you.' "Orr just handled himself so well among the people. We had an event afterwards at Viscount Gort [hotel] and I drove over with Bobby. As we were driving over, Orr said: 'When we get to this event tonight, I'd like you to stay with me, because I want to make sure I meet everybody in the room who actually did the work.' "And was Bobby ever good. He talked to everybody and he was very charming. I've been a huge Orr fan ever since."
Who Is Orr's Favorite?
1990
In the movie Back to School, there's a scene where 55-year-old
Rodney Dangerfield sits in a college English class, surrounded by
20-year-old students. Rodney hasn't done the required reading
and, of course, the teacher calls on him.
"Tell us about 'The Great Gatsby,' '' says the teacher.
Rodney fidgits in his chair, cocks his head and answers, "The Great
Gatsby... well... he was Great!"
I went to Boston Garden Saturday for my first look at Wayne
Gretzky. All I knew about Gretzky was that... well, he is Great.
Gretzky delivered. He assisted on two goals and scored the
game-winner with a 25-foot slap shot from out top with 1:40 to
play. He was... Great.
Sports fans who grew up in Boston in the '60s and '70s have a
special yardstick with which they measure hockey greatness. We
grew up watching Bobby Orr.
Gretzky's first assist of the game was his 100th, making this the
10th consecutive season in which he's registered 100 or more.
Orr was the first NHL player to collect 100 assists in a season
(1970-71).
It's apples and oranges, of course. Orr was a defenceman; Gretzky
is a centre. Orr broke in during the low-scoring days of the
six-team NHL; Gretzky plays in this high-scoring age of 21 teams.
I called Bobby Orr before going to see Gretzky. "What's so Great
about Gretzky?" I asked.
"He sees the ice like not many players do," said Orr. "He's got
great hockey sense. He's a half-step ahead of everybody. He's
not real big and he doesn't have any wicked shot, but he picks his
spots. He looks ahead. The other players go, and he finds them.
He's difficult to corner unless you have a rope. I think you'll
notice the way he passes the puck and where he passes it.
"Wayne could have played in any era," said Orr. "A few years
back, he wouldn't have scored as much, but he still could have
been a star."
What about this greatest-ever stuff? Orr or Gretzky?
"That's simple," said Orr. "I don't care who comes along or what
era, Gordie Howe was the guy. Bobby Orr wasn't Gordie Howe.
Wayne's a great talent, and many will disagree, but Gordie's my
man."
Great.
In the movie Back to School, there's a scene where 55-year-old
Rodney Dangerfield sits in a college English class, surrounded by
20-year-old students. Rodney hasn't done the required reading
and, of course, the teacher calls on him.
"Tell us about 'The Great Gatsby,' '' says the teacher.
Rodney fidgits in his chair, cocks his head and answers, "The Great
Gatsby... well... he was Great!"
I went to Boston Garden Saturday for my first look at Wayne
Gretzky. All I knew about Gretzky was that... well, he is Great.
Gretzky delivered. He assisted on two goals and scored the
game-winner with a 25-foot slap shot from out top with 1:40 to
play. He was... Great.
Sports fans who grew up in Boston in the '60s and '70s have a
special yardstick with which they measure hockey greatness. We
grew up watching Bobby Orr.
Gretzky's first assist of the game was his 100th, making this the
10th consecutive season in which he's registered 100 or more.
Orr was the first NHL player to collect 100 assists in a season
(1970-71).
It's apples and oranges, of course. Orr was a defenceman; Gretzky
is a centre. Orr broke in during the low-scoring days of the
six-team NHL; Gretzky plays in this high-scoring age of 21 teams.
I called Bobby Orr before going to see Gretzky. "What's so Great
about Gretzky?" I asked.
"He sees the ice like not many players do," said Orr. "He's got
great hockey sense. He's a half-step ahead of everybody. He's
not real big and he doesn't have any wicked shot, but he picks his
spots. He looks ahead. The other players go, and he finds them.
He's difficult to corner unless you have a rope. I think you'll
notice the way he passes the puck and where he passes it.
"Wayne could have played in any era," said Orr. "A few years
back, he wouldn't have scored as much, but he still could have
been a star."
What about this greatest-ever stuff? Orr or Gretzky?
"That's simple," said Orr. "I don't care who comes along or what
era, Gordie Howe was the guy. Bobby Orr wasn't Gordie Howe.
Wayne's a great talent, and many will disagree, but Gordie's my
man."
Great.
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