"It happened to be my inning when I said, 'Patrice Bergeron has just scored to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead,' " said Arnold, the Bruins' play-by-play voice on NESN from 1995-2007. "Fifty-eight seconds later, Kevin Youkilis hit a three-run homer to put the Red Sox in charge. It was fun having the two games intersect like that
"But we knew where Boston fans' hearts were that night." Arnold knew because he might as well have been describing himself. For all of his versatility, he is a hockey guy at his core, and his heart was in Vancouver.
"Oh, my focus was tested at times," said Arnold. "As soon as the game ended, I bolted down to the clubhouse. I, along with the Red Sox players and other personnel, were all watching the game on the monitors in the clubhouse, and they arranged the buses so that the minute the second period ended, everyone bolted out for the buses and they took right off for the hotel
"And as we pulled in to the hotel, Kevin Youkilis yelled out, 'Hey everybody, let Dale get out first, he's got to see this.' " The Sox then set up their viewing party at the hotel bar, where the third period of the Bruins' Cup-clinching 4-0 victory was shown on a couple of big screens.
"The entire Red Sox team was standing around cheering and yelling at the game," Arnold said. "It was something to see.
Tim Thomas, whose long hockey odyssey nearly ended in Europe as an NHL wannabe, last night completed one of the league's greatest hat tricks, adding a second Vezina Trophy to a season that also brought the 37-year-old Bruins goalie the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs
Thomas, who beat out Vancouver's Roberto Luongo and Nashville's Pekka Rinne as the league's top goalie, joined Tiny Thompson and Frank Brimsek as multiple Vezina winners among Bruins. Thompson won the trophy four times and Brimsek twice. Thomas also won the Vezina in 2009
Bernie Parent, backstop of the Flyers' Broad Street Bullies, is the only other player to win the Cup, the Conn Smythe, and the Vezina in the same season, doing it in 1974 and '75
Pleased to hear that he was the first since Parent to cop all three, Thomas said, "It's a story of, if you put in the work, it will pay off."
Thomas enjoyed one of the finest seasons ever by an NHL puck-stopper, beginning with his 8-0-0 record to start the season. He went on to post a 35-11-9 record, 2.00 goals-against average and .938 save percentage, breaking the NHL single-season mark of .937 set by Dominik Hasek in 1998-99.
And then, of course, he had a record-setting playoff showing, going 16-9 with a 1.98 GAA and .940 save percentage, the latter two NHL records. In the finals, he allowed only eight goals and posted a 1.15 GAA and .967 save percentage. He won three Game 7s in the postseason and was the first goalie to post a shutout on the road in Game 7 of the finals.
"I really enjoyed watching this Bruins team. I really think they're a great club. I know the feelings they were going through during the playoffs, during the Stanley Cup Finals and then when they won the Cup.
"The thing that struck me the most was how every guy contributed. Every guy offered something. That's special because that doesn't always happen. You could tell that each guy knew their job and they did it, without asking questions or pointing fingers. That's the definition of a great team.
"I also think coach Claude Julien deserves a lot of credit. He really preaches defense and the team bought into it. They played defense with pride, which isn't the case a lot of times. You would see the forwards really working hard to get back and break up a play. That's why they were successful. I loved that.
"I don't know that many guys, other than Mark Recchi, whom I coached, and Patrice Bergeron and Timmy Thomas. I called Chief (Johnny Bucyk) to tell those guys I was proud of them.
"Personally, I was surprised it went seven games. I really believe the Bruins were the better team. And they really brought pride to those of us that have worn that spoked 'B' sweater."
"I remember the first round, especially the first couple of games against Montreal, that I thought they lacked togetherness. But as the games started stacking up they seemed to get better and better and better. A few times early, when their backs were against the wall, they rose to the occasion.
"It was during the Philly series that I started to think these guys have a chance. They seemed to be angry about last year and they really took it to Philly in four games. They were much more emotional and they played stronger and cleaner.
"The Tampa series was when we saw them turn into the team that eventually won the Cup. They had guts and goaltending. I've said this for a long time, but goaltending is like having a doctor in the house. It can cure a lot of ills.
"Hockey is a game of mistakes and the team that makes the fewest usually wins. You can look at almost every playoff game the Bruins lost. It was because of a turnover or a mistake.
"In the finals, not too many people predicted they would beat Vancouver. But the Bruins played the underdog role to perfection. Sure, their stars, like (Tim) Thomas, (Patrice) Bergeron, (Zdeno) Chara and (David) Krejci came through, but what struck me was how good a lot of their second tier guys did. They had a lot of guys, like (Dennis) Seidenberg, (Johnny) Boychuk, (Rich) Peverley, (Mark) Recchi ... I could go on and on.
"The guy I loved the most was Brad Marchand. He was the poster boy for the whole team. He was the heart and soul of the team from when the playoffs started and when they ended. He worked his tail off every shift and was rewarded for that.
"In the end, the Bruins were the best 5-on-5 team in hockey. And their penalty kill was so good that their power play didn't matter. The better team won and I'm always happy about that."
"What we saw from the beginning of the season until the end was a group of guys that learned to come together as a team. It was amazing to see.
"(As the team's travelling secretary) I got to see these guys all of the time on the road, and they were always doing things together as a team, like going to dinner or going to the movies. There were always a bunch of guys going, including the trainers. That's how we were in the 1970s.
"On the ice, what struck me the most was how they came together after the (Nathan) Horton hit. Everybody responded together. You could see, after that is when the Bruins took control of the series.
"You just didn't see the Bruins taking foolish penalties. In the end, they were the more disciplined team. You have to give coach Claude Julien credit for that. He really showed how good of a coach he is."
"I don't think anybody expected this when it started with Montreal. I know I didn't. But what you saw is a team that kept on working, working and working. They played a lot like we did when we won our Cups, like a big family.
"That doesn't just happen on the ice. It happens off the ice. It comes from being close. When you are not close you end up playing like Vancouver did, with guys trying to do too much or acting on their own.
"I don't really know many of these guys, but I really liked that they stood up for each other. That's part of wearing the Bruins sweater. It's something that carries on from generation to generation. At least it's supposed to. These guys reminded me of the old Bruins, which made it fun to watch.
"I believed they were the better team in the Stanley Cup Final, it just took a little time to figure that out. Tim Thomas kept them in the series the first five games and then the rest of the guys took over the last two games. If you win the Stanley Cup you are the best team out there, no questions asked."
"If you asked me why the Bruins won the Cup, I would say it this simply: The Bruins refused to lose. If you look at all of the times when they were down 2-0 or the Game 7s ... every time they came back and won. If you're down 2-0 and you lose one of the next two games, you're probably going to lose the series. Yet, they came back and won Games 3 and 4. That's not easy to do.
"I had so much fun following these guys. Personally, when they won Game 3 (of the Stanley Cup Final), I knew they were going to win. In that game they established they were tougher. Vancouver realized it, too.
"You could see the demeanor of the players, like in Game 6, when (Brad) Marchand punched (Daniel) Sedin four times and nobody did anything about it. How can that happen if you're Vancouver?
"I heard that at some point in the finals, I think during Game 3 after Horton was hit, that Chara stood up and said 'Let's go!' The guys listened.
"I also can't say enough good things about Thomas. I don't think I've ever seen a display of goaltending so dominant, especially in the Stanley Cup Finals. He read plays before they happened, which is a sign you are on your game. Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur had some great performances in the finals, but not like this guy did."
Orr's legend relished, remembered with fond memories of another era
Ben Wolford Globe Correspondent
Brian Cavanaugh was only 5 the last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. He remembers having pizza with his father and relishing the final glorious goal by Bobby Orr. The next day, they packed up the car and drove together from Malden to see the parade in Boston
Cavanaugh is now 45, and his father has since died. But yesterday he paused at Orr's bronze likeness outside TD Garden to dwell on his father's memory
"He would have been here today, no doubt," he said
Orr's statue, a 110 percent scale representation of one of the greatest moments in hockey, was a shrine yesterday
Young and old shouted Orr's name as they passed and approached in silent reverie, taking photos or standing for a brief moment of reflection, as though the hockey great were a patron saint, honored not only for his talents, but for the old memories of family fandom
"I met Bobby Orr when I was 2, and it was the strongest handshake I've ever felt," said Timothy Gonsalves, 23, of North Redding.
He was with his grandfather, Jack Gonsalves, captain of security at an IRS facility in Andover, and they were heading home. Walking to their car, Jack Gonsalves spotted Orr in the parking lot
"Bobby! Bobby! I want you to meet my grandson, Timmy!" he hollered, the two of them running toward him
Timothy Gonsalves remembers Orr bending over and shaking his hand and saying, "Hi, Timmy." Orr led the Bruins to Stanley Cup victories in 1970 and 1972 - each time scoring the winning goal
When "The Goal" won the 1970 Stanley Cup, Orr threw his arms up as he tripped over a St. Louis Blues player, leaping forward.
That scene was immortalized last year when the Bruins unveiled the more-than-600-pound statue on Causeway Street, outside the Garden
Yesterday, Dennis Roy, 60, of Rowley snapped a photo of it
"It just brings back memories," he said. "Bobby Orr was the greatest who ever played. He symbolized the Bruins. He symbolized Boston." The fans came from all over. Not just Massachusetts. Not just the United States
Gilles Mazerolle, 52, who is from the Canadian province New Brunswick, said Orr "is the reason I'm a Bruins fan." He and his son, Dennis, drove more than eight hours through the night to arrive yesterday morning in time for the parade. The two huddled beneath the Orr statue for a photo
"I've been a Boston fan since I was born because of him," Dennis said, referring to his father
When Dennis, now 21, was 4 he went to a grocery store with his father wearing an Orr jersey. Another customer noticed it, and Dennis responded: "He doesn't play," he recalled saying. "He has a bad knee." "She said, 'How the hell did he know that?"' Gilles said. "His father educated him."
One can point to any of several seminal moments this postseason that foretold that this was a special team:
The Game 4 comeback from a 3-1 deficit in Montreal to a 5-4 triumph in overtime, completing a sweep at the Bell Centre and knotting the first-round series, 2-2.
The Game 7 win over the Canadiens at TD Garden, during which the Bruins shook off a P.K. Subban tying goal with 1:57 left in regulation to win on an OT strike by Nathan Horton, who made a habit of being a hero in the playoffs
Thomas stopping the last 46 shots (52 total), including 32 in the third period and overtime, as the Bruins rallied to foil the Flyers, 3-2, in Game 2 of a series they would go on to sweep
The display of competitive amnesia after blowing a 3-0 lead in a Game 4 loss in the Eastern Conference finals against the Lightning to win Game 5, the game in which Thomas made The Save, a lunging, sign-of-the-cross stop of Steve Downie that preserved a one-goal lead
A perfect game to blank the Lightning, 1-0, in Game 7 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 21 years
The response to the Aaron Rome head shot that took out Horton during the first period of Game 3 of the Final: an eight-goal blitz, highlighted by Brad Marchand's shorthanded showstopper, that poked a hole in the tires of the Canucks and insecure goaltender Roberto Luongo
These are all mental mile markers on a journey that will only grow in stature as the years go by, in part because this wasn't like the last time Boston got the Cup. The iconic Big Bad Bruins of the early 1970s were supposed to win. They had the best player in the game, Bobby Orr, and a bumper-sticker-inspiring scorer named Phil Esposito. They skated circles around opponents
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"It happened to be my inning when I said, 'Patrice Bergeron has just scored to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead,' " said Arnold, the Bruins' play-by-play voice on NESN from 1995-2007. "Fifty-eight seconds later, Kevin Youkilis hit a three-run homer to put the Red Sox in charge. It was fun having the two games intersect like that
"But we knew where Boston fans' hearts were that night."
Arnold knew because he might as well have been describing himself. For all of his versatility, he is a hockey guy at his core, and his heart was in Vancouver.
"Oh, my focus was tested at times," said Arnold. "As soon as the game ended, I bolted down to the clubhouse. I, along with the Red Sox players and other personnel, were all watching the game on the monitors in the clubhouse, and they arranged the buses so that the minute the second period ended, everyone bolted out for the buses and they took right off for the hotel
"And as we pulled in to the hotel, Kevin Youkilis yelled out, 'Hey everybody, let Dale get out first, he's got to see this.' "
The Sox then set up their viewing party at the hotel bar, where the third period of the Bruins' Cup-clinching 4-0 victory was shown on a couple of big screens.
"The entire Red Sox team was standing around cheering and yelling at the game," Arnold said. "It was something to see.
I haven't spent as much on Bruins merchandise as I did Celtics in 2007-08, but let's just say I've made a decent investment...
Tim Thomas, whose long hockey odyssey nearly ended in Europe as an NHL wannabe, last night completed one of the league's greatest hat tricks, adding a second Vezina Trophy to a season that also brought the 37-year-old Bruins goalie the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs
Thomas, who beat out Vancouver's Roberto Luongo and Nashville's Pekka Rinne as the league's top goalie, joined Tiny Thompson and Frank Brimsek as multiple Vezina winners among Bruins. Thompson won the trophy four times and Brimsek twice. Thomas also won the Vezina in 2009
Bernie Parent, backstop of the Flyers' Broad Street Bullies, is the only other player to win the Cup, the Conn Smythe, and the Vezina in the same season, doing it in 1974 and '75
Pleased to hear that he was the first since Parent to cop all three, Thomas said, "It's a story of, if you put in the work, it will pay off."
Thomas enjoyed one of the finest seasons ever by an NHL puck-stopper, beginning with his 8-0-0 record to start the season. He went on to post a 35-11-9 record, 2.00 goals-against average and .938 save percentage, breaking the NHL single-season mark of .937 set by Dominik Hasek in 1998-99.
And then, of course, he had a record-setting playoff showing, going 16-9 with a 1.98 GAA and .940 save percentage, the latter two NHL records. In the finals, he allowed only eight goals and posted a 1.15 GAA and .967 save percentage. He won three Game 7s in the postseason and was the first goalie to post a shutout on the road in Game 7 of the finals.
Wayne Cashman
"Played and won as a team"
"I really enjoyed watching this Bruins team. I really think they're a great club. I know the feelings they were going through during the playoffs, during the Stanley Cup Finals and then when they won the Cup.
"The thing that struck me the most was how every guy contributed. Every guy offered something. That's special because that doesn't always happen. You could tell that each guy knew their job and they did it, without asking questions or pointing fingers. That's the definition of a great team.
"I also think coach Claude Julien deserves a lot of credit. He really preaches defense and the team bought into it. They played defense with pride, which isn't the case a lot of times. You would see the forwards really working hard to get back and break up a play. That's why they were successful. I loved that.
"I don't know that many guys, other than Mark Recchi, whom I coached, and Patrice Bergeron and Timmy Thomas. I called Chief (Johnny Bucyk) to tell those guys I was proud of them.
"Personally, I was surprised it went seven games. I really believe the Bruins were the better team. And they really brought pride to those of us that have worn that spoked 'B' sweater."
Derek Sanderson
"Guts and goaltending"
"I remember the first round, especially the first couple of games against Montreal, that I thought they lacked togetherness. But as the games started stacking up they seemed to get better and better and better. A few times early, when their backs were against the wall, they rose to the occasion.
"It was during the Philly series that I started to think these guys have a chance. They seemed to be angry about last year and they really took it to Philly in four games. They were much more emotional and they played stronger and cleaner.
"The Tampa series was when we saw them turn into the team that eventually won the Cup. They had guts and goaltending. I've said this for a long time, but goaltending is like having a doctor in the house. It can cure a lot of ills.
"Hockey is a game of mistakes and the team that makes the fewest usually wins. You can look at almost every playoff game the Bruins lost. It was because of a turnover or a mistake.
"In the finals, not too many people predicted they would beat Vancouver. But the Bruins played the underdog role to perfection. Sure, their stars, like (Tim) Thomas, (Patrice) Bergeron, (Zdeno) Chara and (David) Krejci came through, but what struck me was how good a lot of their second tier guys did. They had a lot of guys, like (Dennis) Seidenberg, (Johnny) Boychuk, (Rich) Peverley, (Mark) Recchi ... I could go on and on.
"The guy I loved the most was Brad Marchand. He was the poster boy for the whole team. He was the heart and soul of the team from when the playoffs started and when they ended. He worked his tail off every shift and was rewarded for that.
"In the end, the Bruins were the best 5-on-5 team in hockey. And their penalty kill was so good that their power play didn't matter. The better team won and I'm always happy about that."
Johnny Bucyk
"Claude proved he is a great coach"
"What we saw from the beginning of the season until the end was a group of guys that learned to come together as a team. It was amazing to see.
"(As the team's travelling secretary) I got to see these guys all of the time on the road, and they were always doing things together as a team, like going to dinner or going to the movies. There were always a bunch of guys going, including the trainers. That's how we were in the 1970s.
"On the ice, what struck me the most was how they came together after the (Nathan) Horton hit. Everybody responded together. You could see, after that is when the Bruins took control of the series.
"You just didn't see the Bruins taking foolish penalties. In the end, they were the more disciplined team. You have to give coach Claude Julien credit for that. He really showed how good of a coach he is."
"Best team won the Cup"
"I don't think anybody expected this when it started with Montreal. I know I didn't. But what you saw is a team that kept on working, working and working. They played a lot like we did when we won our Cups, like a big family.
"That doesn't just happen on the ice. It happens off the ice. It comes from being close. When you are not close you end up playing like Vancouver did, with guys trying to do too much or acting on their own.
"I don't really know many of these guys, but I really liked that they stood up for each other. That's part of wearing the Bruins sweater. It's something that carries on from generation to generation. At least it's supposed to. These guys reminded me of the old Bruins, which made it fun to watch.
"I believed they were the better team in the Stanley Cup Final, it just took a little time to figure that out. Tim Thomas kept them in the series the first five games and then the rest of the guys took over the last two games. If you win the Stanley Cup you are the best team out there, no questions asked."
Gerry Cheevers
"Bruins refused to lose"
"If you asked me why the Bruins won the Cup, I would say it this simply: The Bruins refused to lose. If you look at all of the times when they were down 2-0 or the Game 7s ... every time they came back and won. If you're down 2-0 and you lose one of the next two games, you're probably going to lose the series. Yet, they came back and won Games 3 and 4. That's not easy to do.
"I had so much fun following these guys. Personally, when they won Game 3 (of the Stanley Cup Final), I knew they were going to win. In that game they established they were tougher. Vancouver realized it, too.
"You could see the demeanor of the players, like in Game 6, when (Brad) Marchand punched (Daniel) Sedin four times and nobody did anything about it. How can that happen if you're Vancouver?
"I heard that at some point in the finals, I think during Game 3 after Horton was hit, that Chara stood up and said 'Let's go!' The guys listened.
"I also can't say enough good things about Thomas. I don't think I've ever seen a display of goaltending so dominant, especially in the Stanley Cup Finals. He read plays before they happened, which is a sign you are on your game. Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur had some great performances in the finals, but not like this guy did."
Cheesy speaks!
Orr's legend relished, remembered with fond memories of another era
Ben Wolford
Globe Correspondent
Brian Cavanaugh was only 5 the last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. He remembers having pizza with his father and relishing the final glorious goal by Bobby Orr. The next day, they packed up the car and drove together from Malden to see the parade in Boston
Cavanaugh is now 45, and his father has since died. But yesterday he paused at Orr's bronze likeness outside TD Garden to dwell on his father's memory
"He would have been here today, no doubt," he said
Orr's statue, a 110 percent scale representation of one of the greatest moments in hockey, was a shrine yesterday
Young and old shouted Orr's name as they passed and approached in silent reverie, taking photos or standing for a brief moment of reflection, as though the hockey great were a patron saint, honored not only for his talents, but for the old memories of family fandom
"I met Bobby Orr when I was 2, and it was the strongest handshake I've ever felt," said Timothy Gonsalves, 23, of North Redding.
He was with his grandfather, Jack Gonsalves, captain of security at an IRS facility in Andover, and they were heading home. Walking to their car, Jack Gonsalves spotted Orr in the parking lot
"Bobby! Bobby! I want you to meet my grandson, Timmy!" he hollered, the two of them running toward him
Timothy Gonsalves remembers Orr bending over and shaking his hand and saying, "Hi, Timmy."
Orr led the Bruins to Stanley Cup victories in 1970 and 1972 - each time scoring the winning goal
When "The Goal" won the 1970 Stanley Cup, Orr threw his arms up as he tripped over a St. Louis Blues player, leaping forward.
That scene was immortalized last year when the Bruins unveiled the more-than-600-pound statue on Causeway Street, outside the Garden
Yesterday, Dennis Roy, 60, of Rowley snapped a photo of it
"It just brings back memories," he said. "Bobby Orr was the greatest who ever played. He symbolized the Bruins. He symbolized Boston."
The fans came from all over. Not just Massachusetts. Not just the United States
Gilles Mazerolle, 52, who is from the Canadian province New Brunswick, said Orr "is the reason I'm a Bruins fan."
He and his son, Dennis, drove more than eight hours through the night to arrive yesterday morning in time for the parade. The two huddled beneath the Orr statue for a photo
"I've been a Boston fan since I was born because of him," Dennis said, referring to his father
When Dennis, now 21, was 4 he went to a grocery store with his father wearing an Orr jersey. Another customer noticed it, and Dennis responded: "He doesn't play," he recalled saying. "He has a bad knee."
"She said, 'How the hell did he know that?"' Gilles said. "His father educated him."
One can point to any of several seminal moments this postseason that foretold that this was a special team:
The Game 4 comeback from a 3-1 deficit in Montreal to a 5-4 triumph in overtime, completing a sweep at the Bell Centre and knotting the first-round series, 2-2.
The Game 7 win over the Canadiens at TD Garden, during which the Bruins shook off a P.K. Subban tying goal with 1:57 left in regulation to win on an OT strike by Nathan Horton, who made a habit of being a hero in the playoffs
Thomas stopping the last 46 shots (52 total), including 32 in the third period and overtime, as the Bruins rallied to foil the Flyers, 3-2, in Game 2 of a series they would go on to sweep
The display of competitive amnesia after blowing a 3-0 lead in a Game 4 loss in the Eastern Conference finals against the Lightning to win Game 5, the game in which Thomas made The Save, a lunging, sign-of-the-cross stop of Steve Downie that preserved a one-goal lead
A perfect game to blank the Lightning, 1-0, in Game 7 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 21 years
The response to the Aaron Rome head shot that took out Horton during the first period of Game 3 of the Final: an eight-goal blitz, highlighted by Brad Marchand's shorthanded showstopper, that poked a hole in the tires of the Canucks and insecure goaltender Roberto Luongo
These are all mental mile markers on a journey that will only grow in stature as the years go by, in part because this wasn't like the last time Boston got the Cup. The iconic Big Bad Bruins of the early 1970s were supposed to win. They had the best player in the game, Bobby Orr, and a bumper-sticker-inspiring scorer named Phil Esposito. They skated circles around opponents
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