Intro
The Bruins season kicks off this Wednesday. So we thought we’d share some of our favorite memories and players ever to pull on the Spoked B.
Julie’s Favorite Memories
10. Sullivan’s Tap
If you are looking for an anthropological study of Bostonians and Bruins fans, this place is a mandatory stop. Located on Canal Street, it is as narrow as it is long, roughly several city blocks. The floor is always sticky, the beer is usually cold, and you will definitely exit with something spilled on you along with a great story. A bar fight is inevitable, with my personal favorite being one that ran the length of the bar. That fight had enthusiastic participants including customers, bartenders, and bouncers. The cracking of a beer bottle over someone’s head may have been a bit excessive. It ended with us locked inside when the police came, with the soundtrack of “Living on a Prayer” blaring from the jukebox (courtesy of me). I love that bar.
9. Stanley Cup
The Bruins won the Stanley Cup on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 and I damn near lost my mind screaming and crying and calling everyone I knew in the midst of hysteria. The best phone call was to a lifelong friend who watched the victory from a bar in New York City. I can replay that call in my mind as we shared our exuberance and emotions. What a moment!
8. Mom and Dad
While my parents were dating, my Dad surprised my Mom with a single ticket for a Bruins game. (The smooth Casanova had the other one). This was back in the 1970s when obtaining a ticket was an act of Congress. Well played, Dad. I love this story about their love story.
7. Mike Milbury
This man’s wildly borderline offensive game commentary always sent me into a fit of cackles. The “hockey twins”, David and Henrik Sedin, played for the Vancouver Canucks, our archenemy in the battle for the Stanley Cup. They were his preferred targets. Among the many memorable quotes uttered by Millsbury during that playoff series, “Keep the pressure on Thelma and Louise”, remains my favorite. Even now, as I write this, I have a smirk plastered on my face. Priceless.
6. How Sweet!
On June 16, 2011 I rolled into work decked out in black and gold, which shouldn’t have been a total shock to my coworkers following a Bruins championship. I guarantee no one expected me to be waltzing up and down the hallway with a huge container of chocolate and honey dipped Dunkin’ munchkins – black and gold, of course. I asked everyone I encountered if they would like a “victory munchkin”. My colleagues that knew me well got the reference. Everyone else? Not so much.
5. Slapshot
Rent it for Paul Newman in a completely unexpected role. Stay for the Hanson brothers. This movie is one of my top 5 favorites, and I swear it gets funnier each time I watch it. I have been known to yell “Puttin’ on the foil! Every game. Want some?” every chance I get before a B’s playoff game. Watch this movie, you’ll get the reference!
4. Zdeno Chara
It all started when he was signed on for the Bruins during the 2006-2007 season. I was in search of a new Bruins jersey, and because I was turning 33 in 2007 I decided that this new player was going to be “my guy” – seeing that he wore #33. I committed deeply to him before he stepped foot on the ice, and he has been my absolute favorite player of all time (apologies to Oates, O’Ree, Pie and Espo). I have adored him as a player, leader and all around awesome human ever since. I would love to meet him – my 5’ 4” next to his 6’ 9” would be a sight to behold. We can put Brad in the middle and recreate the iconic Russian nesting dolls, in Bruins gear of course!
3. Brad and the Big Bad Bruins?!
The day I found out that Brad was a Bruins fan shocked me to my core. I was floored that he would ever look up from a book long enough to notice any sport, never mind the wild ride that is a hockey game. The real shock came when we watched our first game together and his screaming and pounding of pillows matched my insane, irrational tirades. Never saw that one coming!
2. A 50th…
My nephew, James, is my godson. Our bond is unbreakable and our love for the Bruins only strengthens our connection to one another. We have watched many games together, have sent flurries of texts back and forth about missed calls and unbelievable plays, and share a distaste for the Utah hockey team that we can’t quite explain. James took me to the Bruins to celebrate my 50th birthday, and I may have shed a tear or two at his kindness. We rolled into the city that night blasting our shared pre-game playlist starting with “Enter Sandman” and ending with “Black Betty” as we pulled into the Garden parking garage.
1. And a 5th.
I was honored to have had the opportunity to take James to his very first Bruins game on the occasion of his 5th birthday. I remember arriving very early to be ahead of the crush of the crowd, and how wide eyed he was looking around the Garden for the first time. He looked so cute in his first “real jersey”, and turned to me and said “Nobody messes with me and Aunty – we look tough in our jerseys!” I grasped his little hand as we walked through concessions and to our seats. He was skipping along happily with his foam bear claw affixed to his other hand, and made it a point to wave to every employee we encountered. He told every person we met along the way that it was his first game. He decided after the 2nd period that he was tired and ready to go home, and was asleep in the back seat before we got out of the garage. He and I have gone to many hockey games together since, and will go to many more together in the future – but this will always be my favorite.
Brad‘s Favorite Players
Where Julie waxed poetic about favorite memories, I’m gonna gush over some of my favorite players. I can’t put these players in order. It depends on the day, on my mood, on how I feel about the Hockey Gods on any given day. The only order I can put them in is the era in which they played.
Bobby Orr
He was the best hockey player in history. Not just the best defenseman, the best player.
He could skate, he could pass, he could score, he could fight. He forever changed the position. And the game. Some people argue for Gretzky and all his ridiculous skill. A skill I’m not denying. Some people lament what could have been had Lemieux not been robbed of games by injuries and The Big C. That, too, is true. Some people say Lindstrom was an even better defenseman. Perhaps he was.
But without Orr, there would be no Nicklas Lindstrom. Orr’s career was ravaged by injuries until it was cut short just like Mario Lemieux. Orr was the premier playmaker of his time, just like Wayne Gretzky. He led the league in scoring, just like Gretzky. But he did it as a defenseman. He’s still the only defenseman in history to accomplish the feat. But unlike The Great One, he dropped the gloves, too. The man could do it all.
Phil Esposito
There was a sticker seen on many a bumper around Boston in the 70s:”Jesus Saves Espo Scores on the Rebound”.
He was the first player in history to score 100 points. He scored 50 goals five years in a row. Also a record. His 76 goals and 152 points in 1970-71, were NHL records until The Great One broke them. I think it’s a shame more people don’t talk about him. There’s always a recency bias that results in players like Crosby, Ovechkin, and McDavid being talked about more. And rightly so. But it’s a shame Espo isn’t more widely acknowledged outside of New England.
Cam Neely
The original power forward. I was too young to see the original incarnation of the Big Bad Bruins. But Neely led the charge, sometimes literally, for its reincarnation. He remains one of only 5 players, regardless of team, to score 50 goals in 50 games. The Bruins have struggled to find such a gifted goal-scorer after Neely. Hell, it would take 30 years for Pastrnak to score more than 50 goals in any number of games.
He was so fun to watch, that I shall forever curse the name Ulf. If he hadn’t taken out Neely’s knee in the 91 playoffs, who knows how long we would have been able to watch Neely play?
Craig Janney
I’d hazard a guess that this one surprises many a hockey and even Bs fan. This is a case of timing more than anything. Specifically, elementary school time.
It was the Spring of 1991. I was ten. I was playing street hockey in front of Don’s house before we went in to watch the Bs/Pen’s playoff series. I floated a sauce-pass over a defender’s stick, landing it right on Don’s blade. He easily tucked the puck behind the goalie.
“Dude, that pass was like Janney!”
I was crushed when the Bs traded Craig a couple of years later. I’ll be honest, I had a hard time warming up to the player he was traded for. I don’t care if it was Adam Oates.
Ray Bourque
I never in a gazillion years thought I’d ever root for Partick Roy. The guy ruined many a Spring for me while he was still with the Habs. But such is the respect bordering on reverence I have for Ray. The man was amazing. He’s 12th all time in scoring in NHL history. As a defenseman. He and Coffey are the only defensemen in the top 40. (Although Al McInnis is 41)
Ray wasn’t just the best player on the team from the hop, we might also have been the best person. I dare you to find a dry eye when you mention his giving up the number 7 at Espo’s jersey retirement to a room full of hockey fans.
That’s why I could root for the Aves and Roy in the 2001 playoffs. Ray finally got his cup. And not as a passenger either. He was a top producer for that team at 40 years old.
Andy Moog
I know Moog’s cups came with Edmonton and he wasn’t even the sure-fire #1 goalie during his time with The B’s (Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!). But he was my favorite player growing up. While I wasn’t a huge Madonna fan, I loved the parody of Vogue they had for Moog in the 91 playoffs.
Sadly, his time in Boston would only last two more years. But his tenure in Boston happened right in my formative sports-fan years and he’ll forever hold a special place in my heart. I’m just glad that I had moved away from sports when he signed with the dreaded Habs in 1997. I was in high school trying to figure out who I was. And part of that was a newfound love for Shakespeare. It would take me many years to realize that I could love both The Bard and The Bs.
Zdeno Chara
He captained the team to The Cup in 2011. He continued the decades-long tradition of the Bs having one of, if not the, best defensemen in the league. From Shore to Orr to Bourque to Chara, I don’t take the amazing run the Bs have had on the blue line for granted.
While his predecessors could all score, defend, and fight, none did it like Chara. The tallest player in NHL history at 6’9”, he could intimidate just skating towards the goal. That meant he didn’t have to unleash his 108 mph slap-shot (also an NHL record) every time. I’ll never forget his spin–o–rama goal.
Patrice Bergeron
I would have liked to be a player like Patrice. His quiet leadership, his incredible toughness, his unassuming skill, his complete 200-foot game is the type of player I would have liked to be. But there was just one thing stopping me: I never played ice hockey. I can’t even skate!
He’s another Bruin whose career was affected by injuries. Bergeron may have forgiven Randy Jones but I don’t think I ever will. Four years after that he started being known as the best defensive forward in the game. He won a record 6 Selke awards. I always gravitate towards defensive minded players. Goalies and defensemen are usually my favorite players on a team. But Bergeron was the exception. Because he was exceptional.
Tim Thomas
I love an underdog story. Timmy is my favorite one. Because he backstopped the Bs to The Cup. To say his style was unorthodox was like saying Jolt cola has a little bit of sugar. I often yelled that choice four-letter word in frustration as he was so out of position I could have scored. But then I’d yell that same four-letter word in awe as he somehow made the save. Patrice once described his style as not butterfly but battlefly. He was a late bloomer and his career wasn’t overlong. But what a career.
He was so fun to watch. The Bs always had a chance with him in net. He was so stressful to watch. You never knew what he was gonna do. Sometimes that was a good thing, like when he decked Henrik Sedin for crashing the crease. Sometimes it was a bad thing, like when he refused to go to the White House. But at least that was after his playing career was done.
David Pastrnak
With apologies to Glen Murray and that one glorious season from Bill Guerin, Neely was the best goal scorer I’d ever seen don the Spoked-B. Until David Pastrnak. The man can be spoken in the same breath as Espo because they are the only two Bs to score 60 goals in a season. In recent years he’s also added play-making to his repertoire and has become one of only three Bruins to have multiple 100-point seasons. The others? The Espo with three and, who else, Orr, who had six.
But more than pure point prowess, the dude loves hockey and is hilarious. I’ll never forget that time he complained about missing the rest of Barbie Girl because he was pulled out for an interview.
The Big Bad Bruins,
Beauty and brutality.
Sometimes grace can hurt.
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