Being a native New Yorker, I was raised to despise the Boston sports teams, especially the Bruins.Nothing private.Genetics play a role.I try my best to uphold the code of neutrality that is expected of a reporter.But nothing could have cheered me up more than seeing the Boston fans’ shocked expressions when Carter Verhaeghe ended the Bruins’ season in overtime of Game 7.
The fabled rivalry between the two towns most likely began in 1919 with the Red Sox’s “Curse of the Bambino,” which saw Babe Ruth be sold to the Yankees.Until the curse was lifted in 2004, there were a lot of ideas explaining why the Red Sox failed to win the World Series in the decades that followed.The Stanley Cup Playoffs’ first round in 1958 marked the beginning of my personal hostility toward the Bruin.
I watched in quiet from my end balcony vantage point at the old Madison Square Garden when a man by the name of Jerry Toppazzini scored an overtime goal that eliminated my Rangers from the playoffs.One of the hardest Bruinos of that era, Fern Flamen, was the one you truly loved to despise back then.For all intents and purposes, “The Big, Bad Bruins” of the late 1960s and early 1970s were the archenemy of every hockey fan.
They performed it with grace, confidence, and a readiness to face any opponent, just like they did today.It was easy to love to despise guys like John McKenzie and Derek Sanderson.That’s a role that Brad Marchand very well fits.The Bruins, who won the Stanley Cup in 1972, featured future Hall of Famers Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, and Johnny Bucyk.In addition to Sanderson and McKenzie, the Bruins featured bangers like Wayne Cashman and Dallas Smith.
Since there was no “Code” back then, fisticuffs meant fighting to the death.One of the most popular Bruins ever, Terry O’Reilly, began his Boston career the following season as a young troublemaker. For thirteen seasons, his elbows and hands bore the gold of the Bruins.Guys like Keith Crowder and Mike Milbury received their fair share of obscenities in later years.The Bruins of today still have some men who can mix it up, but they rely more on ability than strength.
The Panthers showed they could play with them without getting frightened during the playoffs the previous year.With teams playing each other fourteen times a year during the heyday of the Original Six, there was no shortage of opportunities for rivalries to grow between players and spectators.This year. Florida will face the Bruins three times in the regular season.
Then, we’ll find out.
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