There was such an event on Mother's Day, May 10th, 1970 when the Boston Bruins completed a 4-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues to capture the Stanley Cup for the 1st time since 1941 --- a 29 year drought.
One may ask,”Why is this event special”? The answer is that the game winning goal came from arguably the greatest player in the rich history of the National Hockey League (apologies to Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and their supporters) and made the legend that is one Robert Gordon Orr.
My memory of this particular game is actually vague as a mere 10 year old, exactly a week shy of my 11th birthday. But what I do remember was I was home in front of the television watching intently as I sensed the crowd of old Boston Garden was anxious for a winner. The Blues had played their best game of the series that Sunday afternoon, desperate for a win after being hammered by “The Big Bad Bruins” the 1st three games.
Next thing I knew, the overtime period had started, then ended quickly and suddenly. To be honest, I only remember the great Bobby Orr being pitchforked into the air by St. Louis defenseman Noel Picard. As Orr was airborne, parallel to the ice, he raised his arms above his head as if he was flying like Superman. Then again, Bobby WAS Superman. An amazing moment for an almost 11 year old to witness.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of that event, a statue of Orr will be unveiled at the TD Garden on Monday May 10th. And yes, the statue is of Bobby flying through the air after the Cup winning goal. It's also fitting the the Bruins will be playing the Philadelphia Flyers that evening as they try to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Dick
Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com
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Such a nice way to incorporate Mothers Day into your blog. I'm not a huge hockey fan, but I can appreciate the game more with your article.
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