Doug Flutie's Hail Mary to beat Miami squares off against Michael Ryder's glove save against the Canadiens in the second round of Boston's Greatest Sports Moment tournament.
Doug Flutie wasn't a household name when he arrived at Boston College to play quarterback in 1981. But after throwing a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan to give Boston College a 47-45 win over Miami on Nov. 23, 1984, Flutie earned a permanent place in Boston — and sports — lore. The play was a dramatic ending to one of the most exciting games in college football history, as Flutie and Hurricanes quarterback Bernie Kosar combined for 919 passing yards and five touchdowns in a windswept shootout at Miami's Orange Bowl. Flutie went on win the Heisman Trophy, breaking BC records for passing yards and touchdowns and graduating as the NCAA's all-time passing leader with 10,579 yards. Boston College finished the 1984 season ranked No. 4 in the country and saw a 16 percent jump in applications the following year, a phenomenon referred to as the "Flutie Effect."
Tim Thomas made countless big stops during the Boston Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup playoff run. However, one of the biggest saves came off someone else's glove in a crucial Game 5 against Montreal in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at the TD Garden. With the game still scoreless in the first period, Mike Cammalleri pulled Thomas out of the net and slid one back underneath the goalie to a wide-open Tomas Plekanec out front. Ryder, filling in Zdeno Chara's lane on the backcheck, stopped in the crease with Thomas out of position. Plekanec let a wrist shot fly, but Ryder was in position with his glove to deny the bid and keep the game scoreless en route to a double overtime win and 3-2 series advantage heading back to Montreal.
Which is a greater Boston sports moment?
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