The mystery of James “Whitey” Bulger‘s 1986 Stanley Cup ring continues.
According to The Boston Globe, the famed Southie mob boss will get to keep the 1986 Stanley Cup ring that was found among his possessions in his Santa Monica, Calif., hideout when he was caught in 2011. The ring, apparently, was a gift to Bulger and many suspected it had been a gift from former Montreal Canadiens player Chris “Knuckles” Nilan, who won the ’86 cup with the Habs.
Nilan was married to Karen Stanley, daughter of Bulger’s late girlfriend Teresa Stanley but the former Habs player insists that Bulger didn’t get the ring from him, according to the Montreal Gazette.
“I married Karen … I didn’t marry [Bulger],” Nilan said Tuesday. “You know, he was always good to us … he was good to my family. As far as the other stuff, I don’t condone it. He’s paying the price now for what he did … and you know, that’s life. But honestly, I had nothing to do with giving him a Stanley Cup ring.”
Knuckles does actually have two Stanley Cup rings from 1986 — he gave his original team ring to his father, and once former Canadiens general manager Serge Savard found out about Nilan’s gesture, he gifted the former forward with a second ring. But Nilan insists that he has possession of both of those rings.
“I have both rings here,” Nilan said, “The one I gave my dad, I’m having it resized for my son with my jeweller up here. … I have both rings in my possession. I never gave [Bulger] a ring.”
Nilan’s reaction to reports that Bulger had gotten the ring from him?
“To be honest, I was kind of dumbfounded because I don’t know where he got it. All I can think is that he had one made … he commissioned someone to make it or someone else gave it to him.”
Check out the photo below to see Knuckles Nilan with both of his Stanley Cup rings on Aug. 13, 2013.
Photo via Facebook/Montreal Gazette
