I was there on May 10, 1970 to see Bobby Orr fly through the air and witness firsthand the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup! I was 14 and had been going to games since I was 6.
I was in Section 29, Row K, Seats 9 and 10 (my parents were season-ticket holders for a long, long time). It was something I will never, ever forget! The place went crazy (huge understatement)!
The guy in front of us (Big Mike — who was really a little guy, a cab driver from Boston) opened up a suitcase full of champagne bottles and glasses, and passed them out to everyone around him (obviously this was before the days of metal detectors and pat downs as you entered the Garden!) It was always the same people game after game in those days. For non-playoff games, my Dad would always leave with 3 minutes to go in the game — to "beat the crowd." Everyone around us would always yell out, "Goodnight, Doc!" when it got down to 3 minutes.
My Dad was a physician in Newton, Mass., and a friend of Ronnie Adams (team doctor at the time) and became friendly with many of the players. I was a lucky kid as players would come to our house for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners — players like Charlie Burns, Guy Gendron, Eddie Westfall and Tommy Williams.
In the pregame practices, my Mom would bring me down to the ice level behind the glass, and as players skated by, they would whack the glass with their sticks right in front of me when they saw me!
After games, we would go to the Elbola Lounge on Beacon Street, and players would come in. (Not sure what my parents were thinking bringing me to a bar that late, but I was happy about it.) I remember Bobby Orr coming in and being too young to get a beer!
I was a huge fan by the time I was 14 and it was such a thrill to be there to see them win! I can still remember the roar of the crowd that night — it was so loud and FABULOUS! Fans poured onto the ice in celebration!
In the summer of that year, Johnny Bucyk was out on my Dad's boat, and casually handed me his winning ring to try on. It was huge and I remember being afraid I would drop it in the water (I didn't).
To this day, I love telling people that I was there — and I still get the same great reactions! It was just one of those moments that you never forget!
Do you have a Bruins story to share? Send your story, along with a photo, to fanvoice@nesn.com. Please include the subject line "Share Your Memory" with your name and where you live in the body of the email.
