Mike Milbury Shocked Bruins Fans Didn’t ‘Boo’ Him As He Walked Gold Carpet

BOSTON — Mike Milbury is known for many things — on and off the ice.

When asked what they remember about him, Bruins fans most likely spout the infamous shoe incident at Madison Square Garden or the blatant “too many men” playoff overtime Game 7 loss against the Canadiens in 1979. There really is no in-between when it comes to Milbury.

When the Bruins announced the “Historic 100” list of legendary players in September, Milbury was among those honored. So, on opening night, various members of the Bruins Alumni participated in the Gold Carpet event at The Hub on Causeway as they made their way into TD Garden before puck drop.

Milbury was shocked by the reception he received on the streets of Boston.

“It’s old home week and fans made it special on the way in,” Milbury told reporters before the Bruins game on Wednesday. “There’s no question about it. You can see them out there. It’s three hours before game time and they’re lined up. … I’m glad none of them are ‘booing’ me at this particular moment because I’ve heard that too. It was fun. It was heartwarming.”

Milbury was glad to talk about his time playing for the team he grew up watching and then having the opportunity to take over behind the bench after he retired from playing.

“Just don’t ask me about ‘too many men on the ice,'” Milbury joked.

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To be fair, Milbury was neither the coach nor the player who committed the infraction, but as a skater on the team, it tends to come up.

Two days before Christmas in 1979, the Bruins defeated the New York Rangers 4-3 when fans in the stands tried to pick a fight with forward Al Secord after the final buzzer. One thing led to another when a fan hit Stan Jonathan with a stick from above the glass.

Jonathan, Terry O’Reilly, Peter McNabb and Milbury all climbed the glass and entered the stands. Milbury thought McNabb was in trouble and pulled off the fan’s shoe and proceeded to hit the fan — with his own shoe.

From one instigator to another, Milbury wasn’t shocked to hear Brad Marchand was named 27th captain in Bruins history.

“I think he’s grown into it. I think he deserves that and I think he will be a different guy with the ‘C’ on him,” Milbury said. “I think he’s been heading in that direction for a while, if he’s not the best left wing in Boston Bruins history, maybe Chief (Johnny Bucyk) is in the discussion, but that’s about it.”