The Bruins

Pigs may fly, hell may freeze over, heck, the Republicans might OK a tax hike on the rich. If the Bruins can win the Stanley Cup with the team they had this year, anything is possible. After watching them all year, in fact for the past 39 years, the last thing I thought about was their winning the Cup. Just coming back to beat the Canadiens was enough for me. For many of us lifelong fans, beating Montreal IS the Cup.

I've been a Bruins diehard since I was 6 years old. That's almost 59 years. Nirvana came in 1970 when Orr scored the magic goal against the Blues to give the Bruins their first Cup in my lifetime. I'll never forget jumping off the couch, hopping into my car, and heading directly to the North Station area to participate in the celebration. What a night!

The B's of that year weren't just TV personalities for me and my friends. We spent many nights in places like the old 99 on Portland St., the Branding Iron in Charles River Park or Daisy Buchanan's by the Common pounding beers with them. They were part of the fabric of the city, much like today's team. The 99 was one of their big hangouts, and I was working for Edward's Furniture on Canal St. right around the corner from the 99.

On the night following the big City Hall Plaza rally celebrating the triumph, I found myself sitting in a booth on the third floor with coach Harry Sinden, who by then probably couldn't remember his own name. Many other players staggered throughout the bar. My most vivid recollection, though, was of Teddy Green. Teddy had been the heart and soul of the Bruins through all the bad years before Bobby Orr's arrival. But a savage stick attack by Wayne Maki had caved in part of his head ending his career. Now he sat on the bar, his feet resting on a stool, crying his eyes out. Arguably the toughest player in the NHL, Teddy couldn't play when they won the cup, and it nearly killed him.

When I saw Chara and the others with the Cup at Tia's and some of the other restaurants in town, it brought back memories of the Cup teams of the early 70s and how big hockey was then. Maybe we'll see a return to those days now.