This isn't a game preview because this game has been talked about for the last since-savard-had-to-sit-in-a-dark-quiet-room and I frankly am going to just sit back and enjoy the ride if possible.
This night is supposed to honor the 1970 cup team.
Dammit, I intend to do that. First of all, because you all know how much I love the numbers:
Here's the link to the Hockey-reference page, check it out.
Of interest first is the goaltending. In the regular season, the duties were split pretty evenly, 41/37 between Johnston and Cheevers. They didn't count shots in those days, but Cheevers' GAA was better than Johnston's:
And then Cheevers gets almost all the starts for the playoffs. Johnston has 1 start, 60 minutes, 4 goals against, and no wins. Like the Red Wings' Hasek in 2008. Cheevers was lights out, giving up just as many losses as one-game Johnston and riding a 2.23 GAA to 12 wins and the cup.
I'm sure the scoring does something interesting too, like for example the top scorers on the team change between the regular season:
And the playoffs:
Espo and Orr switch, as do McKenzie and Bucyk. Number 5 on both lists, behind 3 hall-of-famers and some schlub named John McKenzie was Fred Stanfield, who most people probably wouldn't know on the street (especially 40 years later, but whatever.) Here's a quick write-up about Fred from excellent hockey history blogger, Joe Pelletier:"It's true we move the puck around pretty well," said Stanfield when describing his line's play. "I can make soft passes or hard ones. With guys who can go like Chief and Pie, I throw it to them real hard. They can reach them, and it gives them more time to make the play. We keep the passes off the ice and that's to our advantage because the puck doesn't get blocked by anybody's stick that way."More here on Fred Stanfield.
It was a hell of a team, I tell you what. Here's the page on the Bruins website detailing the full list of attendees, past and present. Thanks to a generous gift (thanks mom!) I'm lucky enough to go. Hell yeah.
Here's the story in some famous and less-famous pictures:
I think it'll be at least a year if not 2 from now before we're anywhere close to this type of elation again, but I'm a pessimist.Interesting note: Despite being one of the worse original six teams through most of the league's history, the Bruins are still in the top 5 of all-time stanley cups, and only behind habs, Toronto, and Detroit of the original six.
Suck our tailpipe, Chicago and New York.
The funny thing is one of the least popular men in Boston is named after one of the (at one time) most popular men. A man who answered "a blond and a steak" to "what's your favorite pre-game meal." A man who set up The Goal. A man named Derek Sanderson. And a man named after him, Derek Sanderson Jeter.
Fuck the Yankees, too.
Now, on to some shitty things. This man:
is Colin Campbell,who thinks that Intent to Injure isn't a penalty in itself, but can only be tacked on to other penalties.
Now, I'm not telling you to do something stupid and get arrested, but I am saying that
Colin Campbell will be in the building tonight.
That's right, in the building.So stay calm and don't get yourself arrested, but boo the shit out of his ugly mug if he shows up on the jumbotron. He's doing a great job of "but my hands are tied, I can't POSSIBLY do anything about this hit since it's the same as the Richards one from last year that I fucked up and didn't suspend Richards for because he's a star" and turning Ovechkin into the next Pronger.
Whatever.
Stats!
GO BRUINS!
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