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| The Montreal Canadiens celebrate after scoring on the Boston Bruins in the 1979 playoffs. Source: www.cbc.ca/player/play/1565910428 (May be subject to copyright) |
It was a day I never thought I’d see. A streak I never thought would end. It had gone on my entire life and stretched back several decades before that all the way to the war years. Every time I thought it might end, it continued.
Then, on a spring day in 1988 it happened: my beloved Boston Bruins finally beat their arch-rival the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was a week in my life I never thought would come – but it did.
In the beginning
My interest in the Bruins was first peaked in the 1978 Stanley Cup final where they faced the Montreal Canadiens, defending Stanley Cup champions. In fact, I soon discovered the Bruins had been swept by Montreal in the previous Stanley Cup final in 1977.
My interest in the Bruins was first peaked in the 1978 Stanley Cup final where they faced the Montreal Canadiens, defending Stanley Cup champions. In fact, I soon discovered the Bruins had been swept by Montreal in the previous Stanley Cup final in 1977.
To be honest, the main reason I cheered for Boston was that everyone else cheered for Montreal. We were all at a family gathering, crowded in my Uncle Ed’s basement. It was the first hockey game I remember watching. Everyone was cheering for Montreal, and I wondered what the big deal was. They did seem better, stronger, faster. So, I resolved to take up the cause of the under dog – I was rooting for the Bruins.
They lost the first two games of the series in Montreal, but managed to win Game 3 at home in the Boston Gardens. Game 4 was crucial, but I was unable to see it. I was in Grade 2 and we had a field trip to Drumheller. It kind of slipped my mind until I heard some of the adults talking about it. Our bus driver was a fellow named Abe Ens, so when we were filing onto the bus I asked him if I knew who won the hockey game. I was pretty sure I had heard one of the teachers say Boston had won the game 2-0, and Mr. Ens confirmed that. I was thrilled. Not only had Boston won, but goaltender Gerry Cheevers, one of my more favourite Bruins, got a shutout. He blanked the mighty Montreal Canadiens!
What I really liked was Cheevers’ mask. It was white with a bunch of stitches painted all over it. The team trainer painted a stitch in the spot a puck hit, demonstrating how many times it saved Cheevers’ face. I even recall trying to make my own Gerry Cheevers’ goalie mask out of a magazine. I used white water colour to paint the front all white then tried to paint on some stitches. Then, I cut some holes in the side and laced some baler twine through. When I tried to put it on it was really stiff. Only later did I discover that masks were custom made and form-fitted to the shape of the goalie’s face.
Sadly, we returned from the Badlands, and things went bad for Boston too. Montreal won Game 5 at the Forum, and wrapped up their third straight Stanley Cup shortly after.
Another heartbreak
The next year, more heartbreak followed. The Bruins and the Canadiens were on a collision course to meet in the Stanley Cup semi-finals, which they did. This time around the teams went back and fourth, and were headed to a sudden death Game 7.
The Bruins started Gilles Gilbert in net on May 10, 1979 and, until Cam Neely came along, he was my all-time favourite Boston Bruin. He was an absolutely amazing, and underrated, goalie. I always remember one of his hockey cards where he was in his crouch and white mask. He was being charged with stopping the vaunted Montreal offence and ending the curse that had lasted decades.
Coach Don Cherry’s faith was well placed. Gilbert played perhaps the game of his life. He stopped everything the Canadiens threw at him, and the Bruins found themselves leading late in the third period by a score of 4-3 on a goal by Rick Middleton.
Then tragedy struck – again.
With 2:34 remaining, the Bruins were caught in a line change, and were called for too many men on the ice, giving Montreal a two-minute power play, and a golden chance to tie the game.
They would not let it slip away. Guy Lafleur beat Gilbert with just 1:14 to play, tying the game 4-4 with overtime looming.
I remember the butterflies I had in my stomach.
The teams went back and forth, both having their chances to end the game in the first overtime.
Finally, 9:33 into that first overtime, Yvan Lambert beat Gilbert to give Montreal the 5-4 win in the game and a 4-3 victory in the series.
Gilbert had been heroic in the game, stopping 47 of 52 shots, and named the First Star of the game.
Montreal would go on to win their fourth Stanley Cup championship in a row, defeating the New York Rangers in the final by a margin of four games to one.
Parting thoughts
I was beginning to see a pattern, one that Bruins fans had already been living for decades. No matter how good the Bruins were, they could not defeat the Montreal Canadiens. Both Stanley Cups they won in 1970 and 1972 did not include trips to Montreal. The 1971 season? The heavily-favoured Bruins were shocked by the Canadiens who rode a hot rookie goaltender named Ken Dryden.
They lost the first two games of the series in Montreal, but managed to win Game 3 at home in the Boston Gardens. Game 4 was crucial, but I was unable to see it. I was in Grade 2 and we had a field trip to Drumheller. It kind of slipped my mind until I heard some of the adults talking about it. Our bus driver was a fellow named Abe Ens, so when we were filing onto the bus I asked him if I knew who won the hockey game. I was pretty sure I had heard one of the teachers say Boston had won the game 2-0, and Mr. Ens confirmed that. I was thrilled. Not only had Boston won, but goaltender Gerry Cheevers, one of my more favourite Bruins, got a shutout. He blanked the mighty Montreal Canadiens!
What I really liked was Cheevers’ mask. It was white with a bunch of stitches painted all over it. The team trainer painted a stitch in the spot a puck hit, demonstrating how many times it saved Cheevers’ face. I even recall trying to make my own Gerry Cheevers’ goalie mask out of a magazine. I used white water colour to paint the front all white then tried to paint on some stitches. Then, I cut some holes in the side and laced some baler twine through. When I tried to put it on it was really stiff. Only later did I discover that masks were custom made and form-fitted to the shape of the goalie’s face.
Sadly, we returned from the Badlands, and things went bad for Boston too. Montreal won Game 5 at the Forum, and wrapped up their third straight Stanley Cup shortly after.
Another heartbreak
The next year, more heartbreak followed. The Bruins and the Canadiens were on a collision course to meet in the Stanley Cup semi-finals, which they did. This time around the teams went back and fourth, and were headed to a sudden death Game 7.
The Bruins started Gilles Gilbert in net on May 10, 1979 and, until Cam Neely came along, he was my all-time favourite Boston Bruin. He was an absolutely amazing, and underrated, goalie. I always remember one of his hockey cards where he was in his crouch and white mask. He was being charged with stopping the vaunted Montreal offence and ending the curse that had lasted decades.
Coach Don Cherry’s faith was well placed. Gilbert played perhaps the game of his life. He stopped everything the Canadiens threw at him, and the Bruins found themselves leading late in the third period by a score of 4-3 on a goal by Rick Middleton.
Then tragedy struck – again.
With 2:34 remaining, the Bruins were caught in a line change, and were called for too many men on the ice, giving Montreal a two-minute power play, and a golden chance to tie the game.
They would not let it slip away. Guy Lafleur beat Gilbert with just 1:14 to play, tying the game 4-4 with overtime looming.
I remember the butterflies I had in my stomach.
The teams went back and forth, both having their chances to end the game in the first overtime.
Finally, 9:33 into that first overtime, Yvan Lambert beat Gilbert to give Montreal the 5-4 win in the game and a 4-3 victory in the series.
Gilbert had been heroic in the game, stopping 47 of 52 shots, and named the First Star of the game.
Montreal would go on to win their fourth Stanley Cup championship in a row, defeating the New York Rangers in the final by a margin of four games to one.
Parting thoughts
I was beginning to see a pattern, one that Bruins fans had already been living for decades. No matter how good the Bruins were, they could not defeat the Montreal Canadiens. Both Stanley Cups they won in 1970 and 1972 did not include trips to Montreal. The 1971 season? The heavily-favoured Bruins were shocked by the Canadiens who rode a hot rookie goaltender named Ken Dryden.
It did not look good and, for the first seven years of the 1980s it would only get worse for the Bruins, who were just dominated by the Canadiens.
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