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Documentary on Bobby Orr and the big, bad Bruins provides rich detail |
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When Bobby Orr came to the Boston Bruins in 1967, the only comparison that fit was Superman.
“Bobby Orr was magical,” noted Boston-bred journalist Jackie McMullen said. “... it seemed to me everyone else was skating, and he was flying."
The most famous photo of Orr features him flying, in a Superman pose, across the goalmouth after scoring the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in the 1970 NHL playoffs.
McMullen’s quote about Orr, and many more analysts, are featured in the NHL Network’s fresh documentary entitled: “The 1970 Boston Bruins: Big, Bad and Bobby.” It will be shown for the first time tonight at 8 p.m. on NHL Network.
The entertaining video chronicles the Bruins’ transformation from a sad sack team to one of the most beloved teams in Boston history.
“They were the embodiment of the city of Boston as much as any team has embodied the city of Boston,” broadcaster and NFL great Howie Long, a Massachusetts native, says in the documentary.
Before Orr’s arrival, fans loved their Bruins, even though they traditionally finished near the bottom of the standings. “There was a charm to them,” said long-time Boston Globe writer Kevin Dupont.
Everyone remembered their first trip to the historic Boston Garden. “It was a dump, but it felt like a palace,” Dupont said.
Two events changed everything: Orr showed up and the Bruins decided to become bigger and more physical. That was their identity.
“How do you want to play?” 1980 Olympic Mike Eruzione says. “You want to play with skill?, they would out-skill you. You want to fight? They would outfight you.”
Orr was the most dominant puck-carrying defenseman in NHL history. You can find, particularly in the Boston area, people who believe he is the best player in NHL history. Supporters of Gordie Howe or Wayne Gretzky certainly would argue that contention, but the fact that Orr is in the conversation speaks to his greatness
“When Bobby Orr arrived in 1966 there was a new sense of hope,” former Bruins coach Harry Sinden says
The documentary does a masterful job of detailing the importance of the Bruins’ trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that resulted in Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield coming to Boston.
Sinden revealed that when Esposito scored 35 goals in his first season, he told Espo he needed more goals than that. He responded with 49 goals and 126 points the following season.
The NHL Network documentary also does a masterful job of explaining the importance of the team’s fighting spirit and the influence of Derek Sanderson.
In the video, Sanderson explained how the Bruins decided no team member would ever be in a fight alone.
“That’s who we were,” Sanderson said, “Everyone protected each other.”
Sanderson was as colorful and wild, maybe more colorful and wild, off the ice as he was on.
Said Dupont: “(Sanderson) was our Joe Namath.”
Esposito said he sat next to Sanderson in the dressing room “and he entertained the hell out of me.”
But the documentary gives Orr his due for his dominance. This was a player who will always be remembered for his ability to carry the puck coast-to-coast. Twenty-five percent of all television would be tuned into the Bruins when they were on
“My mother and my aunts were all massive Bruins fans. They were really fans of Bobby Orr,” said Boston-bred comedian Dennis Leary. “ They thought he was handsome, good looking and so nice.”
When these Bruins finally won their Stanley Cup in 1970, the fans’ love affair became eternal love.
“When Bobby and that team came along, they galvanized the whole state”, Eruzione said.
“The 1970 Boston Bruins: Big, Bad and Bobby” documentary tells their tale in rich detail. It’s well worth the time investment.
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