Thanks!
I miss the short-handed goals by the Defense man....
And Derek Sanderson was a pretty good player for being an enforcer....
I was born and raised on Cape Cod and my brothers and I were gaga for the Bruins.
I once met Phil Esposito while we were both standing and passed him as he was about to set down in the first class section. This was after he retired and were heading home from O’Hare. I was coming home for the holidays and he just seen him on TV the night before as a color commentator for a game.
I told him I loved his play and he said, “Thank you, young man” and then proceeded to shake my hand and engulf it with strength. He didn’t try to crush my hand at all, yet the tremendous strength of his hand could be felt.
And it was then I reminded myself how Esposito’s job was to use that strength as Center and remain in the pocket while the opposing goons would do everything they could to muscle him out of that position. He would not be denied.
I wasn’t good enough to play on any high school or JV league in Mass., but we’d go out on the frozen ponds and have a blast. Then when I lived in Japan in my late 20s, I actually practiced and played a few games on the local city team in Sasebo, Nagasaki prefecture. Had a lot of fun with those guys. I could speak no Japanese, but we could communicate.