Happy 40th Birthday to Bobby Orr's Goal......

Forty years ago today (May 10) Bobby Orr scored the Stanley Cup winning goal, immortalized buy photographer Ray Lussier.



Today they're unveiling a sculpture of The Goal in front of TD Garden.

 

Kevin Paul Dupont wrote a fine column on this the other day:

http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/articles/2010/05/09/tape_recorder_as_time_machine/

He still has the tape from when he recorded it off the radio. What I wouldn't give to listen to that. You couldn't get much better than Fred Cusick and John Peirson, probably my favorite announcer team of all time.

 

Outstanding. Great idea to further immortalize The Goal.

 

Don't forget Tiddle:

 

So at the unveiling ceremony this morning, Boston Mayor Tom "Mumbles" Menino said, and I heard the tape, that among the "ionic moments" in Boston sports was "Varitek splitting the uprights at the Super Bowl."

 

Well, Vinatieri has been kicking like Varitek recently .

In all seriousness, my parents thankfully saved all of the Boston newspapers from that day ... somehow, the Globe and Herald got tossed (not by me) when they moved, but I kept the Record-American and framed the Lussier picture, which now adorns the wall of my home office. About the best $40 I've ever spent.

To commemorate the anniversary, my 3-year-old son's bedtime reading tonight -- after, of course, we stay up and enjoy the Bruins-Flyers game -- is going to be "The Goal," a really interesting coffee table book exploring the goal from the perspective of just about everybody involved.

Not the greatest goal that was ever scored -- it was a simple give-and-go by a pinching defenseman -- but an iconic photograph turned it into one of the most memorable moments in sports.

Orr had pinched so far, had Sanderson missed with his pass, St. Louis would've had a 3-on-1.

 

OK, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I've always felt more was made of this goal than was necessary.

IIRC, the Bruins were up 3-0 in this series and almost certainly would've won the cup even if Orr had not scored (if not that day, then soon thereafter).

Don't get me wrong. I've always been a huge fan of Bobby Orr (even though I have not connection to Boston or the Bruins), and that photo was, indeed, great art.

But in the grand scheme of things, there were much more meaningful goals (in Bruins history, let alone in NHL history).

 

The power of images before PhotoShop and YouTube.
Would the impact of that photo even be possible today?

 

Yeah, that's up there with the Ore goal and the photo of Ollie standing over Listin.

 

There's a more meaningful goal in Bruins history? Name it.

This goal meant so much, for many different reasons.

Yes, the Bruins swept the final 4-0, but it was Orr's first goal of the series and the perfect capper to a season in which he became the first defenceman in the history of the league to win the scoring championship. It was his fourth season in the NHL, and he had been an elite player in the league from the very beginning, but 1969-70 was his real coming out party.

Keep in mind that this marked the end of a 29-year period in which Boston did not win the Cup. Only New York, with a 30-year drought at that point, had gone longer without winning.

Not only that, it was the end of a very dark period in Bruins history. They missed the playoffs in eight straight seasons between 1960 and 1967. Coincidentally, 1960 was also when the Bruins first spotted Bobby Orr. They signed him in 1962 and immediately began promising him to their fans. This goal was the culmination of that promise, a promise that saw him become the greatest player the game had ever seen.

As for how meaningful Orr's goal was in NHL history, well, what goal is or can be more meaningful than one that wins the Stanley Cup?

When it happens in overtime, the magnitude is greater because of the drama. This was the 10th time a Cup had been won by a goal in sudden-death overtime. It's happened five times since and, of those other 14 goals, Bill Barilko's tally in 1951 is the only one that comes close to rivaling Orr's for fame and significance. Interestingly, Barilko was also immortalized by flying/falling while in the act of scoring.

Most meaningful goal in Bruins history? There isn't one that tops it. Most meaningful goal in NHL history? It would be on a very, very short list.

 

Has Bobby Orr landed yet?