This was especially the case in the late 60’s and up until the late 1970’s when The Big Bad Bruins and Broadstreet Bullies were simply taking liberties with Rangers players faces unabated.
However, this was not the case in this clip, The Rangers were the tough guys, and the bad guys and The Mouth loves it.
The story goes like this. Derek Sanderson a Bruin who had been cheaping it up with several different Rangers in the first two games of the 1970 Quarterfinal series.
Derek Sanderson is then put on notice during play in Game Three by Ranger goaltender Ed Giacomin that the Blueshirts have a paid bounty on Derek's head and that he best watch out.
After some drama ensues, on the next face off the Rangers jump Sanderson and a wild melee erupts. Sanderson gets pummeled in a game where The Rangers were surprisingly the aggressors and not the victims a rare thing indeed for those days.
This game would set a record at the time for most PIMS in a game with a 174. The Rangers went on to lose the series and the Bruins went on to win the Stanley Cup. The late great Fred Cusick called the action.
If this 70's of Ranger/Bruin rivalry intrigues you as much as it does The Mouth you should tune into Blueshirt Banter radio Wednesday, November 4th 9-11 PM when The Big man Interviews Jay Moran author of the book "The Rangers, The Bruins, And The End of an Era."
Hey Mouth. Interesting that Derek Sanderson was the boyhood hero of none other than one John Tortorella. Seems the more things change the more they stay the same - the Rangers need to step up on the "team-toughness" front especially in protecting their goaltender.
ReplyDeleteLove seeing Sinden go Vesuvius at the end of that video.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Mouth, as always