WARMINGTON: Remembering one of Bobby Orr's finest moments
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Anybody alive 50 years ago — on May 10, 1970 — knows exactly where they were when Bobby Orr scored “The Goal!”
The Stanley Cup overtime-winning classic is etched in time. Former St. Louis Blues goalie Glenn Hall certainly remembers what happened.
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“If you didn’t know where Bobby Orr was on the ice, you would be in trouble,” laughed the 88-year-old legendary netminder from his Alberta home.
Hall is the first to admit that when he saw the puck on Orr’s stick 40 seconds into overtime, he knew his team was in trouble.
Afterwards, in celebration, both of Orr’s skates were up in the air — as if he was flying — and the Boston Bruins had just won the Stanley Cup.
That goal remains iconic a half-century later.
But the players, isolated to their homes as a result of COVID-19, keep it in perspective.
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“Every time I see Glenn, he says ‘Is that the only goal you scored?’” Orr told me with a chuckle.
And Mr. Goalie confirmed this:
“I do always say that to Bobby. The other thing I say is I already had my shower before he landed from his celebration,” teased Hall. “He is such a classy man. Every time Bobby is in Edmonton, he calls me to see how I am.”
Even when I was talking to Orr about this historic day, he said “don’t forget to write about all of Glenn Hall’s records, too.”
Hall won 407 games, had 84 shutouts, played in a record-setting 502 consecutive games (all without a goalie mask), appeared in 11 All-Star games and won the Rookie of the Year and the Vezina trophies. The Hockey Hall of Famer won the Stanley Cup while playing for Detroit and Chicago.
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But Hall said he puts Orr at the top.
“I always said Gordie Howe was the greatest player, but after playing against Bobby, I said they are tied as the best ever,” said Hall.
Now 72, Orr said what he remembers about the goal was “keeping the puck in the zone and then passing it to (Bruins teammate) Derek Sanderson who put a perfect pass on my stick.”
From there “I would like to say I saw an opening in between Glenn’s pads but I am not sure.”
The moment was a dream come true for the Bruins, which had until that point, gone 29 years without winning a championship, recalled Orr.
“The team was like a family. We were also close to our fans, too,” he said. “This was the first time Boston had won a championship in 29 years so people were very excited.”
The finale wasn’t as exciting for Hall, of course.
“I remember thinking, ‘Good, now the season is over and I don’t have to put on that stinking equipment tomorrow,’” he said laughing.
On a serious side, Hall added, he and his teammates were “proud” they gave the Bruins a battle.
“I mean in addition to Orr, they had Phil Esposito, Johnny McKenzie, Johnny Bucyk and Ken Hodge and great goalies — Eddie Johnston and Gerry Cheevers,” he said. “We knew they were better than us and to win we would have to be lucky.”
Given that there’s no hockey during the lockdown, hockey fans can always check out highlights of those two greats making history 50 years ago.
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