On this particular evening, Westfall was joined by fellow Cup champions Johnny 'Pie' McKenzie and the legendary Bobby Orr. Elliott's main assignment for the night was to help Orr with anything he might need.
At one point during the event, a guest approached Orr and told him that there were a few kids outside the building that were wearing Bobby Orr jerseys. It was then that Orr asked for Elliott's assistance.
"This guy comes up to Bobby and [was complimenting him and then said], 'I just saw a couple young kids out by the dumpster, and they've got Bobby Orr jerseys on,'" Elliott, now a Bruins Season Ticket Holder, recalled. "Bobby thanked him and let a couple people go and looked at me and said, 'Do you know where this guy is talking about?' I said, 'Yup.'
"So, he goes to Eddie, 'I have to take a little break, why don't you talk to these guys for a little bit, you and Johnny.' I took him out there, he's wearing a suit and the kids are out by the dumpster."
What followed has stuck with Elliott for nearly 40 years - a simple act of kindness that he won't ever forget.
"Bobby sits down on the pigeon turd stairs so he can be eye level with them. And the mere fact that he went out there and talked to them is one thing but to show that much respect…for him to be willing to do that for kids he never met, would never meet again, talk to them for maybe three, four minutes," said Elliott. "He signed the jersey, one of them might have had a stick. He signed and then walked back in. It was just an impressive display for the sport, as an ambassador for the sport."
Elliott, of course, was not surprised by Orr's gesture, or the kindness of his Black & Gold brethren.
For 35 years, Bruins players of different generations attended Elliott's benefit dinner at no cost. Even after Elliott's father passed away in 1982, Westfall - who became good friends with the elder Elliott through golf and other activities as a resident of neighboring Pelham, N.H. - made sure he was at the dinner.
"The town erected a memorial bust of my father and Eddie went to that," said Elliott, whose father became a Bruins Season Ticket Holder in the late 1960s. "He told my mom, which the newspaper captured, that he would have come if he had to walk. There was a really strong tie there. Even after my father passed away, the 20th year after my father passed away, Eddie was still coming to the fundraiser we had in my dad's name."
That tie between the fans and the players lives on and it's a relationship that Elliot will always cherish.
"I ran that dinner for 25 years and it was the willingness of the Boston Bruins to donate their time and energy and never request any money, it's a powerful statement for the organization and the sport itself," said Elliott. "It's extremely impressive what I experienced firsthand from the organization and the respect that the players had to give back to the community."
