Centennial Stories: The Last Hurrah 

BOSTON – For generations, the Boston Garden served as a gathering place for the Bruins’ faithful. Through triumph, heartache, and the unexpected, the building always served as the ultimate star of the show.

But on September 26, 1995 – some 28 years ago – it was time to say goodbye.

After nearly 70 years, the cathedral on Causeway Street closed its doors with one “Last Hurrah.”

From the emotional return of Normand Leveille to Garden ice, to yet another raucous ovation for Bobby Orr, to a never-ending final skate around the rink, it was a night to cherish.

And this is the story of that event from the perspective of those who took part in it:

It was a late September evening on Causeway Street, some 67 years after the Boston Garden opened in the old West End. The Bruins were hosting the rival Montreal Canadiens – their opponent when the Garden opened on Nov. 20, 1928 – in an exhibition contest, which would serve as the final hockey game ever played inside the old building.

Ray Bourque, the captain of the Bruins, was eager to partake in such a unique event, despite the stakes of a preseason game being so small.

Bourque: “It was an amazing night. It started with the game that was played with Montreal. I just remember them having a very good lineup and we had a really good lineup for an exhibition game. It wasn’t played like an exhibition game – it was played like ‘The Last Hurrah,’ both teams having the last opportunity to play in a legendary building.”

In a clear indication of what the occasion meant to the players, Bruins legend and TV38 commentator Derek Sanderson mentioned on the broadcast as the game began that Hall of Famer Patrick Roy, who was not scheduled to play for the Canadiens, asked to suit up for the Garden finale.

Blaine Lacher, meanwhile, started in goal for the Bruins, while 18-year-old rookie Kyle McLaren was paired up with Bourque. Tim Sweeney, Adam Oates, and Cam Neely started up front for head coach Steve Kasper.

The game was played in two 25-minute halves and was scoreless at halftime, during which there was an initial ceremony hosted by PA announcer Jim Martin and WCVB Channel 5’s Clark Booth that honored members of the media, NHL front office, and a number of the Bruins’ “most distinguished” opponents.

The guests, who were presented gifts by assistant general manager Mike O’Connell, were longtime Bruins broadcasters Fred Cusick and Bob Wilson ­– both of whom received lengthy ovations from the Garden crowd – journalists Leo Monahan of the Record-American and Fran Rosa of the Boston Globe, NHL executives Brian O’Neil and Jim Gregory, and former linesman John D’Amico.

NHL legends Johnny Bower, Emile Francis, Stan Mikita, Frank Mahovlich, John Ferguson, Jean Beliveau, and Maurice Richard were also on hand and recognized by the Garden crowd.

Harry Sinden: “The Garden was a big part of their life, too, and it was a very, very memorable event for everybody…we thought it was a good idea to bring them out in front of the fans…they were part of the history of the old Garden with their play and their teams and involvement with the league at the time. We thought it was proper to bring them in.”

Bruins Director of Publications and Information Heidi Holland, who has been a member of the team’s public relations staff since 1984, recalls that the team received special permission from the NHL to play two halves.

Holland: “The reason we did that was because it was a preseason game, so the league said we could take as much time as we wanted. We did two halves that game instead of periods. We had a really long in-between periods ceremony. We were able to do some stuff that had it been a regular-season game we couldn’t have…that was a lot of fun because we were basically able to do whatever we wanted to do.”

When the game resumed, the Bruins scored three times in the second half en route to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Habs. Future Hall of Famer Joey Mullen opened the scoring at 1:04 of the second half with a five-hole tally off a feed from another future Hall of Famer Adam Oates.

Bourque doubled Boston’s lead when he kept the puck in at the point and scored on a wicked slapper from the point at 10:14 of the half, before Don Sweeney tallied the final goal ever scored inside Boston Garden when he buried his own slapper by Roy on the power play at 15:56.

Sweeney: “You don’t really envision taking a thunder moment away from an iconic player like Raymond. I was fortunate to see it squeak through. It was pretty funny. The opportunity to be on the ice with so many great players that had worn the jersey on that special night and against Montreal was what I remember most.”

As the time ticked down, the Garden crowd rose to its feet and saluted the Bruins – and the building – setting the tone for an unforgettable postgame ceremony that took months of preparation. Bruins president Harry Sinden and head public relations executive Nate Greenberg spearheaded the planning.

Holland: “It was pretty much Harry and Nate because back then that’s who we were. It wasn’t much of a staff…Nate was really the main force behind it…obviously, Mr. [Jeremy] Jacobs and Harry were the ones that came up with it. But in terms of the nuts and bolts, it was pretty much Nate and I. Nate was certainly much more involved in the nitty gritty part of it.”

Greenberg: “We didn’t have then what they have now. We didn’t have video, special effects – like all of the nights that I was involved in, specifically the [Bobby Orr number retirement], the [Phil Esposito number retirement], the closing of the Garden – it was simple but nice.

“We did not have back then, of course, a huge staff by any stretch of the imagination. It was really a handful of people who got involved in it and we sat around and shot the breeze. The biggest issue we had was we couldn’t have every player who ever played, the question was how many and who? And that was probably the toughest decision of all was trying to cut it down.

“As I’m sure they will with the 100th anniversary, people love the nostalgia. They love all the old players…they enjoy it. It was a spectacular night. One of my favorites...it’s something that for the people who were there, I don’t think they’ll ever forget. It’s a one-time thing to close the building down. Everybody showed up. I have very fond memories of it.”

Sinden: “We used to have regular meetings to discuss those things. Everybody had an idea or two…there were a lot of good ideas and we didn’t have time to do them all…I know that it was a little traumatic because so much had gone on in the old Garden and I was a part of it – a lot of it, not all of it. It was a little traumatic to see the last game played there. But we all knew it was necessary and we were happy to go to the new place.”

Before the game, the Boston Garden gates were opened early as a number of alumni greeted Bruins fans entering the building to take pictures, sign autographs, and deliver bags filled with souvenirs commemorating the evening.

Greenberg: “We put players at every entrance when we opened the gates. We had about a half dozen gates that opened like an hour before, or maybe earlier than usual, if I recall. We gave everybody a bag of souvenirs that all of us, me included, spent days stuffing.

“I remember we gave out a poster, a decal with the logo on it…we had the bags and we had alumni at the gates signing autographs, which went over really big. We had them in shifts. They went out and did maybe 15–20-minute shifts. That was nice.”

The Bruins invited back dozens of former players for the festivities, as well as family members of the deceased retired numbers. The toughest to track down, Holland recalled, was Lionel Hitchman’s next of kin. As such, she tossed a “Hail Mary” to see if they could locate anyone to take part in the ceremony.

Holland: “It wasn’t that difficult [to track down all the players], to be honest with you…the hardest one I had was trying to find someone from Lionel Hitchman’s family. We had no information on him whatsoever. What I ended up doing – Dean Brown from Ottawa, one of their broadcasters, he used to have a radio show. Basically, I asked him if he could put out feelers, anyone in the Ottawa area who might know anyone who knew or has any contact with Lionel Hitchman.

“It really was a Hail Mary because he was the only one we couldn’t get any information whatsoever. And his granddaughter – I don’t remember if it was her or a friend of a friend of a friend thing, but he found her and brought her back. Kind of like the Centennial, people really wanted to be a part of it.”

As the ceremony began, all the honored guests lined up in the tunnel behind the Bruins’ bench, which at Boston Garden was only separated from the concourse by a curtain.

Holland: “It was chaotic, but we had everybody lined up along the back hallway. The hardest part of it is in the old building you had fans back there. Literally, when the guys were coming off the ice, they pulled a curtain to just get the guys from the ice to the dressing room. And then fans came back in.

“That whole back hallway, we had to have security. Security was like three guys back then, too, so that was a little bit of a thing just trying to get fans out of that area so we could get them going.

“We just lined them up in alphabetical order and we got replica jerseys for all of them.”

Moments after the exhibition contest ended, the ceremony began with Cusick, in his 44th season as the B’s television voice, and Wilson, who had retired the season before, as the emcees. The duo introduced the players in alphabetical order, saving the retired numbers for the end. Each player was presented with a crystal sculpture by Sinden, who was donning a vintage Bruins button-down sweater.

The first guest introduced was defenseman Don Awrey (1963-73). He was followed by Leo Boivin (1954-66) and Gerry Cheevers (1965-72; 1975-80), before Don Cherry – coach of the Bruins from 1974-79 – made his triumphant return to the Garden, receiving a boisterous ovation from the B’s faithful as he waved his arms in the air and blew kisses to the crowd while donning a red plaid suit jacket.

Sinden: “[Cherry] was quite a part of the history of the old Garden. We did what we thought was right in bringing him back. There was no love lost between him and me at the time. But we set that aside to have a nice evening for the fans.”

The introductions continued with Gary Doak (1965-70, 1972-81), Woody Dumart (1935-42, 1945-54), Ferny Flaman (1944-51 & 1954-61), Bep Guidolin (1942-47), Ken Hodge (1967-76), former team president Weston Adams Jr. (1969-75), Bronco Horvath (1957-61), former coach and player Tom Johnson (1970-73), Stan Jonathan (1975-83) – who received one of the largest ovations of the night – and Gord Kluzak (1982-91).

But it was the next guest who truly made ‘The Last Hurrah’ an evening to remember. Some 13 years after suffering a brain aneurysm during the first period of a game against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 23, 1982 – in just his second season with the Bruins – Normand Leveille returned to the Boston Garden.

Leveille had been planning for some time to put on the skates one last time at the old Garden, though nobody quite knew how it would turn out.

Holland: “It was something that he wanted but we weren’t really sure he’d be able to do it. It was only, what, [13] years since his incident? He’s much more mobile now than he was then. But he wanted to do it so badly…it was planned but we really didn’t know whether or not it was actually going to happen. But it was definitely his idea.”

In many ways, the idea was hatched several years earlier, Leveille – now 60 – recalled recently with help from his wife, Denise, and a translator.

Leveille: “It was my determination. I set up the idea and said, ‘You know what? I’m going to try to skate one more time.’ I was determined to try and skate…some years earlier in Montreal, Mario Lemieux and some other players rented the ice in Montreal…I was determined to skate again, I wanted to play again. It was a never-die attitude. They laced them up and I stood there and didn’t move.

“I just crumbled in the middle of the ice and sat down and cried, knowing that it’s officially done, my career is done. That’s when I knew that the accident was something I couldn’t overcome. For it to happen at ‘The Last Hurrah’ a few years later, it ended my career perfectly. It was a nice way to bookend everything at Boston Garden where it all began.”

As Cusick announced Leveille’s name, the Garden erupted into applause as Bourque and Sweeney helped him step down from the bench as they determined the best way to get him down the red carpet.

Sweeney: “We knew that he was going to be there. We didn’t know he was going to get on skates. It was just coincidental that I was there to be able to help him on the ice. I quickly stepped away for people that dearly loved Norm and spent so much time with him…but it was emotional. You’re going through a night where you have a historic rivalry game, then all of a sudden, it’s pointed to one individual who epitomizes what camaraderie and team and what this organization has always been about.”

Bourque and Leveille both grabbed hold of Leveille’s cane and slowly glided across the ice to the portion of the carpet where all the former Bruins were standing. When Leveille reached the carpet, Cheevers, Hodge, Flaman, and the rest of the alums surrounded him. Bourque raised his former roommate’s fist into the air as Wilson once again bellowed, “Normand Leveille!”

Leveille: “I was very happy that Ray was there. It was someone that I knew and someone I trusted. Ray kept in touch with me all the years after my accident…at the time, Ray was the captain, so it just felt perfect to have him help me out for the final skate.”

Bourque: “Normand roomed with me as an 18-year-old. He didn’t speak English. We’re both from Montreal. I just remember going to dinner with him. Whatever I would order, he would say the same. It took him a little while for him to grasp the language, but as a player, you could see that he was going to be a special one.

“For the players that played with Normand and knew what he was all about, being part of that night was a very special one, having him come back the way he did and be able to have him put the skates back on and go out and experience that.”

Jean Ratelle: “Normand would have been a great player. I think he would’ve been one of the top players in the league, would’ve made the Hall of Fame…so it was just a shame that happened and he couldn’t play anymore.

“That was fantastic that the people realized Normand and what he had gone through and what he could’ve been. Anytime that you do it with Ray Bourque, it’s a magical thing. It was a great thing for him.”

On the TV38 broadcast, the camera panned to a gentleman in the crowd, who was wiping tears from his eyes – which was, no doubt, a common occurrence throughout the building.

Greenberg: “There was a cutaway on TV and they showed some big guy with tears pouring down his eyes. It was perfect. They found this guy just bawling his eyes out. It was very emotional, believe me, for a lot of people. A lot of people.”

Holland: “People were crying. It was very, very moving…it’s hard to explain but it was incredibly touching.”

Bourque: “Normand coming out was so emotional for everybody…I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place…the people that were playing with him when he did have his incident in Vancouver know that this guy would’ve been a legendary player for the Bruins. His career was cut short going into his second year. I think the fans knew what was going on. It was a very emotional night and it kind of capped everything off.”

With the crowd still roaring, Leveille took a seat on the red carpet and waved to the crowd.

Leveille: “I saw all the people in the rafters…I was very touched. I felt the energy and all the people in the crowd crying and all the cheers, the ovation I got. I still get teary-eyed every time I see the video. It was a very moving day for me. It was the only time I re-put the skates on since the accident. I’m happy that Ray held me and took me on for the final skate.

“It was very emotional and surreal. There were so many people. I hadn’t been in such a situation, except when I was playing, that all eyes were on me in an arena…I was very stunned that people still remembered me and how much of an ovation I got and how much people still today remember me.”

Bobby Orr, who later that evening received his own deafening ovation, said that for him there is one thing that stands out above the rest from ‘The Last Hurrah.’

Orr: “Normand Leveille…

“Seeing Normand there out on the ice, it was pretty special…I knew he was going to be introduced…well-deserved, obviously. That was special, the highlight for me. We had some great highlights in the Garden, but that certainly stands out.”

From there, the introductions continued with Don Marcotte (1965-66, 1968-82), Don McKenney (1954-63), Johnny ‘Pie’ McKenzie (1965-72), Rick Middleton (1976-88), Doug Mohns (1953-64), Terry O’Reilly (1971-85) – as the crowd chanted, “Terry, Terry, Terry” – Brad Park (1975-83), Johnny Pierson (1946-54, 1955-58), Bill Quackenbush (1949-56), Jean Ratelle (1975-81), Derek Sanderson (1965-74) – who received thunderous applause – Ed Sandford (1947-55), Fred Stanfield (1967-73), Jerry Toppazzini (1952-54, 1955-64), and Ed Westfall (1961-72).

Then, it was time for the introduction of the retired numbers, whose banners were subsequently lowered from the Garden rafters. First up was the daughter of Dit Clapper, Marilyn Armstrong, who was presented with a framed replica of Clapper’s No. 5 banner by the Bruins’ Steve Leach.

Following Clapper’s daughter was Lionel Hitchman’s granddaughter, Claudia Coburn, who was presented with the No. 3 banner by Ted Donato, and Eddie Shore’s son, Ted Shore, who was presented with the No. 2 banner by Steve Heinze.

The living retired numbers were then introduced and interviewed by Wilson at center ice, beginning with No. 15 Milt Schmidt. He was followed by No. 9 Johnny Bucyk – as the crowed bellowed “Chiiiieeeeffff” – and No. 7 Phil Esposito, who told the crowd, after receiving a rousing welcome, “the best years of my life were in Boston, to tell you the truth.”

While all the retired numbers were greeted with lengthy applause, there was nothing like what was to come when No. 4 hit the ice. As Orr reached the bench, he shook hands with Bourque and waited to be introduced by Cusick.The crowd, knowing who was about to enter the rink, began to erupt as Cusick read off Orr’s lengthy list of accolades that started with "Our next guest is the greatest player in the history of the National Hockey League."**

Orr then stepped onto the ice as the current Bruins players rose to their feet on the bench for a standing ovation and Sinden got down on a knee to bow.

Sinden: “It was very symbolic [to have him out last], probably the greatest player we ever had to this day. Very, very symbolic thing to do…I think it brought a lot of tears to people’s eyes. The whole thing was a moving day. We had a lot of thrills and so did the fans.”

The Bruins alumni that were lined up at center ice also began to bow to Orr as he waved to the crowd, who showered him with an ovation that lasted close to three minutes.

Sweeney: “There’s just a few athletes that sort of transcend their individual sports because they’ve been at the pinnacle of it, and they’ve been recognized as one of the greatest players to ever play in that particular sport. Bobby is that way. You talk about the human that he is and why people just love him as a player and a human. He’s just special so you knew it was gonna be loud, you knew people were going to acknowledge because they just can’t help themselves. He’s got that quiet demeanor about him. But boy oh boy, is there a sparkle whenever you get the opportunity to be around him.”

Holland: "He, as always, had to be the last guy announced because once he was announced you couldn’t hear anybody else. He was the last guy. He got the cheers forever and ever and ever. And he was the last guy off the ice…it took a long time, guys just didn’t want to leave the ice. They were skating around and skating around. Bobby was the last guy off.”

Orr, struggling for words and wiping away tears, told Wilson it “was a very special night” and that his mother was in the building for the very first time.

Orr: “Being back in the Garden was always special. I remember the first time I was ever in the Garden was junior – Niagara Falls and Oshawa – teams that were owned by the Bruins would come down for exhibition games. Derek [Sanderson] says in that game that he beat me up. I don’t remember being beat up, but he says it so it must be true.

“But I can remember the first time – it was a long time ago – to be in Boston Garden as a 16- or 17-year-old kid. It was great. It was a great building. A hard building. Small, people on top of you. Difficult for some people to play in there but it was a good home rink. It’s a great old building.”

With the Garden crowd in the midst of a deafening “here we go Bruins, here we go!” chant, the alumni then posed for a group picture at center ice, before Terry O’Reilly, Stan Jonathan, and Ferny Flaman took a pit stop in the penalty box – their familiar stomping grounds – one last time.

The alumni, joined by the current Bruins, then took off for “one final skate” around Boston Garden as anthem singer Rene Rancourt belted out ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and the crowd roared.

Sweeney: “You’re kind of soaking it all in realizing that you’re never gonna play in this building again. I got to play there in college and play a long time as a pro. You look up at the banners and the rafters and how that building was built with the fans being on top of you, you knew that was never going to be replicated. Excited about a new building but really knowing that a piece of all of us was going away.”

Some of the enduring images of that last skate included Bourque and O’Reilly helping Leveille take a final lap on the Garden ice, O’Reilly holding his son as they skated around the rink, and Orr and McKenzie with their arms around each other.

Sweeney: “It really culminates with being able to be part of Norm Leveille back on the ice with Taz and Ray...really just soaking in that iconic building and the players that have given blood, sweat, and tears. It was a pretty special night.”

Sinden: “It was very moving. It took those of us who were there in Vancouver when that happened back…we were glad [Leveille] was still with us…he was brave. He looked good and it was very, very moving to have two players like O’Reilly and Bourque – those people were pretty close to Normand – [help him out on the ice].”

Greenberg: “The discussion was, ‘what could we do with them all? Take a final spin?’ I wish there was some story to it, but it really wasn’t...iit was all part of the nostalgia to see all these guys out there, different generations, all come together for this one closing night.

“It ran the gamut from abilities, from ages, to positions, to everybody that got out there…a night unlike any other. How many times can you close a building like that?”

On the TV38 broadcast, host Sean McDonough delivered a stirring sign off, saying, “Seems as though the players don’t want to leave and you could understand that. It’s another night that reminds us how fortunate we are to live in this city…there’s a poster that is hanging in several places around Boston Garden that says, ‘You can tear down the building but not the memories.’

“And tonight, what memories have been added to the lore of this great building...for Derek Sanderson and Fred Cusick, I’m Sean McDonough – for the final time, saying so long from Boston Garden.”

McDonough: “I used to be eloquent when I was young! I don’t remember planning that and I try not to plan things because they always sound scripted or rehearsed.  And chances are I wouldn’t have seen those posters until the night of the event.  So, I am guessing, for once, I uttered a couple of sentences, spontaneously, that were appropriate for the moment.  I was deeply honored to be a part of that telecast.  It truly was a special night in so many ways.”

What was not seen on the television broadcast, or by anyone, really, was another final skate. With the building empty, the other alumni and all the fans having exited, Orr went back to the ice for a solo twirl around the Garden.

Greenberg: “I remember the greatest of them all, Orr, of course, got his usual raucous ovation. But he also at the very end of the night, after the game...went out and took the final skate around the Garden. That’s what he wanted to do and he did. He took a couple twirls around the ice and came back in…everybody had gone. It was something that he wanted to do and lord knows he deserved it…this was in keeping with his style to be the last one skating on the old Boston Garden ice with nobody there watching him.

“That was how it was shutdown. The next day, literally, they started knocking the walls down.”

Orr: “Just to take a peek. I was thinking about the old days. I hadn’t skated in there in a long time. Just thought back to the old days and the fun with the guys that I played with, the coaching staffs, Frosty [Forristall] and Danny [Canney] our trainers. That’s what it was all about, just remembering everyone that had a part in any success we ever had in there…that’s what it was…you knew it was coming down. Just one last peek.”