The attached photo is of a painting I bought on EBAY that was created in 1928 for a Cream of Wheat ad.
It graces the wall at the top of our stairway.
I call is “The Hockey Kid.”
Being New Englanders, we’ve all been this kid.
Especially those of us that grew up in the TV 38 rabbit ear era of the Big Bad Bruins.
The current cold spell brings back memories of pre-Global warming outdoor ice that lasted for weeks at a time..
Gloves under hockey gloves.
Boots for goal posts.
Recycled soccer shin guards or a rolled up Sears catalogs for leg protection
And a thermos of hot chocolate, if we were lucky.
My friends and I skated outdoors on the bumpy ice of Elm Park in Worcester until they turned out the lights.
Then we’d hurry home to a seat in front of the coal burning Franklin stove that graced our kitchen.
Preceding our making the necessary convoluted adjustments to the UHF antenna in order to get TV 38 in time for the Bruins Nutsy theme.
Broadcast by the vastly under- appreciated Don Earle who seemed to delight in our wildly entertaining team just as much as we fans.
All in the midst of a time in which Bobby Orr was an almost other worldly presence in our lives.
If you’re under sixty, YouTube him and just watch.
Twas also a time in which my brother was a student at McGill from 1968/72 during which we availed ourselves
of precious two dollar standing room tickets at The Forum.
Hockey’s Cathedral of Ice, where they even toasted the hot dog buns.
Where there was hockey action six or seven days a week for sixth months.
Jr Habs on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons.
AHL Voyaguers on Monday’s and Wednesday’s .
Capped by Jean Beliveau & Co in prime time, especially on Saturday nights.
Hockey Night in Canada was never more fun or consequential.
Back when there were just 12 NHL teams.
You knew the names of every single player.
Sheldon Kennegiesser
Joe Junkin
Tommy “Bomber” Williams
Gilles Marotte
Dale Tallon
Bobby Sheehan
Larry Pleau
Marcel Paille
Phil Myre
Jocelyn Guevremont
Ed Van Impe
Cesar Maniago
Jim Nielson
Rod Seiling
Billy Speer…to name but a few.
I’ll also admit to vainly searching for the Yardley after shave endorsed by Bobby Orr on the front page of “The Hockey News” only to learn it was only available in Canada.
Like those delicious Neilson Crispy Crunch candy bars and MacIntosh toffees.
On the ice, our percussion section was the staccato clatter of wooden sticks.
Five bucks apiece.
Purchased at Spags where they scrawled the price in bold sharpie..
You saved the broken shafts to which you attached a Mylec street hockey blade (also purchased at Spags) that you heated in a pot of boiling water to twist a Mikita-esque banana blade.
And when those reached their inevitable splintered demise you unscrewed their indestructible tan plastic blades and added the broken shaft to that mini “forest” of Northlands,
Sher-Woods, Hespelars, and Kohos consigned to the vegetable garden as Tomato stakes.
All while counting the days to the return of outdoor ice.
Game on.
