Penguins Retro: Bobby Orr’s Knuckle Sandwich
I decided to step into the WABAC machine for one last stroll down memory lane.
As a kid growing up in Bethel Park, PA, I was an avid baseball and basketball fan. In fact, I paid little attention to hockey until I was in my teens.
When I was 15 years old, I had an emergency appendectomy. During my hospital stay one of the TV networks happened to televise a Penguins-Bruins game. The thing I remembered most was a big brawl involving two of our players, Duane Rupp and Darryl Edestrand, which inspired the following piece.
Hooked a brand-new hockey fan, too.
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Perhaps no player in the annals of hockey history had a more profound influence on the game than former Boston Bruins great Bobby Orr. Prior to Orr’s arrival, defensemen rarely ventured into the attacking zone. Thanks to his incredible speed and supreme offensive skills, Orr made daring end-to-end rushes seem routine. Starting from behind his own net, he’d shift into top gear in a matter of strides. Then he literally flew past opposing checkers, leaving them in his vapor trail like a collection of lampposts.