I have been a passionate Boston Bruins fan since I was 10 years old when my best friend's Dad took us to my first Bruins game AND I got to meet Bobby Orr. The year was 1971. Bobby Orr walked out of the stick room in a white bathrobe and said "Hello." I remember he asked me what school I went to and even at 10 years old, I was thinking how amazed I was that he seemed to care where I went to school. I have no idea what I said to him after that, my eyes must have been falling out of my head. He was so nice to me and is still known to be a very nice man. Even then I knew that he was a great hockey player, I just didn’t have the context to know that he was and is arguably the best player to ever lace up skates.That was the year between Stanley Cups for the Bruins and the year that I learned to effen hate the effen Habs. But that is a story for another day.
What I really want to talk about is the magic moment that unfolded during an otherwise frustrating Bruins playoff game – the 8-Spoked Salute.
At every Bruins game, they salute a man or woman from the Armed Forces of the United States. They show them on the jumbotron and play their service’s song while everyone cheers and the players tap their sticks. Sometimes the Soldier or Marine is smiling and cheering, sometimes somber and seemingly uncomfortable with the attention.
Last night, it was the most special salute I have seen. It included two Soldiers, one who was an Iraq veteran, and the other, his father - a Vietnam War veteran. The Dad started out beaming with pride, but as the cheering grew louder, he seemed to become overwhelmed with emotion. I can’t imagine the emotions running through his mind during that moment. I hope that he files away the big hug he and his son got from the Bruins and the Habs fans who were there and takes it out when he needs it. I won’t forget it soon.
