There are only two weeks left in our weekly series. We've looked at some legends across the four major sports may or may not remember making brief cameo appearances for one of the local teams. Last week we started our look at the NHL, and continue it this week with the Boston Bruins. Another one of the Original Six franchises, we'll narrow our focus to within the last 40 years or so, with a couple of exceptions. Do you remember these legends of the game - especially the defensemen and goaltenders - donning the spoked "B"?
(To see the rest of the series, pick a team: Yankees | Red Sox | Mets | Giants | Jets | Celtics | Knicks | Nets | Rangers... note the Patriots don't qualify for this type of list)
Paul Coffey: The Hall of Fame defenseman played for eight organizations over his 21-year career, and was on his last legs when he signed as a free agent with the Bruins in 2000-01 at age 39. In 18 games he notched four assists before getting released in December and retiring at season's end. He finished his career second all-time in goals (396) and assists (1,135) among defensemen, behind only Ray Bourque.
Guy Lapointe: Best known for winning six Stanley Cups in 14 years with the Canadiens, Lapointe was dealt to St. Louis late in the 1981-82 season. After a little over a year with the Blues he became a free agent, signing with the Bruins for '83-84, but injuries took their toll. The defenseman was limited to just 45 games - his fifth straight season playing fewer than 55 regular season games - and he retired at the end of the season.
Brian Leetch: The two-time Norris winner saw his 17-year career with the Rangers end at the 2004 trade deadline when he was shipped to the Maple Leafs. After a 15-game stint in Toronto and the '04-05 lockout he became a free agent for the second time ever (the first time, in 2003, he re-signed in New York) and inked a one-year deal with the Bruins. An alternate captain, he finished with 32 points in 61 games as the Bruins missed the playoffs. He retired after the season.
Bernie Parent: A late bloomer, Parent burst onto the scene with the Flyers in their back-to-back Cups years of 1974 & 1975, winning the Vezina and Conn Smythe in both years. Backtrack about a decade, however, and the goaltender started his career in Boston as a 20-year-old, appearing in 57 games over two seasons, going just 16-32-5 with a 3.68 goals against average. Boston left him unprotected in the 1967 expansion draft, where he was scooped up by Philadelphia. After achieving individual success on a bad team, he was traded to Toronto as part of a three-way deal in 1971 that also included the Bruins. He was mentored by Jacques Plante, went to the WHA, returned to the Flyers, and the rest is history.
Jacques Plante: Speaking of Plante, the seven-time Vezina winner was in the "mentor" stage of his career in the early 1970s, past the age of 40. Late in 1972-73, at age 44, he was dealt from Toronto to Boston, where he recorded a shutout in his first start. He'd start eight games for the Bruins, going 7-1 with a 2.00 GAA before "retiring" for the second time. It lasted all of one season, as he was selected by the Oilers in the WHA draft and played part of one season in Edmonton at 46.
Terry Sawchuk: Upon becoming the Red Wings' full-time starter in 1950-51 at age 20, Sawchuk dominated the NHL for the next half-decade. He led the league in wins all five years, won three Vezinas, never had a GAA above 1.99 and won three Stanley Cups (adding to the one he won in '49-50, when he only played in seven games). Despite doing all of this by age 25, Detroit had another young upstart goaltender ready to go in Glenn Hall. So the Wings did the unthinkable, trading the in-his-prime Sawchuk to Boston. The Bruins finished in fifth place and missed the playoffs his first year. Then during his second he was diagnosed with mononucleosis, briefly retired and was labeled a quitter by the Boston media. The Bruins traded him back to Detroit in July 1957 for a young forward named Johnny Bucyk, who only went on to become the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer.