They Ruined The Bruins

If the Bruins thought they could intimidate Montreal with physical violence, the Canadiens put the notion to rest by handcuffing most of the Boston brawlers during the fracas. Boston emerged with only one winner: 5'8", 175-pound rookie Stan Jonathan, who kept the brawny Robinson in a headlock for several minutes. "It was silly of them to think they could intimidate us," said Savard. Nevertheless, it was then that Wensink boasted, " Lafleur won't get out of Boston Garden alive," adding, "I'll cut the Canadiens' ears off."

Lafleur didn't let such talk bother him. "I was a little concerned about all those threats," he said, "but I wasn't really worried." He scored the first goal and helped set up the next two as Montreal erupted for three power-play scores and a 3-0 lead after the first period in Game Three, then scored the fourth goal himself. And Wensink? When the Boston crowd chanted for Wensink in the second period, the Montreal bench broke up in laughter. When Wensink did take to the ice, Lafleur took the puck away from him the first two times he touched it.

Lafleur's play that night, and his subsequent performance in the final game, left even the vanquished Bruins singing his praise. "I don't know how to describe this guy except to say he reminds me of a guy we used to have—Bobby Orr," said Cashman. "He's the class of hockey, the best player in the world, and with guys like him—like Bobby—when things are tough, they just take it in stride and turn it on. He showed all of us what he's made of. I'm disappointed he was able to do it against us, but I think of all the teams that tried to stop Bobby when the pressure was high, and I've got to say to myself, 'What the hell, the guy's the greatest there is, so what are we supposed to do about it?' "