Well, the Garden is officially closed, and it's time for me to present my
memories.
 
First, thank you all for the reminiscences you've posted in response to my
question.  Some were ones I remembered, but many more were ones I was not
there for, and I appreciated reading all of them.  Especially Arthur
Mintz's comment about meeting me in the press room. :-)  Certainly, one of
the more enjoyable aspects of my Garden memories since I joined/started
HOCKEY-L is the people from this list like Arthur that I have met at the
old barn.  One of the unfortunate things about the ECAC not holding its
tournament in Boston anymore is that I don't get to run into the ECAC folks
as often.
 
Now, on to the list.
 
First, my three favorite memories.  This segment got so long that I'll
leave my other Garden memories for another post.
 
These are all connected in a way, and all date back to when I was a manager
at Northeastern.  All came on Mondays.
 
3) Monday, February 2, 1987.  Beanpot semifinals, Northeastern vs Harvard.
Northeastern entered the game in the midst of a terrible season at 6-16-3,
while Harvard was recently #1 in the country at 15-1-0, having been just
upset by Yale prior to exam break.
 
NU took a surprising 4-2 lead into the final minute before the Crimson
scored twice in the last 45 seconds to force overtime.  During the
intermission, it seemed that everyone felt that the Huskies had had their
chance and that the tide had turned Harvard's way.  Everyone, that is,
except the Huskies.  In overtime, NU D Brian Dowd made what was termed a
"beautiful mistake" by then coach Fern Flaman when Dowd rushed in from the
point, leaving the Huskies vulnerable on that side, and fired home a
rebound to send NU into the championship game against BU, which would upset
powerful BC in the nightcap.
 
This was my first college hockey game of more than 70 in the Garden over
the next 9 years, and what a way to start.  It was also my first Beanpot,
and I have not missed one since.  Despite losing the championship game in
OT to BU on Mike Kelfer's turnaround blast from high in the slot, the
Harvard win made the Huskies' season.  Including this game, NU would go
7-5-0 the rest of the way and gain revenge on BU with a HE quarterfinal
win.  It was a sign of things to come the following year...
 
2) Monday, February 8, 1988.  Beanpot championship, Northeastern vs BU.
The Huskies had shut out BC 4-0 the week before and took a 3-0 lead after
two against BU in the final.  Before the game, Flaman had asked his team to
win this one "for me, because I don't know how much longer I'll be around,"
and also for another reason I'll get to in a minute.
 
NU goalie Bruce Racine had posted five straight shutout periods in the
tournament, and he looked to have a good chance at becoming the first
goalie ever to fire double shutouts in the Beanpot.  But the Terriers came
out storming in the third and scored twice to pull within one, and it
seemed as if the BU ghosts from years past were about to wave their magic
wands yet again.  David O'Brien gave the Hounds breathing room, however,
and NU won 6-3 to take home the 'Pot.
 
The significance of this win was that it assured NU of what was a truly
remarkable achievement: no one, not even BU, won more Beanpots from 1980
through 1989 than Northeastern (4).  The Huskies had *never* won a Beanpot
(the tourney began in 1952-53) until Wayne Turner's overtime goal in 1980
changed the face of Northeastern hockey forever.  The program which by some
accounts was very close to pulling out of the tourney due to embarrassment
in the late 70s, had become the king of the Beanpot for the 1980s.
 
Flaman would retire after the following season.  This was the last Beanpot
win for the longtime NU coach (and Hockey Hall of Famer) who had worked so
hard (along with Don McKenney) with little help from the University to
bring the program to national prominence.  After his retirement, I felt
proud to have been there for this game.
 
What I remember most from this, other than the celebration on the ice, was
sitting next to the colorful Rico Rossi in the locker room afterwards as he
was interviewed by Channel 7's Gary Gillis, and holding the Beanpot trophy.
35 pounds seemed like about 35 ounces that night.
 
Oh yes, and our head manager, Dave Caruso, wearing a tuxedo on the bench.
At first some light was made of it, but when the next game at the Garden
rolled around (see #1), Dave was ordered to wear the tux again...after all,
NU was 2-0 with it.
 
My number one Garden memory...
 
1) Monday, March 14, 1988.  The Hockey East championship game, Maine vs
Northeastern.  Powerful Maine was on route to its best season ever, running
away with the regular season and being ranked #1 much of the way.  But the
second-place Huskies were probably the last team Maine wanted to face in
the final, both because of the small Garden ice surface which played into
NU's hands and the success the Huskies had had against Maine.  Entering
this game, the season series ran 1-1-2 with each team scoring 15 goals, but
the teams had not met since December.  Still, it looked to be a classic
matchup, and the fans were not to be disappointed.
 
The Hounds came out of the blocks strong and took a 2-0 lead after one, but
Maine regrouped to take a 3-2 lead after two.  When NU tied it in the
third, it set up one of the most exciting finishes in HE championship game
history, as both teams had great chances but couldn't solve each other's
outstanding netminder (Racine and, I believe, King for Maine).
 
Like that Harvard game in 1987, it would be a little-known defenseman who
would become the hero.  Big Marty Raus, seventh on the NU depth chart and
not exactly fleet of foot, was pressed into service for this game when
All-HE D Claude Lodin came down with the flu and was too sick to play.
With minutes left, Raus got the puck on the right wing and lumbered up the
ice in what seemed like slow motion to those of us watching from the bench.
His shot from the right circle beat King for a 4-3 NU lead, and somehow,
the Huskies held off Maine's onslaught in the closing minutes to win their
first and only Hockey East title.
 
What I remember from this: standing next to Flaman on the bench and being
the first to shake the good man's hand (captured by NESN), and as the time
ticked to zero, looking up at all of the green and gold banners and retired
numbers, especially #4, and thinking that on this night, *we* were Kings of
the Garden.
 
Five days later, the euphoria would turn to bitter disappointment, as the
Huskies took an 8-3 lead in their two-game, total-goals NCAA first round
series and then surrendered seven unanswered goals in the final 26 minutes
to lose the series to an upstart Independent team...Merrimack.
 
Nine months later I transferred from Northeastern to Merrimack (after
having given up the chance to succeed Caruso as head manager because it
conflicted with my co-op assignment).  There was no connection (really).
But I still take some good-natured ribbing from some of the Merrimack staff
over "finally coming over to the winning side."  And NU has not since won a
Beanpot first round game nor a HE championship.
 
So I guess that makes me a part of NU's last two big wins in the Garden,
and I will remember that.  As John Forsythe said, there is nothing like
walking out to center ice when the rink is quiet and empty and looking up
into the rafters, thinking of all of the history that has come before you.
But more than that, there is nothing like winning a championship at the
Garden and knowing that your team will go down in history along with all of
the other great teams that have won there.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                   [log in to unmask]            *HMM* 11/13/93
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