Pat Quinn:
The burly Maple Leaf would have a more distinguished career as a coach and executive than as a player. But on one April night in 1969, Quinn became Public Enemy No. 1 in the old Boston Garden.
It was in the midst of a four-game sweep for a Bruin team that was building momentum toward a Stanley Cup the following year. In this playoff game, Orr was about to start one of his patented rushes up ice from his own end. Going up the right boards on his weak side in his own zone, Orr was approaching his blue line when the big D-man stepped up from his point position and leveled a blow to the young superstar’s head. Whether it was a shoulder (the late Quinn’s contention) or an elbow (more likely the case), it was a head shot that knocked Orr unconscious. A pall hung over the Garden as teammate Ken Hodge put his glove under the prone Orr’s head. He eventually came to and was helped to the dressing room. Then the crowd, predictably, became surly. Fans surged toward Quinn in the penalty box, a scuffle ensued and a panel of glass was broken before Quinn was escorted to the locker room. The mayhem didn’t end there. Fights broke out on the ice, with fans leaning out over the low glass and punching Leaf combatant Forbes Kennedy. If the same play happened today with the knowledge of brain injuries, Quinn would have been suspended for multiple games and Orr would have been put in protocol. But both were in the lineup for the next game.