Too Many Men on the Ice: The 1978-1979 Boston Bruins and the Most Famous Penalty in Hockey History

Entering the 1978-79 season, the Boston Bruins had been one of the best teams in the National Hockey League for more than a decade-but they could not shake the infuriating jinx the Montreal Canadiens held over them in postseason play. Against all odds, the Canadiens had ousted the Bruins in 13 consecutive playoff series dating back to the 1940s. In 1979, the Bruin veterans and their passionate fans wanted one more shot at their nemeses after coming up short in both the 1977 and 1978 Stanley Cup finals. Colorful but embattled coach Don Cherry's coterie of lovable, selfless, hard-working, team-oriented players got their desired chance in the semifinal round. The underdog Bruins battled the Habs in seven heart-stopping games, and sweet victory seemed within their grasp-only to have it snatched from them in the cruelest fashion imaginable: an untimely penalty for too many men on the ice in the dying minutes of Game #7. This book looks back at the Boston Bruins' 1978-79 season from Opening Night at Boston Garden to the catastrophic conclusion seven months later at the Montreal Forum. It is prefaced by the history of the Bruins' frustrating playoff jinx versus the Canadiens that dated back to 1930, the tribulations and events that marked Boston's 1978-79 regular season, and a recap of the team's quarterfinal playoff victory over Pittsburgh. Along with detailed accounts of all seven of the Boston-Montreal semifinal games, it also contains a post-mortem of what caused the infamous bench penalty and provides glimpses of all the Bruin personnel who made that season so memorable and heartbreaking.