Blog

By Steven Rehm

The following is a fight fan’s take…

The Boston Bruins had forged an identity as one of the most feared teams in the NHL during the 1970’s. They were an outlaw bunch with gunslingers galore and grit running up and down the roster. They had John “Wire” Wensink and Stan “Bulldog” Jonathan. They had Wayne “Cash” Cashman and Al “Seek and Destroy” Secord and, of course, they had Terry O’Reilly- “Taz”. At the helm was their charismatic leader, Head Coach Don Cherry – “Grapes” – who helped reshape the all world talented Big, Bad Bruins of the late ‘60’s’early ‘70’s into the gritty, blue collar lunch pail gang we would see in the mid-late 70’s. The Bruins might not have brought home Lord Stanley’s chalice during Cherry’s tenure, but he put together arguably the toughest Bruins roster in the franchise’s entire history.

Alas, things change. Times change. People change. With the departure of Don Cherry after the 78-79 and the Too Many Men debacle, the Bruins slowly began shedding some of that vaunted toughness as well. First, they put Wensink, the Boston Strong Boy, on waivers after the 79-80 season where he would be later picked up by the Quebec Nordiques. Then the Bruins, now led by former star netminder, Gerry Cheevers, dealt Al Secord to the Blackhawks part way through the 80-81 campaign. The Bruins would later trade Stan Jonathan shortly after the start of the 82-83 season, shipping him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for an old burlap sack and a pry bar. This left the old soldier, Terry O’Reilly. The Bruins heart and soul warrior routinely took on the toughest hombres the league had to offer from the moment he first broke into the league and never slowed down once, not even when they brought in Wensink, Jonathan and Secord. He always assumed the mantle of the Bruins “Policeman” no matter who was on the roster.

O’Reilly first broke in when the Bruins were still basking in the afterglow of their two Stanley Cup championships in three seasons in the early ‘70’s. They were celebrated, feared and at times reviled. They were the Big Bad Bruins and O’Reilly jumped into it full bore, as was his custom. He immediately set about earning a fierce reputation when it came to dropping the gloves and quickly climbed the Heavyweight ladder. He was a furious throwing southpaw who battled the likes of Dangerous Dan Maloney, Dave “The Hammer” Schultz and Clark Gillies during his peak. But by the 82-83 season, O’Reilly was beginning to break down and would never see a return to glory, so to speak, as a fighter. Injuries forced him out of action for all but 19 games in 82-83. With no real go to guy to step up and handle the Beat Cop duties that O’Reilly once performed, it devolved into an enforcer by committee style of arrangement.

The Bruins were not blind to their need for toughness, particularly on defense, and as early as the 1982 NHL Entry Draft sought to address those needs by first drafting tough and talented defenseman, Gord Kluzak. They then followed this up in Round 2 by drafting snarling blueliner, Brian Curran and a tough western lad out of Saskatoon by the name of Lyndon Byers. In 83, they drafted an undersized gritty forward named Nevin Markwart with their first pick. Kluzak looked like he had the potential to be a real star who had a physical edge to his game. He was tall and lanky and had no problem dropping the gloves when needed. Brian Curran was more of a crease clearing d-man who fought trench warfare in front of goaltenders for a living. He brought size and considerable physicality to the Bruins back end. Byers was a young tough the Bruins were going to slowly bring along. Markwart was undersized, more of a pound for pound type fighter who was capable of the odd upset. Despite his small stature, Markwart thought nothing of going after bigger men.

The 82-83 season would also serve as Wayne Cashman’s last. “Cash” had long since stopped fighting regularly aside from the occasional flare up but had never stopped repping the Big Bad Bruins to the fullest. His Captaincy was passed on to Terry O’Reilly. It was during O’Reilly’s tenure as captain that we would see the Bruins in a transitional phase-indeed they had been for some time. They were no longer the lunch pail gang they were under Cherry. There was no “Cash” or “Bulldog” around anymore. John Wensink wasn’t around to challenge and emasculate opposing benches any longer. Now they had an ageing, breaking down “Taz” and relied more on a team toughness approach. Of course, O’Reilly might’ve been slowing down as a player and scrapper but he was always down to jam when it came time. Even though he was entering the twilight of his career, Taz never lost that fire.

In 83-84, the Bruins gave the kids a shot. Kluzak, Curran, Markwart and Byers all played with the big club and began paying their dues. Captain Taz was healthier. They brought in Jim Nill from the Vancouver Canucks. Nill was a tough southpaw who once edged out Stan Jonathan-only a few short seasons before as a rookie with the St. Louis Blues. He wouldn’t keep the opposition awake at night, but he was a good team guy who would be there for his mates. The Bruins also boasted willing and able guys like Keith and Bruce Crowder, Luc Dufour, and a veteran Jim Schoenfeld who was nearing the end of his career. They weren’t shrinking violets by any stretch of the imagination, but they didn’t have that ace anymore. O’Reilly was no longer the force he once was, and they spread the heavy lifting out so he could concentrate on being the captain of the team and less about being the teams Enforcer.

In O’Reilly’s final year, 84-85, the Bruins rolled with a still green Lyndon Byers, John Blum who came from the Oilers organization and Brian Curran as their chief on ice deterrents. Byers showed potential but clearly needed more seasoning. Kluzak would miss the entire year due to injury-something the Bruins would have to get used to. Markwart played sparingly and was also bit by the injury bug. Jim Nill was shipped back out west to Winnipeg at season’s end. Brian Curran showed he had a real edge and was willing to take on some tough hombres like Paul Holmgren and Dave Brown even if he struggled with his balance in a tilt. The Colonel was a rugged character who was a wild in a fight but was always there for his teammates. I loved the way he would bee line right into scrums to tangle with the other clubs Heavyweight. Fearless.

Divisional rivalries had begun heating up all throughout the NHL during the 1980’s. In 80-81, the Canadiens, the Bruins longtime rival, were added to the Adams Division. With both the Bruins and the Quebec Nordiques in the division, there would be feuds aplenty with the Canadiens in the coming years. First, the Canadiens and Nordiques began to fight bitterly in a back-and-forth war of attrition that culminated in the Good Friday Brawl during the ’84 Adams Division Finals. By the start of the 85-86 season, rivalries throughout the NHL were boiling over. Out west in the Smythe Division you had the Battle of Alberta as the two geographical rivals, Edmonton and Calgary, bitterly contested for supremacy. The Norris Division was becoming a battleground to such an extent that it was dubbed the “Chuck” Norris Division. In the Adams Division, the Quebecois battled among themselves but there was always that long running, time tested feud between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. It was always there and ever present. Though attentions may have been turned elsewhere, it did not take much to spark the drama that was the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry.

So it was that on the night of October 13, 1985, that Montreal bruiser, Chris Nilan, butt ended Bruins star forward, Rick Middleton, in the mouth. The quick jab of the butt end of his stick knocked several teeth out of “Nifty’s” mouth and would eventually earn Nilan an 8-game ban. The Bruins seethed over what they perceived as an unprovoked attack on a star player. Bruins GM Harry Sinden felt Nilan deserved to be suspended for the remainder of the year. Nilan felt that he caught Middleton with his glove, not his stick and that referee Kerry Fraser had it out for him. You can bet the return game, after Nilan served his sentence, was on everyone’s mind. Nilan’s butt end on Rick Middleton helped reignite the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry in the ‘80’s. It had remained dormant for a few years while the Habs waged open warfare with their intra-provincial rivals, the Quebec Nordiques, but Nilan’s cheap shot was the spark.

The Bruins were ready for battle as they invaded the Montreal Forum on November 18. Nilan was back and there was a buzz in the building that night. Nilan was fully aware that he was going to be targeted and Bruins defenseman, Brian Curran wasted little time. The fight itself wasn’t a major bout. Curran struggled to get loose and Nilan didn’t land much. What was evident after the bout was Curran’s anger as he cursed out Nilan roundly as they were being separated. You knew more was coming. Later in the game, Curran gave it another shot. This time the fight was a better one. It was a longer battle with Nilan doing a great job of tying up Curran’s right arm. You can see Curran’s frustration as he attempted to work himself free of Nilan’s grip. It was a hard-fought scrap-long by hockey fight standards and Nilan’s technical acumen served him well against the savage Curran. 

In terms of ‘revenge’ the fights didn’t settle the issue, but it was a response. The Bruins had to do something. It was good to see Curran step up and, as Bruins broadcaster, Dave Shea put it, wear the ‘badge of honor’ for Middleton that night, but Bruins fans wanted something more. They wanted that go to guy that could hold Nilan accountable and keep him in check on a regular basis. And so, it was then that the Bruins called up a rugged winger from their AHL affiliate in Moncton- and it wasn’t that tough western chap, Lyndon Byers that the Bruins had been bringing along. Jay Miller was a local lad, from Natick, MA, who played his college hockey at the University of New Hampshire. He was originally drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. After finishing college, Miller played sparingly with the Nordiques AHL affiliate in Fredericton before being shipped to the Minnesota North Stars organization. Miller bounced around a bit before signing with the Boston Bruins as a free agent on October 1, 1985. Miller was assigned to the Bruins AHL affiliate in Moncton where he began proving himself to the Bruins brass.

Less than a week after Brian Curran’s two fight ‘revenge’ game the Bruins called up Miller on November 23 against the rough and tumble Flyers and their towering terminator-like enforcer Dave Brown. Brown was among the game’s best fighters at this time. He was a 6’5 southpaw that mercilessly and soullessly policed the ice for the Orange and Black. He had been in the league for three seasons by this point but had already fought his way to elite status. This didn’t stop Miller. In his first NHL game, Miller took on Dave Brown to earn his first official NHL fighting major. What better way to prove yourself than against the absolute best? The fight was a fairly quick affair with Brown getting an edge on points. Miller appeared frustrated, perhaps feeling that he didn’t do enough in the fight. At that time just showing up against Brown was enough.

Miller wouldn’t dress again until a December 5 game against-you guessed it-the Montreal Canadiens. It would be here that Jay Miller began his feud with the Habs main antagonist, Chris Nilan. The setting was perfect-the Boston Garden served as the backdrop as another chapter in the NHL’s longest running rivalry played itself out. Completing the scene were two local boys- West Roxbury vs. Natick- ready to lay it all on the line. The Bruins had responded to Nilan’s cheap shot on Middleton in mid-November, but the wounds were still raw and with Miller ready to rumble it was time to get him involved. He once again wasted little time taking on Nilan late in the first period. It was a good action fight with both giving a good account of themselves. Bruins fans roared as they locked horns. Nilan vise gripped Miller’s right arm only to find that he could easily switch to his left as the two slugged it out in a good battle. Not a bad way to initiate a rivalry. In the second period Nilan and Miller tangled once again. This time it was more of a jump job by Nilan. As the two were lined up with each other at the faceoff, Nilan dropped his gloves and began pounding on Miller who was caught unaware. Miller’s teammate, the wild defenseman, Brian Curran, came to his aid immediately, even punching Miller accidentally in the process. Miller tried to come back against Nilan but the scene became chaotic and they were soon broken up. Though Nilan had the last laugh, so to speak, this game helped to set the stage for a bitter feud between Nilan and Miller. The Bruins and the fans liked what they saw in Miller. He might not have been the best player, but he was fearless and would take on anybody. Miller was going to stick around. In Boston it was now Miller Time.

Miller was off and running with the Bruins now. In the next seven days he would tangle three times. First up on December 8, was Buffalo’s Steve Dykstra – a fight I have yet to lay eyes on. Miller would also record his first NHL goal during this game. On December 10, he took on Philadelphia’s up and coming hellion, Rick Tocchet. Miller had just been mugged by Flyer’s towering d-man, Dave Richter and during the ensuing scrum, paired off with Tocchet. The bruising winger gave Miller problems with his strength and ability to switch hands on a dime without missing a beat. Miller had trouble getting set and every time he thought he had Tocchet stymied, he’d switch up on him. Two days later, on December 12, Miller battled Quebec Nordiques enforcer, Gord Donnelly in the first of what would be an extended rivalry between the two gunslingers. Miller was able to keep the battle in close as they rumbled along the boards. Typically, Donnelly would be pulling back while firing machine gun left hands but Miller’s close quarters fighting style gave Gordo fits.

Miller was proving to be a polished fighter with good balance and excellent technical skills. He was somewhat awkward-sometimes punching off his front foot which helped create odd angles. He was also extremely adept at tying up his opponents, using a variety of grips and holds to keep them at bay. Miller was not a power puncher, and he wasn’t an all-out brawler, he was a technical style fighter who could beat you a variety of ways. He could tie you up and pick you apart or, if needed, he could open up for a more action-packed exchange. He could switch hands and was already showing that he had good stamina. Miller was a grinder of a player who didn’t look out of place on the ice but make no mistake about it, he was there to hold opposing teams accountable if they crossed the line. That’s when it was Miller Time. But, as a player, Miller could surprise you, as he did with a two-goal effort against the Minnesota North Stars on December 21. He could hit, fight, and score the odd goal. Sounds like a beauty to me.

On December 26, Miller took on gritty Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman, Rod Buskas at the Civic Center in a post X-mas tussle. This one was another fairly quick bout that did nothing except clear the way for Miller’s third battle with Montreal’s Chris Nilan on January 8, at the Forum in Montreal. At 12:29 of the second period, these two outlaws would do battle. They would come together right in front of the Montreal bench. Nilan took control in the early stages landing some solid lefts and rights before Miller was able to set himself and make a fight of it. They had some good exchanges before the linesmen moved in to end it. This was fight number three on the year between them and there seemed to be no end in sight to the feud. Miller seemed to be chomping at the bit every time he played Chris Nilan and the Canadiens.

To this point, Miller had been playing regularly and was getting good ice time but his playing time hit a snag in January as the Bruins were shuffling the lines and trying to find the right combinations. The Bruins seemed to be sitting him during those non divisional match ups that month vs. teams like Winnipeg, Calgary, and Detroit but would dress him for a January 27 game against the Hartford Whalers at the Boston Garden. Miller would take on the Whalers resident Heavyweight, Torrie Robertson, two times. Robertson was a willing enforcer, but he was known mostly for his wrestling and grappling tactics. His Greco-Roman style led to some poor fights and these two battles were more of the same. Miller made a valiant effort to get free and throw punches, but Robertson kept the straight jacket on him. There was a lot of wrestling and tying up with no real action to speak of and no real exchanges. The two teams would face each other a few nights later, on January 29, in a game which featured Jay Miller mugging Whalers pest, Kevin Dineen. Miller’s mean streak was on display here as Dineen made no attempt to fight back. When it was clear that Dineen was playing pacifist, Miller continued the beating. Jay was generally a straight up honest fighter, but he knew when it was time to go over the edge.

On February 1, the Bruins played the Canadiens at the Forum in Montreal. This would be the first time both Miller and Nilan played against each other and did not fight. The Bruins fell 2-1 to the Habs in that game.

On February 15, Miller would tangle with both Charlie Bourgeois and Gino Cavallini of the St. Louis Blues at St. Louis Arena. I have not seen the fight with Bourgois to comment but Miller won a clear decision over Cavallini. Miller went right to work, switching hands and tying up Cavallini, while assaulting him from all angles. Next on tap would be a February 25 game against the Quebec Nordiques at le Colisee’ in Quebec. Miller would fight two times in this one. The first bout came at the 7:20 mark of the first period when Nordiques veteran tough guy, Jimmy Mann, tried to get the jump on Miller in classic Jimmy Mann style. It sounded like a fine plan, but Miller rebounded and took the fight to Mann ending it with a nice right hand. In the second period, Miller would do battle with the Nords tough southpaw, Gord Donnelly. This was a fast-paced battle. Donnelly attempted to get the rapid-fire lefts going but Miller exchanged rights and kept pace. Miller was able to keep Donnelly in close during this fast but furious bout and it’s debatable if a looping Miller right hand was indeed what put Donnelly down.

Miller would next do battle with Montreal Canadiens up and coming tough guy, Steve Rooney at the Forum in Montreal. Rooney was a big kid the Canadiens called up to spell Nilan on occasion. Strangely enough Rooney also had local roots, being from Canton, MA. This was a fairly brief bout broken up rather quickly. As they are led to the box “Feelings” played derisively on the organ overhead. The fight itself wasn’t that significant but this would be the first time Miller fought a Canadien other than Chris Nilan.

Less than a week later, on March 15, the Bruins were home at the Garden when the marauding Vancouver Canucks came to lay siege to Causeway Street. The Canucks wild young gunslinger, Craig Coxe had made a name for himself that season by getting into some all-out ice wars and he came to the Garden spoiling for a fight. Miller was more than ready and when the two finally dropped the gloves to have at it, Coxe would find Miller a much different kind of opponent than he was accustomed to. Coxe was used to the wide-open all-out brawls. Miller was a much more polished fighter, more controlled and patient in the pocket. He liked to fight at close quarters, not at arm’s length. For an undisciplined brawler like Coxe, Miller was like a meat grinder. Unable to open up in his traditional fashion, Coxe attempted to trade with Miller from in close. Miller was able to land a few solid shots including a left that folded Coxe to end it. This was one of my favorite tilts from Miller’s rookie year. Coxe had the warrior rep and Miller did an excellent job of imposing his style on him.

On March 23, Miller scrapped with Hartford Whalers young tough, Paul MacDermid. This was a fairly quick bout that ended rather prematurely but it would merely be a prelude to Miller’s fourth fight with Montreal’s Chris Nilan. This one happened on March 27 at the Boston Garden in front of a raucous crowd. They came together during a scrum along the far boards. Nilan kicked things off with a “How d’ya do” left hand and it was on as they began to go full tilt. Miller got the lefts going before switching and trading right hands with the Habs Hit Man. As Harry Neal put it during the HNIC broadcast of the game: “Two Boston boys-they used to do this every Saturday night in Charlestown!” Neale loved a good scrap and had some great calls over the years during the fights. Miller reverted back to his left and they began to exchange in toe to toe fashion as Nilan attempted to keep pace with rights. They grappled briefly before Miller switched hands again and began to pepper Knuckles with quick rights. Nilan tried to rear back with power shots, just missing a nighty night uppercut during the exchange. They again briefly grappled, and it almost appeared as if Nilan said something to linesman Ron Asselstine before uncorking another huge uppercut, this one catching Miller, at least partially. Miller wasn’t finished and tried to sneak in some short punches while Nilan held on. Linesmen Ron Asselstine and Leon Stickle then draped their arms around the two arm weary combatants to separate them and end yet another round in the Miller-Nilan rivalry. The Garden crowd always loved a good fight and they got one.

The Bruins would finish in 3^rd place in the Adams Division behind both Quebec and Montreal. This set up a first round match up with the Canadiens with the first two games of the best of five series scheduled at the Forum in Montreal. The Bruins would drop game one by a 3-1 score with Bobby Smith potting two goals in the effort. Game two, on April 10, would feature a great bout with Jay Miller and Montreal newcomer, John Kordic. Kordic was a young gun hand for the Canadiens who was a late season call up. Kordic had already shown glimpses of that machine gun left hand at the end of the regular season and he was looking to continue to impress in the playoffs. In the 2^nd period, Miller and Kordic would come to grips in the Montreal end. Kordic wasn’t a wild battler like a Coxe and he wasn’t a deliberate technician like Nilan. Kordic was a machine gun southpaw who used a little crossover technique to help give him an edge. Kordic got right to work on Miller, using that cross grip to help nullify Miller’s right arm while firing off a barrage of rapid-fire lefts. Miller tried to push through with rights during the opening exchange, but it was clear that Kordic’s punches were landing cleaner. “Rambo” didn’t let up, as he outpunched Miller, eventually dumping him to the ice unceremoniously to end the bout. Kordic skated away victorious and the life seemed to drain from the Bruins as the Forum crowd cheered Kordic lustily. The loss to Kordic was one thing, but Miller was assessed a 10 minute misconduct and an extra 2 minute minor, putting the Canadiens on the powerplay. In the game footage, a camera is trained on Miller in the runway as he listens to the penalty call over the loudspeaker. Incensed at the extra penalty, Miller slammed the visitor locker room door and fell on his ass in the process. To add further insult to injury, Claude Lemiuex would score on the ensuing powerplay, putting the Habs up 2-0 at the time. The Bruins would show some true grit and battle back to tie the game in the 3^rd period but would be felled by a Claude Lemiuex dagger with over 2 minutes left to play.

The Canadiens would roll into the Boston Garden up 2-0 in the series and were full of confidence and swagger while the Bruins were flat and had history rooting against them. The Bruins were up 3-2 going into the 3^rd period when Bob Gainey scored less than a minute in, shifting the momentum in their favor. He would later add a shorthanded goal later in the period to seal the deal and help propel the Canadiens into the Adams Division Finals.

Miller’s rookie campaign might have ended on a bad note but there was no doubt he was here to stay. He had proven himself against some of the game’s toughest fighters and earned a hard-fought reputation as an in close technical fighter. From his first bout against Dave Brown through his bitterly contested feud with Montreal’s slugger, Chris “Knuckles” Nilan, Miller was up front and center as the Bruins enforcer in 85-86. What I really loved about Miller as a Bruins fan was he wore that spoked B with an extra bit of pride. Being a local boy, Miller seemed to really take the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry personally. In his battles with Nilan and later, Kordic, you can see that added determination as he would dig deep, feeding off the Boston crowd and his hatred for the bleu blanc et rouge. And that really was what I loved the most about Miller-he was one of us. He wasn’t just fighting for the Bruins-he was fighting for us. Seeing Nilan butt end Rick Middleton back in October of ’85, Miller must’ve been just as incensed and outraged as we were. You could see it in the way he went at Nilan and later anyone who crossed the line with the Bruins. Miller quickly became a fan favorite in Boston and after his battles with Nilan was propelled to folk hero status. Bruins fans now had their equalizer, and it was one of their own. They would rise to their feet when he dropped the gloves and someone would hold up a sign that read: It’s Miller Time!

Special Thanks to Jukka “Jay” Suutari.