It wasn't long before Westfall and Sanderson emerged as the most accomplished penalty-killing tandem in the league. I said, 'Wow, this kid's got talent.' When you don't have an ending, you can't write a book. I used to watch the Big Bad Bruins on my grandparents television set in Hyannis growing up, Sherman said. WebDerek Michael Sanderson (born June 16, 1946), nicknamed "Turk", is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and two-time Stanley Cup champion who helped transform the culture of the professional athlete in the 1970s era. Jean-Guy Talbot should never have come to me and when he came to me and poke checked me and flipped it over, the rest was up to Bobby. Sandersons defensive skills, two-way play and prowess in the faceoff circle and on the penalty kill makes for a favorable comparison to Bruins first-line center Patrice Bergeron. The old Garden was three tiersthe third balcony was hanging right over you. When you see the photo of 'The Goal' today, what goes through your mind? He told them about a shaggy-haired kid who was once the highest-paid athlete in the world. Then, 'OK, what are you guys doing?' Brash, cocky and flamboyant, he dressed in expensive suits, drove a silver Rolls Royce, wore a mink coat and sat on Johnny Carson's couch. Please contact us. The lawyer had made a string of bad investments, and that, along with Sandersons lifestyle, had drained his bank account. He returned to the dealership, made sure the salesman didnt earn a commission and drove the Rolls-Royce right off the lot. Although Sanderson had been an elite scorer in junior hockey, his role with the Bruins club was limited to that of a third-liner in the middle of right wing Ed Westfall and either Wayne Carleton or Don Marcotte at the left side. Sanderson was also a productive player with unique skills that propelled the Bruins to a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues in the 1970 Stanley Cup Final. Eddie and I got a lot of kudos for being penalty killersthey were tremendously talented people, they just never get enough credit. There was a lot of players along the way that came up and down. "It kind of sums up my problem. After hitting bottom in the late 1970s, he managed to pull himself up. Derek As a promotion, the club had given each patron in attendance a souvenir orange puck. Fifty years, we might have pretty well covered it all. Multiple events lead to Sandersons downfall. While the doctor took him off the Valium, Sanderson still needed something to calm his nerves before a flight. "I thought I looked pretty good and had my act together," he says. How can I be broke? Sanderson asked. Sanderson didnt listen. Is Brooke shields related to willow shields? Derek Sanderson A modified version of this story originally appeared in the June 4, 2012, issue of Sportsnet magazine. His lifestyle eventually left him penniless. It was a lot of fun, an exciting moment, a great time. Who did I think I was at 24 [to be writing an autobiography]?". Sanderson went to the bank to get a cashiers cheque His new deal, which the Bruins would not match, made him the highest-paid athlete in the world at that time. He has many to thank for banning alcohol and drugs from his life. That puck had to land flat, but he never held it, he just redirected it, really. He paid for it all with his credit card. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), assisting Bobby Orrs Stanley Cup-winning goal, Takeaways: Bruins waited too long in first-round series to make goalie change before losing Game 7 to Panthers, Don Sweeneys busy trade deadline is paying off in Bruins first-round series against Panthers, Charlie McAvoy set the tone and doled out plenty of punishment in Bruins momentum-shifting Game 3 win. Phil [Esposito] might have been a little upset. Garnet, he was fast. Eventually, he would fly hammered and would have to be, in his words, "poured off the plane on the other end. That was the start of Derek Sanderson's drinking problem, something that teammate, Bobby Orr, spoke with him about on a few occasions. Well, that might be tough. 2023 Toronto Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. ", "Falling Down: The greatest downfalls in Canadian sports history", "20 Questions: Ex-NHLer Derek Sanderson on running the town and sleeping on its benches", "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Derek Sanderson", "The Ever Elusive, Always Inscrutable And Still Incomparable Bobby Orr", "Boston Sports Museum's 12th annual 'The Tradition', "A movie about a Bruins legend is in the works", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Derek_Sanderson&oldid=1150859446, Oklahoma City Blazers (19651977) players, Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Retired as the NHL career leader in shorthanded goals (currently 11th all time), Selected to the OHA-Jr. First All-Star Team. In the winter of 1979, Sanderson showed up in Chicago stoned. As for Sanderson, life changed when he met his wife, Nancy, the daughter of legendary Boston sportscaster Don Gillis. One coach and a trainer. And it was. The owner of the Bruins wisely cautioned him that, for someone not bred to wealth, it would ruin his life. Would give himself a lot more opportunities. He says he made the perfect pass to Bobby Orr who went flying through the air to score the goal that won the Stanley Cup. Playing with the Bruins in 1967-68, he scored 24 goals with 25 assists and won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. On Thursday, August 3, Derek Sanderson Perhaps, if you purchased it, youd be sitting in the back.. Forty seconds into the extra period, Sanderson controlled the puck behind the Blues goal line, at which point defenseman Bobby Orr broke in from near the blue line. In a lively interview with WKXLs Chris Ryan, Derek Sanderson opens up about his amazing life. The drug mellowed him before a flight, but it made him, groggy and irritable and interfered with his performance. But he says he was embarrassed by it and almost turned it down. "With your personality you will rue the day you took this money," Adams warned him. Be sure to watch this NBC sports special. You never do the same thing twice.' Sorry we could not verify that email address. Get us past the opening and I can double you back and make it a defensive battle and eventually you're gonna win because we were that much better. Fortunately, hes hasnt lost his sense of humour. He lectured about drug and alcohol awareness in schools and worked as a broadcaster in Boston. I was intimidated by it. "Somewhere along the way you meet up with responsibility and it's usually a woman standing there saying this is what we need to do.". That was Handsome Johnny Bower in goal minus the mask though he started wearing one Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Especially for one nicknamed The Turk.. Greatest Hockey Legends.com: Derek Sanderson When youre a defenseman you are not going to go behind the net but he reached in and that was all I needed.. We use cookies to improve your experience. The Philadelphia Blazers of the new World Hockey Association signed Sanderson to a five-year, $2.65 million contract that made him the highest-paid pro athlete in the world at the time. I live across the street from Bobby. His popularity reached heartthrob and rock star status from the moment he arrived on the scene in 1966. Money was new and scary for him, he says. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. But [head coach] Harry [Sinden] came to me at the end of the game and said, 'Listen, usually these things end pretty quickly. Brad Marchand is the player to me who is gritty and in your face and hes got a great pair of hands, said Sanderson. Crossing the street, up to the Branding Iron. Among his clients are former Bruins Bobby Orr and Cam Neely. Well give you the latest news when it becomes available, or feel free to add some more selections to My Favourites. [22] In September 2013, Sanderson received the Hockey Legacy Award from The Sports Museum at TD Garden.[23]. Nobody expected it to be that close. The next disaster occurred when Sanderson, along with Joe Namath, the football star, opened a bar in Boston, compounding his temptation. His substance abuse spiraled out of control. Wasn't somebody a little upset that you were starting overtime instead of him? "The more I had, the more temptations there were, and the less I turned them down. The content within Cybergolf.com is copyright-protected by its publisher, Orbit Enterprises, Inc. No part of Cybergolf.com may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from Orbit Enterprises. I like the Bruins. And he did. Turk - IMDb Calgary Flames fire head coach Darryl Sutter, Panthers restricting ticket sales for series against Maple Leafs to U.S. residents, Playoff Takeaways: Tkachuk, Panthers stun Bruins, face new challenge in Maple Leafs, Bruins blew a 3-1 lead: Hockey world reacts to Panthers historic win over Boston, Cheveldayoffs words fall flat due to lack of accountability, plan for Jets future. After his broadcasting career, he went to work as a financial adviser to young hockey players who might experience the same dilemmas he did when the too much, too soon syndrome hit. Sanderson played only eight games with the Blazers and was kicked off the team at the end of the season. Harry Sinden was a genius. Those were some of his milder quotes. ", In the summer of 1972 he signed what was then the richest contract in pro-sports history, a one-year, $2.65 million deal to play for the Philadelphia Blazers of the newly formed World Hockey Association. Casey Sherman, one of the Boston-based authors behind the books that later became The Finest Hours and Patriots Day, has completed a script and is set to produce Turk, a film about Bruins center Derek Sanderson. By now, his alcoholism and substance abuse was in full bloom. That's goodthere was nobody behind him but St. Louis Blues players. [13] It also turned out to be the signature moment for both players in their careers. [3], Sanderson played junior hockey in his hometown with the Niagara Falls Flyers of the Ontario Hockey Association. He took his first drink at 7 when an uncle gave him a beer at Christmas. Derek Sanderson faced a number of personal challenges throughout his career, some typical of a pro-athlete. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. All Rights Reserved. Rob Duca is an award-winning sports columnist who wrote for the Cape Cod Times for 25 years, covering golf, the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins. Do you have a favorite off-ice story from the Big, Bad Bruins era? include items vital to surviving the extreme weather of every season. The player Bruins fans called Turk was young, brash, outspoken with movie-star looks and tuned into the cultural transformation taking place in Boston during the late 1960s. After their series victory over the Rangers followed by a sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 196970 playoffs, the Bruins faced the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Finals. I was a single guy playing for the most popular hockey team on the planet, beautiful women all around me. The puck has to be inside your weighted foot and you have to stay behind it when you swing." But Harry came to me at the end of the game (regulation) and said, Listen, usually these things end quickly and the only chance theyve got is if it ends quickly., I sat beside Phil and he goes, I cant believe that. I said, What are you going to do? . By that time, Sanderson had developed vascular necrosis. He first prescribed Valium. Harold A. Sanderson - Details", "Former Bruins center Derek Sanderson credits dad for NHL success", "Niagara Falls Flyers Hockey Team Memorial Cup Champions 1964- 1965", "Orr soars voted top moment in History vs. History", "Who had assist on Bobby Orr's Cup clinching goal in 1970?
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