The Boston Bruins fire coach after infamous moment 43 years ago today
On this day, May 24th, in 1979, the Boston Bruins relieved head coach Don Cherry of his duties.
Most Bruins fans will remember or know what happened in the 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs.
In the 1979 semi-final against the Montreal Canadiens, Cherry's Bruins pushed the series to the seventh and final game, but they were undone by a late penalty. Up by a goal with less than three minutes left, Boston was called for a bench minor for having too many men on the ice. Cherry blamed it on himself, saying later that:
"The guy couldn't have heard me yell. I grabbed two other guys trying to go over the boards. That would have made eight on the ice."
Canadiens' Guy Lafleur scored the tying goal on the subsequent power play, and Montreal would ultimately win the game in overtime and advance to the Stanley Cup Final. They went on to defeat the New York Rangers for their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup title.
Don Cherry, who had an uneasy relationship with the Boston Bruins general manager Harry Sinden, was fired by the club shortly afterward.
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