This Day in Hockey History – April 24, 1983 – Park the Puck Between the Posts

During Game 7 of the Adams Division finals, held on April 24, 1983, defenseman Brad Park accomplished at least five things with his two goals. He tied and then won the game for the Boston Bruins, which allowed them to win the series and advance to the conference finals. Park was the first person to score the tying and then the overtime winning goal in a Game 7. In fact, he was the first defenseman even to score two goals in a Game 7. On a personal level, he said, “I’d never won a seventh game before. I’d never scored a winning goal in overtime. I’d never done any of this and here it was.” Finally, with his goals, the Bruins reached their milestone 1,000th playoff goal.

At the time of the game, Park, at 34, had played 15 seasons in the NHL and had gone through five major knee operations. The New York Daily News commented that he “lets his mind do work because his legs can’t carry him any more.” Having begun his career with the New York Rangers, he was always in direct competition for best NHL defenseman with the Bruins’ Bobby Orr, who also experienced disastrous knee issues. Orr’s knees were a factor in Boston General Manager Harry Sinden’s decision to make a shocking trade to obtain Park in 1975. Although Park had just been made the youngest Rangers captain the year before, he was booed by fans as the team faltered. Boston fans, who were not too pleased with Park, soon did an about face and began appreciating Park’s talent and toughness.

For the 1983 playoffs, the Bruins came in first in the Adams Division with 110 points (50-20-10). They defeated the Quebec Nordiques (3-1) in the division semi-finals. Throughout the division finals, the Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres essentially traded off winning to force a Game 7. The Bruins had home ice advantage at Boston Garden, but due to a recent basketball game and the rain, the rink was humid with poor ice.

The Sabres took a 2-0 lead when Ric Seiling scored twice with assists from Mike Ramsey and Andre Savard. During the second period, the Bruins caught up. Barry Pederson scored at 6:32, and Park tied up the game during a power play at 9:21. Rick Middleton assisted on both goals.

The game went into overtime, but it did not last long. Pederson won a faceoff against Brent Peterson, and after some passing with Middleton, Park ended up with the puck. His shot almost made it in the net as it seemed like all the Sabres, including goalie Bob Sauve, were laying in front of the net. Center Andre Savard stood in the crease and whacked at the puck. It ended up by Park, who took another shot at 1:52. “I’ve seen a lot of overtime goals. I’ve seen them bounce in, deflected in, kicked in, and I’ve seen perfect shots, too,” commented Park. “When it went by the bodies in front of the net, I knew it was in. I didn’t have to wait for it to hit the back of the net.” With that, the game and series were over. Park reflected, “Then I just stopped and I stood there and I looked, kind of numb.” The jubilant fans made up for his lack of reaction by coming on the ice and throwing cups and clothing. Coach Gerry Cheevers only said, “I’m speechless. Those were two goals (tying and winning) by a great player. We deserve a break. We’re all going to McDonald’s.”

The tired Bruins had a feeling their next opponents, the New York Islanders, would be tough. As feared, the Islanders took the conference finals (4-2) and went on to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup.

That was Park’s final season with the Bruins. Over the summer, he signed with the Detroit Red Wings. They made the playoffs both seasons he played before he retired in 1985. Park’s teams qualified for the postseason for every single one of his 17 NHL seasons, which beat Jean Beliveau’s record (16 seasons). He later claimed, “I never even knew about the record, but when I joined the Wings, the only goal I had was to help the team get into the playoffs.”

Additional Sources:

• “Bruins foil Sabres in OT, 3-2,” Boston Globe, 25 April 1983, pp. 27 and 31.
• Frank Brown, “Park OT goal puts Bruins against Isles,” New York Daily News, 25 April 1983, p. 46.
• https://www.nhl.com/news/brad-park-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players/c-285639546?tid=283865022