I had the opportunity to speak with two-time Stanley Cup winner Bill Ranford earlier this week, as part of the research I'm doing for my next book project.
The 1990 Conn Smythe Trophy winner was gracious enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to do the interview. We talked his rookie season with the Boston Bruins, when he started two playoff games against the Montreal Canadiens after playing just four contests during the regular season. We also chatted about the Edmonton Oilers' last Cup-winning team.
Here are some of the highlights (while the rest I'll be saving for my project):
KP: You won the Cup in 1990 with the Oilers, but your first ever playoff game in the NHL came at the Montreal Forum in 1986, after you played just four regular-season games. What do you remember most about that first playoff game?
BR: Walking into the Montreal Forum, seeing the banners hanging on the ceiling...
KP: You guys, the Bruins, were pretty close in the standings with the Canadiens, but they ended up winning. Any thoughts on the rivalry?
BR: As you said, I'd played just four games... It was just a whirlwind tour for me. I was just excited about the opportunity.
KP: What do you remember about the triple-overtime game in Boston in 1990?
BR: The game ended up getting delayed a couple of times, due to fog and then the power failure. I remember just everyone being hungry. That was the toughest thing. The Boston Garden was an old building, with no air-conditioning, and the summer weather was on its way... and the humidity, not only in the building but in the dressing room, it was just ridiculous.
KP: What do you think the difference was between the power failure game in '88 and that one two years later?
BR: I think the first time in '88, we didn't know what the problem was. Second time around, was just a basic power failure and they knew there was a good chance to get the lights up and running again. It was delayed to get everything re-powered up in the building. It was delay after delay.
KP: Did you think after that first game you were going to win the series? After all, you had all the momentum...
BR: No, ironically... It was important to get the first game. We understood that. But we ended up having eight or nine guys with the flu. We were fortunate because basketball was going on at the time. At that time, you basically played every second night. But because there was a basketball game, we were fortunate and actually had two days off in between games, and most of our guys didn't eat until our pre-game meal before Game Two, so we were worried because of the health of our team.
* Thanks, Bill, for the interview! *
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