No Camelskin Allowed

Boston Bruins v Philadelphia Flyers, February 6, 1992

Spectrum, Section V, Row 9

I have a little boy about 1 1/2 years old at the time. I'm a Flyers fanatic who just moved back into town from Boston. I got respectfully hooked on Bruins hockey. But in a toe to toe, I gotta hang with the hometown boys. I waited long enough to get the boy to a game and could wait no longer.

The wife was concerned the young child could get hit in the head with a puck being only 9 rows from the ice around the blue line. What, I'm supposed to put a helmet on the kid and have all the 1 1/2 year olds laugh at him and pick on him in the bathroom? Not a change. You are never too young to take a puck off the head.

I was starting to feel some animosity with the Spectrum and Flyers fans. What I liked about Boston were Saturday afternoon matinee games. The Garden was still blue collar. I stood next to guys in the beer line who were still in overalls and covered with soot. The Spectrum was starting to get a little wine and cheesy at this time.

Several seats in the row in front of us remained empty for some time. It gave me some room to swing the boy around and let him walk back and forth without interrupting anyone.

Eight minutes into the game the Flyers Steve Duchesne scored the game's first goal with assists going to Mark Howe and Dan Quinn. The goal was on the powerplay as Peabody MA product Bob Carpenter was in the box for charging.

The Flyers recently acquired Wez Waltz from the Bruins. And he registered his first goal of the season in the 2nd. Around this time the seats in front of us filled with late comer business types. The ones I hate a sporting events. The corduroy clad chap in front of us had a camel skinned jacket on.

A few roughing minors involving the Flyers Claude Boivin and the Bruins Chris Nilan got the crowd riled up. I don't think the proper types in front of us liked the crowd commotion.
Within the next minute Bruins enforcers Lydon Byers dropped the gloves against Tony Horachek. The crowd leaps to their feet, I leap to my feat with child in one hand and beer in the other. The propers in front of us were the only ones sitting.....until the kid knock my beer all over the camel skin jacket in front of me. The propers were so miffed at this sign of debauchery, they packed up their courderoy and huffed off. I missed who won the fight.

The Flyer held a 2-1 lead into the 3rd when Boston's Steve Leach cut the deficit early on in the period. But that was the end of the Bruins for the evening as the Flyers turned on their rare scoring barrage. Al Conroy, Howe and Mark Pederson all scored for the Flyers leaving the visiting B's frustrated. Their frustration led to a Chris Nilan boarding call and a bench minor on the team for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Even thought the Flyers weren't very good, the rivalay that carried over from the 74 Cup finals still lives on.

The Flyers this season put photos of past players on the ticket stub. This evening's ticket featured Pelle Lindbergh, who passed away in 1985. I had the ticket stub blown up as a poster as a keepsake for my son.