1970-71 National Champions 50th Anniversary: Q&A with Jack Parker

In the fall of 1970, Jack Parker became a volunteer assistant coach under legendary BU Head Coach Jack Kelley. Parker, who later would lead the Terriers for 40 seasons, had been a BU captain just three years earlier. With Kelley’s passing two months ago and Assistant Coach Bob Crocker having died two years ago, Parker is one of two remaining members of the ’70-’71 coaching staff. The other one is goalie coach Andy Fila. Parker recently shared his thoughts about BU’s first NCAA championship team.

THFB—The 1969-70 team, after a slow start, had won 16 of its final 19 before a tough last-second loss to Clarkson in the ECAC semifinal.  Looking ahead that Spring, what did the coaches assess the prospects to be for the next season and the chances to challenge for a national title?

JP—It was disappointing to lose [in the ’70 ECACs]. We had a very solid team that really came on in the second half of the year. A great sophomore class and a big senior group with some star players. Even before that season had ended, we knew the next season was going to be something special, because Jack Kelley (photo) and Bob Crocker had recruited two fabulous classes back-to-back. That’s how you usually win big, when you have two really successful classes back to back. [Ed.: The ’68-’69 freshman team went undefeated; the ’69-’70 frosh only lost twice]. 

One thing we didn’t have in ’69-’70 was a real solid defense. We had some pretty good players, but nothing like what we added the next year in Bob Brown, Ric Jordan and Mike LaGarde. Brown and Jordan were great offensive players and LaGarde was a terrific defensive defenseman. We knew the next season was going to be a pretty good year, but we weren’t thinking so much about winning a national championship; Jack had such a bad track record in the ECAC semis that he was just hoping to win an ECAC championship. [BU had lost in the ECAC semifinals five of the previous six seasons].

THFB—Do you see a similarity between the ’70 loss to Clarkson and the ’08 season-ending loss to Vermont as motivation to address unfinished business? Did Coach Kelley use that loss as a motivator the next season?

JP—I don’t think so. The big motivator was that we’d lost again in the ECAC finals again. We needed to get to the [ECAC] championship game and that would get you to the national tournament. Winning that Friday night game was very important to them and to the history of the program.

THFB—Five of players from that ’69-’70 freshman team—Ron Anderson, Steve Dolloff, Bobby Brown, Ric Jordan and Mike LaGarde— would be inserted into important roles on the 70-71 squad. Was their impact—especially Ric and Bobby combining for 110 points on defense—at all surprising?

JP—I had seen them play as freshmen a number of times and knew they would really add something to the team. What made the ‘70-‘71 team so successful that year—and get labeled as the best BU team ever—was they were so good on the power play. And the reason for that was because they had Jordan and Brown (photo) on the points. Jordan had 12 goals and Brown had 17, which was unheard of for defensemen at that time. Just gaudy stats for defensemen. And the power play was successful at a 40 or 41% rate, the highest in BU history. What really set this BU team apart—and you can look this up— is that [they] got more power-play goals than the opposition got total goals. I don’t know if that has ever happened at any other level. [We did look it up and Jack was right; 66 power play goals vs.60 total allowed.]

THFB—Goalies and classmates Dan Brady and Tim Regan put together remarkable numbers in 1970-71, including a combined 1.91 GAA. Dan earned All-American honors and Tim’s GAA and save percentage are still program bests. Was that kind of success expected based on the prior season.

JP—Yes, it was and it was based on their freshman year, too, when they played every other game for the undefeated freshman team. As sophomores, they both had good years, but not All-American seasons. Jack had a theory that you had to establish a #1 goalie, so he decided that Tim Regan (photo) was going to be the #1 goalie when they were sophomores. To start 1970-71, Tim still was the #1 goalie until we lost up at Cornell [after a 12-0-1 start]. Jack decided to go with Danny who played the rest of the way. I always had a different theory. If I had two really good goalies, I’d play them both. When I had Brian Durocher and Jim Craig, I’d play them every other game until someone separated themself. It put more pressure on them to perform.

THFB—What was the impact of the new on-campus facility, Walter Brown Arena, not being completed in time for the 1970-71 season as had been planned?

JP—It made us vagabonds. We would dress in the West Campus basement next to the new rink, then we’d get into vans to travel to [Harvard’s] Watson Rink, maybe 10 minutes across the river. The problem was we had to practice after the Harvard freshmen and varsity teams were done. We’d start practice around 6:00 and go to 7:30. That was inconvenient to say the least. The other difficult thing was that Watson was the largest ice surface in college hockey in the East, except for Army. Boston Arena, where we played our home games, was the smallest rink. We still had the advantage playing in the Arena, even though we never practiced there. It was egg-shaped, there were no corners. It was a tiny bandbox of a rink. Not having Walter Brown ready helped us because it made us more determined, hungrier.

THFB—In the Fall of 1970, BU charged hard out of the gate winning 13 of its first 14 with one tie—many by lopsided scores. Did that level of success change the coaching staff’s expectations or was that what they’d anticipated?

JP—No it didn’t change Jack’s or Bob’s opinion of the team. The league wasn’t that well balanced back then, so you could win some games 10-2. We knew we had to keep getting better to get by the hurdles we’d face later in the season.

THFB—That streak ended with a loss to Cornell in Ithaca. How did the team respond and what was the impact on Coach Kelley of not getting that elusive win against the Big Red? 

JP—Obviously there was a great rivalry for Jack with [Cornell Coach] Ned Harkness, going back to when Jack was at Colby and Harkness was at RPI. It burned Jack that he hadn’t beaten Ned. I recall him being so upset after the game and that’s when he decided to go with Danny Brady in goal. Timmy didn’t play that badly but Jack wanted to shake up the team. Brady got his chance to play and took over the rest of that year. 

THFB—BU went back on a roll, reeling off a dozen straight victories. That included a Beanpot title game win over Harvard, but the Crimson upset BU in the ECAC semifinal—only the second defeat of the season. How did the team and coaching staff respond to the seeming likelihood that there would again be no trip to the NCAAs?

JP—It was almost shocking after we’d beaten Harvard in the Beanpot. We lost because they shut down our power play, which no one could ever do…because they never took a penalty. Once again, we were on the outside looking in. That was one of the most down moments I’d ever seen for Jack Kelley. If he was ever going to win the ECACs, this was the year. Fortunately, we were playing Cornell in the consolation with a chance to redeem ourselves. If there was no consolation game, we would not have gone to the NCAA tournament.

THFB—Did the team and coaching staff go into the consolation game believing there was still a chance to earn an NCAA berth? After the win, how long was the wait for the ECAC Committee’s decision?

JP—Yes, we did think there was a chance. I don’t know if this is true or not, but [Colgate Coach] Ron Ryan was on the selection committee and let Jack know “you might not be out of it; they want to look at the consolation game. No guarantees.” It wasn’t a typical consolation game because we were playing Cornell. The fact that we won that game [6-5 with Stirling scoring the game-winner], led the tournament committee to send us [to the nationals]. Jack called me the next night and said “we’re practicing tomorrow. Harvard had won the ECACs and, of course, they were going, too, so once again, we’re practicing after Harvard.

THFB—In the NCAA semifinal, BU was matched with an older and much bigger team in Denver. What were the keys to BU’s 4-2 victory?

JP—We had the best team. They might’ve been older and bigger, but we had great goaltending, great defensemen and a bunch of really solid forwards. When you have Steve Stirling and John Danby centering your first two lines and soon-to-be All-American Steve Dolloff centering your third line, plus Jordan and Brown on defense and Danny in the net, there was nobody matching us. And our team was mostly juniors and sophomores. Toot Cahoon had a hat trick for us.

THFB—In the championship game, BU faced a Minnesota team it had shut out, 6-0, earlier in the season. On the brink of the program’s first title, how did Coach Kelley make sure the team wasn’t too revved up for the game? 

JP—I think it was the opposite. We wanted to make sure they didn’t take Minnesota [which had beaten Harvard] too lightly. They didn’t have a spectacular record but got hot late in the season and won the WCHA championship. So, Jack was building them up saying “these guys are really good and you’d better be ready for them.” [BU would take an early 2-0 lead and win its first-ever title, 4-2, with two goals from Stirling. Extended Video Highlights]

                                                              

THFB—In evaluating the season, how do you compare this team to other BU championship and NCAA finalist squads? 

JP— I think this was the best BU team of all time. One, because they were 28-2-0. Two, because they were so spectacular on the power play. And we were very stingy at the defensive end with two great goalies. I could say the ’78 team was a great BU team and the ’95 team was one of the best BU teams of all time, no question. The ’76 team and the ’91 team were probably the best BU teams that didn’t win the national tournament. I’d like to say one of my teams was the best, but the ‘71 team was unbelievable because they dominated so many teams score-wise, mostly because they were so spectacular on the power play. In my mind, that was the best BU team in history.

 

 

Book Review: “The Making of a Miracle”

by John Giles

By all accounts, Mike Eruzione and Jack Parker have been great friends for more than forty years. If you’re familiar with their backgrounds, the source of this friendship shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Each of them was raised in modest circumstances in hardscrabble towns; Eruzione in Winthrop, Parker in Somerville. 

Parker demanded a high degree of competitiveness and determination from his players at BU. Eruzione cites these attributes as his greatest strengths. 

Parker’s acceptance speech at his induction into the US Hockey Hall of Fame acknowledged the dominant role “coincidence” played throughout his career. In “The Making of a Miracle”, recently published by Harper Press, Eruzione, via co-author Neal Boudette, proudly and repeatedly asserts that chance played no less of a part in his life.

Eruzione’s honesty about all facets of his upbringing and career is the central theme of the book. He was raised in a “three-decker” in working class, insular Winthrop. His family lived on one floor; aunts, uncles and cousins occupied the other two. In fact, he terms the arrangement as “three floors, no doors” that housed one large, rambling family. His father, Eugene, known as “Jeep”, worked multiple jobs. Mike caddied and shoveled snow, giving the money he made to his mother.

When he wasn’t working, Eruzione was consumed by sports. He played baseball, football and hockey. Above all else, he thrived on competition. He found his first mentor in Bob DeFelice, the Winthrop High School football coach. “Deefa” demanded discipline and competitiveness from his team. Eruzione flourished in this environment. Football became his “passion”.

Serendipity first appears in Eruzione’s life during the summer after a year spent in prep school. Having drawn no interest from Division 1 schools, he was on track to attend Merrimack College, play Division 2 hockey, and eventually become a teacher while coaching multiple high school athletic teams. In fact, it seems if that had become his destiny, Eruzione would have been happy. 

However, with nothing else to do one August night, Eruzione decided to play a game of pickup hockey and returned home with a scholarship to a Division 1 college. Some of his buddies just happened to play in a summer hockey league and just happened to need another player for the evening’s game. Eruzione grabbed his hockey equipment and accompanied them. By chance, Jack Parker officiated the game that night. 

At the time, Parker was an assistant coach at BU, charged with recruitment. By chance, a couple of players he thought he’d recruited for BU went elsewhere. Parker was impressed by Eruzione’s play. Needing two players on short notice, Parker asked him what his college plans were. When Eruzione responded that he’d received no interest from Division 1 schools, Parker offered him a scholarship to BU. Parker filled the remaining scholarship by recruiting Rick Meagher who became a three time All-American and Eruzione’s lifelong friend. Coincidence and happenstance, indeed.

Eruzione’s career at BU had a rough start. He was buried on the JV team, at first, and hadn’t advanced above skating the fourth line when circumstances intervened again. BU fired Head Coach Leon Abbott due to “recruiting violations” shortly after the season started. 

The beneficiaries of Abbott’s dismissal were Parker and Eruzione. Parker became Head Coach, inheriting a very talented team. Again, Eruzione was playing for a coach who demanded and appreciated competitiveness, hard work and determination.  Eruzione thrived at BU as the team won the championship of eastern college hockey each of his four seasons. They never won a National Championship, however, and never advanced to the championship game, which Eruzione regards as a “blot on my career.” 

Following graduation from BU, Eruzione knocked around the minor leagues of professional hockey. The era in which talented college players advanced to the NHL hadn’t quite dawned. Again, chance plays a role in his future. While playing in various minor leagues, Eruzione had played nine games in leagues that were considered “professional” by international standards. If he’d played a tenth game, he’d have lost his eligibility for the Olympics.

He participated in the National Sports Festivals during the late seventies. The US Olympic Ice Hockey committee used these games to select the players who would comprise the 1980 Olympic team. Herb Brooks, who would coach the team, was already familiar with Eruzione from the small world of college hockey, and through his play for the US during international tournaments.

For longtime college hockey followers, much of the book’s appeal lies in the background Eruzione and Boudette provide about the game during the seventies. Eruzione describes what it was like to play for Parker, the personalities of some of his teammates, the depth of BU’s rivalry with BC and detailed descriptions of key moments of important games BU played during his college career. 

The second half of the book covers the entire Olympic experience, from player selection and training camp, through the long pre-Olympic schedule and the games themselves, to the glorious aftermath and celebration of the Gold Medal victory.

Again, Eruzione provides extensive detail. He describes the dynamics among the players, the East – West animosity that marked the team after it was first assembled, and key games played prior to the Olympics. Herb Brooks is center stage at this point. Eruzione and Boudette do a terrific job portraying Brooks’ single-mindedness, especially his relationship with the players. 

Apparently, Eruzione and Boudette reviewed films of all games played by the US during the Olympics. If not, then Eruzione must have a world class memory. They recount the essential details of all contests and the flow of play that led to critical goals. They devote two riveting chapters to the “Miracle” game against the Soviet Union. Chance re-enters Eruzione’s life as he hopped onto the ice and into the Soviet defensive zone at precisely the right moment to collect a pass and score the goal that changed the direction of his life permanently. 

Essentially, Eruzione recounts the final ten minutes of the game, as the US protected its one goal lead, on a shift by shift basis. He provides detail and insight that even avid hockey fans may not have known or appreciated previously.

In the final chapters, Eruzione describes his post-Olympic, post-hockey life. He acknowledges that fate has provided him with many opportunities over the last forty years. However, he leaves the impression that he’d have been happy with his life even if he hadn’t met Jack Parker, maintained his amateur athletic standing or scored one of the most celebrated goals in hockey history.