Have you grown to appreciate your career over time?
I'm proud of what I've done. No question about it. I am proud of my career. The bottom line is there are certain guys who could play in any era, and I'd like to consider myself one of those guys.
You had the chance to retire on your terms. Few do.
That was amazing. My dad and my brother Tony thought I should keep playing. But I was almost 39, and I wanted to give the young players on the Rangers more ice time. I had my last game—Jan. 9, 1981 against Buffalo—at Madison Square Garden, and it was great. I decided I would call it a career during that season when I woke up Christmas Eve 1980 and said to my wife I've had it. I'm going to retire. Though I never said I was quitting. I'm not a quitter.
Major difference in the game from then to now?
Guys are in better physical condition. We were told never to have muscles. We weren't allowed to lift weights. We weren't even allowed to drink water on the bench for crissakes. These guys are bigger than we were. Physically stronger. And the equipment is unbelievable. The way these guys block shots I would have had my shins broken over and over again. Everything is better, the travel, the money, everything.
What career moments stand out?
The first Stanley Cup 1970 in Boston comes to mind. So does scoring 100 points for the first time in 1968-69. I reached it by scoring shorthanded, and the crowd went crazy in Boston. I remember getting traded from Boston to New York in November 1975, big time. Don Cherry—in his ugly pajamas—and Bobby Orr came to my hotel room in Vancouver to tell me I had been traded. Bobby was by the window. I said – ‘I’ve been traded, haven’t I? If you tell me it’s New York, I'm going to jump out the window’. Cherry says, “Bob - open the window!”
What was playing with the Rangers like?
I loved the Boston Bruins. When I went to New York it was a very difficult time. The Rangers were the hated team to the Bruins. It wasn't fun for me in New York at first. I was named captain right away, which was the stupidest thing that ever happened. I don't believe in captains. Have three assistants instead. What does the captain do anyway, arrange the parties? It's a joke. They made a big deal out of it. Rod Gilbert should have been the captain. Or Walter Tkaczuk. It was embarrassing. But then I was part of the Rangers’ great run to the Finals in 1979. Our Stanley Cup came when we beat the Islanders in the semis. I remember watching Game 7 of Montreal-Boston and I was praying for the Bruins to win so we’d play them for the Stanley Cup. I knew we could beat them. I was sure of it! But Montreal beat Boston, and I remember after we won the first game of the Finals against the Canadiens at the Forum, I told our coach Freddie Shero to get us out of town. There was too much everything in Montreal. And our young guys did too much partying. We lost the next four games. But that was a great, great season for us.
What advice do you have for today’s players?
I won't get all philosophical. Ride it for all it is worth because it ends. And it ends before you are ready for it. Play as hard as you can. Love very minute and enjoy the money because it changes you. For me, it changed for the better. I made more as a general manager than as a player. But that was rare.
What would you eliminate from today’s game?
Players practice too much on days off. And skating for 45 minutes the day of a game in full gear is ridiculous. Coach Billy Reay with the Blackhawks always did it because he wanted to get guys out of bed on the road. I averaged 37 minutes a game, Bobby Orr close to 40 minutes. Guys nowadays play 15 minutes and they are tired. If they didn't practice so much, they’d have more for the games.
Are you a fan of the Olympics?
I'm not a big promoter of the Olympics because it shuts down our business for two weeks. And God forbid anything happens to a player. That could cost us millions of dollars. I can understand Gary Bettman’s reluctance going forward. I'm not sure it will happen again. It will be hard to do with the next Winter Games in Russia with the eight-hour time difference. I'm not getting up at 4 in the morning to watch a game. No way! I think that we should return to the Canada Cup pre-season tournament. Just like the Olympics but in September with the same teams that were in the Olympics. It worked for players of my era. The fans will be just as into it. I’m sure of that.
How do you regard your legacy?
Each era was different. I had the chance to play in Chicago—where our home building was unbelievable—and watch Bobby Hull score 50 goals. Then I had the chance to watch Bobby Orr up close and be part of a fabulous Boston team that should have won three or four Cups if we weren't so undisciplined off the ice. That was the best team I played with, and that's where I had my best success. And I loved playing in New York – after those first couple of years that is. I played hard and loved every minute I played. The good and the bad. I had this knack for getting to the net and putting the puck in the net.
Main regret?
I would have gone to the WHA in 1974-75 when I was offered a million dollars plus $500,000 more to play and $500,000 to manage the Vancouver Blazers for 10 years. I turned it down to stay in Boston and it was a mistake. Other guys who went to the WHA from Boston, like Derek Sanderson and Gerry Cheevers, came back to the NHL with money in their pockets. If I had known the Bruins were going to trade me, I never would have stayed with Boston instead of going to the WHA. I thought for sure I would be with the Bruins the rest of my career.
What was your greatest achievement?
That would have to be getting the Tampa Bay Lightning started and watching the sport grow in an area where nobody ever thought we could play hockey. We still hold the attendance record - 25,945 at the Thunderdome - for a playoff game in April 1996. And of course, seeing the Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2004 was awesome. I've done everything in this game except drive the Zamboni and sharpen skates. And there’s no chance of me ever driving a Zamboni. I’d run it right into the boards!
