New England Whalers Hockey Fight (4:55)
Like a surprising number of Americans and Canadians, I watched Pittsburgh's exciting triple-overtime win in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night. Seeing Bob Neumeier anchoring the broadcast booth reminded me of this strange little gem of a single.
Bob Neumeier was a fixture on the New England broadcasting scene, working his way through local stations and a lengthy stint as the weekend sports anchor for WBZ. "Neumy" got his first broadcasting break while working public relations for the WHA's Hartford Whalers, when Connecticut station WTIC asked him to do play-by-play for the team in 1975.
On April 11 of that year, during a hotly contested playoff game with the Minnesota Fighting Saints, the WHA record for penalty minutes was established during a bench-clearing brawl. A total of 217 penalty minutes were logged, and the team decided to mark the occasion by releasing a single of Neumeier and Bill Rasmussen calling the action. The flip side offers "The New England Whalers Victory March," better known as Jack Say's "Brass Bonanza."
Neumeier and Rasmussen are clearly loving every moment of the brawl on the ice. At one point, you'll hear Rasmussen climbing part way out of the booth to get a better view of the fighting going on beneath him. Neumeier cheers on the home team, even as he condemns the cheap shot by Bill Butters that triggered the melee.
It's a glorious little bit of chaos. They don't make hockey like this anymore.
I'm bummed the Penguins lost -- but this always cheers me up every time:
http://highonhockey.blogspot.com/search/label/Hockey%20Sock%20Rock
Someone in WFMUland has to appreciate Phil Esposito's Hockey Sock Rock, the Rangers during those Sassoon days, and hockey players doing any kind of singing.
Posted by: Susan | June 08, 2008 at 04:56 PM