Where's the Mayor When Ya Need Him?

DENNIS CROWLEY and Pauly O'Brien grew up together on Telegraph Hill in South Boston. At 64, they're still the greatest of friends, spending all their time together.

About 35 years ago, they began a little tradition. Every year they go to the Garden for the Bruins' first home game after St. Patrick's Day.

So on March 19th, the two friends headed to the Bruins game. The Bruins were playing the Edmonton Oilers, probably the best team in hockey. Fans weren't expecting a victory, just a couple of fights to keep the game interesting.

At about 9:15 of the first period, Ray Bourque threw Wayne Gretsky, the Edmonton star, a devastating body check. It looked like things would get pretty tense. One of Gretsky's defensemen (more like a bodyguard) moved toward Bourque, looking to teach him a lesson.

Everyone was guessing who would land the first blow. But it never came. Fans were amazed.

"What's goin' on? Bourque's being a pussy," Dennis shouted.

"I don't know, Dennis. Sure doesn't look like a hockey game out there, more like St. Monica's Easter Bake Sale.

"You know ever since Mayor Flynn started talkin' about finin' the players for fightin', it just ain't been the same out there."

Pauly, like just about everybody else who has watched hockey in the Garden during the last three weeks, was talking about the Mayor's plan to strike a blow against violence in the city. The plan, which the Mayor talked about a lot following a city hall news conference and a lot less since he met with NHL Commissoner John Ziegler last week, would fine professional athletes who fight on the playingfield or on the ice.

PAULY DOESN'T like it. "Well, I'll tell ya," he told Dennis, "No commie law from the Mayor is gonna work in this town. We like our sports and we're gonna keep 'em."

"Me and some of the guys at the VFW were talkin' about that last week," Pauly explained. "The way we see it, it's the NHL's job to determine when a guy's gone too far in a fight, not the Mayor's The NHL's been doin' a good enough job for me. Where's he get off tellin' us how to play hockey?"

Dennis was convinced: "I don't know why he's worrying about this. It sure ain't like we don't have enough real problems in the city. Why doesn't he do anything about the violence in my neighborhood? It's a hell of a lot worse than anything out there. Where's the Mayor when ya need 'em?"

"Ya know I really liked Flynn. He seemed like a smart guy, like us. But, he's becoming just a typical politician, stickin' his nose in where it don't belong, trying to get some attention.

"Remember when we used to come to these games. Geez, they used to beat the hell out of each other. Don't see good fights like that anymore. Ya know, Crowley, we've seen some great fighters--remember when Terry O'Rielly was out there?"

"I think he almost killed a few guys," Dennis reminisced.

It was about this time that the action on the ice began pick up.

"Wait a minute, Pauly. What do we got here? Maybe a fight brewing?"

"Oh, nothing. They're just eyeing each other again. Look like a couple of fags.

"But do you remember the fight that broke out in the stands in '60 or '61?"

Pauly did. "Must have been against Montreal," he recalled. Those Kunuks would come down from Worcester for the game. They'd get a couple of beers in 'em, start gettin' cocky, and all hell would break loose."

"Usually a couple of broken noses after those fights," Dennis said, "But nothing serious."

"Ya know, what's ridiculous about the Mayor's plan? It's not gonna stop any fights," Pauly said. "Guys are gonna fight. There's nothing anybody can do about it--least of all the Mayor."

But maybe Pauly was wrong about that. It was, after all, 16:30 into the third period and there hadn't been any "action" that night. It wasn't like the old days.

"Hey, remember that huge fight in '65," Pauly asked Balcony Section 26. "It lasted after the game was over. Talk about action. Everybody was fightin' in the street, and on the bus, and of course over at McFinney's. Finally broke it up, since it was stopping traffic."

"Remember that some guy died in that brawl?" Dennis asked.

"Yeah," Pauly remembered the story. "But I never believed it. Have to do something pretty stupid to get killed in one of those fights. Look at us, worst that we ever got was a couple of broken noses, and we been doin' this for 35 years."

"Looks like this thing's almost over, Dennis," Pauly said.

"Yeah. Let's head over to McFinney's. We'll beat the crowd."

"Have a couple 'o drinks for the old days--and 'real' hockey," Dennis agreed.

"And one for the Mayor. Maybe someday somebody was take care of the Mayor's worries, but it sure as hell is not going to be him. Where is he when ya need 'em?"