However, you may want to comfirm this Derek "Turk" Sanderson is a talented but troubled member of the Stanley Cup-winning Bruins in the 1970s. 3-3 at the end of the third? Donny Marcotte should have got a lot more attention than he did. Would you like to create an account so you can see these Favourites on your other devices too? In the pre-season, he was involved in a brawl at a local strip club that left him in a hospital, where tests showed an extremely high level of alcohol as well as evidence of cocaine, sleeping pills, Seconal and Valium in his system. WebTurk Becomes a Blazer by Frank Bertucci The Hockey Spectator August 1972 It was this city's biggest signing since 1776. WebDerek Sanderson, popularly called Turk, is a former professional ice hockey player. I wanted to protect athletes from themselves, he says. He was terrified of flying so the Bruins sent him to a psychiatrist who made two disastrous errors. "[The money] just sped up the process," he says. I didnt understand it.. This then lead to free sex, a lifestyle as close to heaven as a young, good-looking hockey star from small town Niagara Falls could ever imagine. In his book, he writes about mixing cocktails in a salad spinner and consuming four bottles of wine "just to get square." As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Hes dedicated to making sure they do not lose the millions of dollars that fell through his hands. After hitting bottom in the late 1970s, he managed to pull himself up. I was really happy that it was as close as it was. [14]. His short pass found its way to Orr. It remains the only time in Bruins history that they had consecutive Calder Trophy winners.[8]. If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is, Katy Perry will be temporarily replaced by big-name star on 'American Idol', DEAR ABBY: Ex-girlfriend believes she wasn't cheating, LILLEY: Three years after Trudeau's gun ban, nothing has changed, Cats scratch Leafs fans, discourage them to buy road tickets, Megyn Kelly causes stir posing poolside in 'Make Women Female Again' MAGA-style hat, Photo by Michael Peake, Toronto Sun files, tap here to see other videos from our team. Sanderson, the man who delivered the pass to Bobby Orr on the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 1970, was not just an athlete, however. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. Soon his bank account was running on fumes, too. Derek Sanderson was a product of his times with a nickname to match. His popularity reached heartthrob and rock He told them about a shaggy-haired kid who was once the highest-paid athlete in the world. Later, he developed cirrhosis of the liver. Sandersons ridiculously opulent lifestyle was driven in part by watching his own father work for $26 a week sweeping floors, before becoming a machinist. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), assisting Bobby Orrs Stanley Cup-winning goal, Takeaways: Bruins waited too long in first-round series to make goalie change before losing Game 7 to Panthers, Don Sweeneys busy trade deadline is paying off in Bruins first-round series against Panthers, Charlie McAvoy set the tone and doled out plenty of punishment in Bruins momentum-shifting Game 3 win. I've watched them for a long time and Marchand is my favorite. Boston Bruins and BostonBruins.com are trademarks of Boston Professional Hockey Association, Inc. (BPHA). On the ice, he did it all. You could trust him. Sanderson had only one request: He didn't want the Bruins lawyer to be in the room. He took his first drink at 7 when an uncle gave him a beer at Christmas. Hes also a prostate cancer survivor. With the NHL shut down in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Bruins are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their 1970 Stanley Cup season. My thanks to it for arranging this interview. [10], He also received publicity for his numerous female companions and lavish ways, which included a Rolls-Royce car and circular bed. I never really reacted right away. WebWhy was Derek Sanderson called Turk? This is a problem for anyone who has to travel for work. Then, while in a drunken stupor, he nearly froze to death sleeping in the snow. WebNow, it looks like his life story is one step closer to the big screen. He helps professional athletes invest their money as vice president of Baystate Wealth Management in Boston. Draft beer used to be a nickel.. When I was young playing bantam, 11 or 12 years old, my father had me pay attention to every faceoff, said Sanderson. But he says he was embarrassed by it and almost turned it down. Which team did you hate the most to play against? [Vancouver Canucks forward] Bobby Lalonde was 5-foot-4. Wanting to make sure that other hockey players would not follow his path, Sanderson organized The Professionals Group at State Street Global Advisors, where he was Director of The Sports Group that provided professional financial advice to athletes in the 1990s. There were two aspects of Sandersons game that were crucial in the recently expanded NHL when he broke in with the Bruins in the 1968-69 season. Its a poverty thing.. After their series victory over the Rangers followed by a sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 196970 playoffs, the Bruins faced the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Finals. And about how quickly the gas gauge said empty. "I liked life. WebCasey Sherman, author behind the books that became "The Finest Hours" and "Patriots Day," has written "Turk," a film about Bruins center Derek Sanderson. "I was making more money than Bobby Orr. Steroids were prescribed to alleviate the problem, but when they dried out his hip sockets, it only grew worse in nature. WebDerek Sanderson vs. Tim Horton, October 26, 1968 - Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs. Derek Michael Turk Sanderson (June 16, 1946-) served up the pass to Bobby Orr in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals against the St. Louis Blues that Orr buried past Jacques Plante to help the Bruins capture their first Stanley Cup championship in 29 years. [They've] got some great players. Video: 1970: Bobby Orr's iconic OT goal wins Cup for Bruins. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. [Blues defenseman] Jean-Guy Talbot should never have come to meif you're the defenseman, you're not gonna go behind the net. I recently interviewed Derek Sanderson, the NHL hockey player, in Toronto during a dinner sponsored by Healthy Minds Canada. A year later the two budding superstars were teammates on the Bruins. He was a notorious partier, living in a constant haze of booze, drugs and women. He would tell me, 'Once you are sober, we'll do things together and you'll always make money.' Did you know the pass to Orr was going to work out? It was the beginning of the end. Among his clients are former Bruins Bobby Orr and Cam Neely. Jean-Guy Talbot should never have come to me and when he came to me and poke checked me and flipped it over, the rest was up to Bobby. 2023 Toronto Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. I believe because he looked like the macho male model who always The owner of the Bruins wisely cautioned him that, for someone not bred to wealth, it would ruin his life. Really, I hated Montreal. As a leading star, the rival hockey league soon offered him an unprecedented $2.6 million dollars to be the first NHL player to switch to the WHA league. Especially for one nicknamed The Turk.. WebFormer NHL player Derek Sanderson poses in Toronto on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012. Despite his attack on the "franchise," Sanderson actually gained a lot of respect from fans and management for his style of play that game. Its often forgotten that they started out from pretty average means, or worse. They always had talent. More Sanderson Pages. On Thursday, August 3, Derek Sanderson became the world's highest-paid professional athlete when he signed a $2,625,000 contract with the Philadelphia Blazers. But they're on top of you, they've got all the leverage. The game is meant to be played with 16 guys - 10 forwards, three lines and an extra; two D pairs and an extra. We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Phil said, 'What a shame, I'm stuck here.' Booze and drugs send Sandersons life into a downward spiral but his superstar teammate Bobby Orr helps him get his life back together. He blew out his knee, was getting operated on. "I hated the smell, so I held my nose and swallowed it all. And for someone who was originally afraid of public speaking, he learned to be the hockey commentator on Boston Bruins broadcasts. Do you have pictures of Gracie Thompson from the movie Gracie's choice. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. I was a single guy playing for the most popular hockey team on the planet, beautiful women all around me. We were lucky. (The Blazers also gave his father a five-year, $250,000 deal as a scout.) The Rolls-Royce dealer, wearing a three-piece suit, sniffed at his presence, folded up the newspaper he was reading and got up from his desk. "I help athletes live within their means. In 1965 Turk led his team to the Memorial Cup, symbol of junior hockey supremacy in It wasn't Turk, it was Derek and it was Phil. On Thursday, August 3, Derek Sanderson To see your localized preferences, please enable geolocation services in your browser settings. On November 1, in a game at Cleveland, Sanderson suffered a back injury when he slipped on a piece of paper on the ice. include items vital to surviving the extreme weather of every season. Negative publicity over some of the club's less than reputable patrons led to problems and eventually Sanderson had to get out of what went from a "goldmine" to a money-losing venture.[17]. A day earlier, the shaggy-haired Boston Bruins star of the late 60s and early 70s signed the richest contract in sports history a $2.65-million deal with the Philadelphia Blazers of the WHA (surpassing Pel on the highest-paid athlete list). Then they put the third-man-in rule in. [19], Sanderson went on to become a sports broadcaster. Experience Rogers Hometown Hockey. And he's never ceased to amaze me since. An error has occurred while trying to update your details. His lifestyle eventually left him penniless. It wasn't long before Westfall and Sanderson emerged as the most accomplished penalty-killing tandem in the league. "The more I had, the more temptations there were, and the less I turned them down. [15] He received $600,000 in cash as part of the agreement, an offer that the Bruins declined to match. What is wrong with reporter Susan Raff's arm on WFSB news? Who makes the plaid blue coat Jesse stone wears in Sea Change? Along the way, he studied to become a financial advisor. And he did. If you work hard, they're not gonna throw rocks at you. They wheeled the bed out, the whole nine yards. Derek The Turk Sanderson, One of the Great Characters in Sports, Talks Openly about His Glory Days with Stanley Cup Winning Bruins, Life as a Bachelor in the Swinging Sixties and Seventies, His 13 Trips to Rehab, and Life in General. Those fans were comedians. During his career, Sanderson made several bad business investments and lost millions of dollars in the process. The game-winning play was a give-and-go pass from Sanderson to Orr in the slot and Blues Hall of Fame goalie Glenn Hall never had a chance. I used to watch the Big Bad Bruins on my grandparents television set in Hyannis growing up, Sherman said. I was pumped. [Gary Doak] was there. Dallas Smith, Teddy Green, there was a few of them. By that time, Sanderson had developed vascular necrosis. Please contact us. I enjoyed it," he adds. Please try again. A 7-handicap who once played to a 1, Sanderson plays nearly every day during the summer, despite walking with a limp after 10 hip surgeries. Those early years in Boston were the apex of his life. "I didn't want him getting any credit," he said. The lawyer had made a string of bad investments, and that, along with Sandersons lifestyle, had drained his bank account. "When you're young and making $40 or $50 million, you don't know what to do with it," he says. Later this year, the movie "Turk" (Sanderson's nickname) is scheduled to be released. It was gang tactics most of the time. Sanderson did know how to grab a headline. He spent 10 years with New England Sports Network and WSBK-TV with play-by-play announcer Fred Cusick. He was drinking more regularly by age 20. WebIn his book, 'Crossing the Line: The Outrageous Story of a Hockey Original, Derek Sanderson, who played for five NHL teams throughout his career including the Bruins [20] His second autobiography, Crossing the Line: The Outrageous Story of a Hockey Original, written with Kevin Shea, was released in October 2012. The sedate life of an amateur golfer is a long way from when he was spinning out of control with a combination of drugs, alcohol and far too much disposable income. Haven Toronto / Privacy Policy -Charity Number 118941269RR0001. Eddie Westfall. Your existing password has not been changed. On a rainy afternoon in Philadelphia, a young man walked into a Rolls-Royce dealership, curious because hed never been close to such a pricey and prestigious car. Sanderson insisted he was misquoted. [22] In September 2013, Sanderson received the Hockey Legacy Award from The Sports Museum at TD Garden.[23]. Harold decided his son would become a hockey star, so Derek began skating at the age of 8 and received an expensive pair of skates at 12 with the promise that he would give his dad a Stanley Cup ring someday. While the doctor took him off the Valium, Sanderson still needed something to calm his nerves before a flight. He drove a silver Rolls Royce, owned a nightclub, Bachelors Three, in New York and Boston in partnership with Joe Namath and could make quite an entrance with his full-length mink coat and a new blonde on his arm every night. Asked why hockey players are usually good golfers, he says, "It's not foreign for us to hit something at our feet. WebBobby Orr, Edward Burns, Derek Sanderson and Aaron Lubin attend the "Turk" Movie Launch Event at W Boston on January 9, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. Born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Sanderson was the son of Canadian Army Private Harold A. Sanderson, and Caroline Hall Gillespie of Dysart, Scotland. All Rights Reserved. When no takers stepped forward before the next season, he retired from the game.[18]. BostonBruins.com is the official website of the Boston Bruins. The puck has to be inside your weighted foot and you have to stay behind it when you swing." [7], After brief stints with the Bruins in the two previous seasons, Sanderson earned a permanent roster spot in the 196768 campaign. WebTurk: Directed by John Curran. For him to get that goal, Bobby, I was so happy. The team grew tired of the contrast between his lack of performance on the ice and his considerable energy off it. But I wore a tuxedo that night - St. Louis, they're not gonna beat us, so I wore a tuxedo to the Garden. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Ah yes, and Jack Edwards, you are no Fred Cusick when it comes to play by play. I had a friend tell me once, 'Derek, hanging out with you is like being in a movie. Get us past the opening and I can double you back and make it a defensive battle and eventually you're gonna win because we were that much better. Bobby ended up parallelI was amazed that that [photographer] caught it right at that moment. "Somewhere along the way you meet up with responsibility and it's usually a woman standing there saying this is what we need to do.". A serious knee injury. With the contract offer in hand, he went to see Bruins owner Weston Adams, Sr. Adams asked why he was there when he had the proverbial offer he couldn't refuse. In 1977, Sandersons attorney informed him that hed lost everything. I remember McKay as a tall stringbean defenseman, a journeyman at best. The guys said, 'Oh, what are you doing?' Club officials would only say the pact is from "5 to 15 years". Enter your email address to get a new one. He and Ed Westfall were considered the best penalty-kill pair in his era. What time does normal church end on Sunday? Derek Sanderson was living the life of a sports playboy until he hit rock bottom- but he came back ready to make a difference in other athletes' lives. Here's a recap of some of Sanderson's best memories. (approx 1 - 2 per week). Adams, who was going to offer $75,000, said under the circumstances he could go up a little. His long brown hair settled on his shoulders, matching his moustache perfectly a standard look for a 26-year-old professional hockey player from Niagara Falls in 1972. [Patrice] Bergeron has a great pair of hands, he's as good as anybody in the game two ways, up and down. He broke to the net on a give-and-go and (Blues defenseman) Jean Guy Talbot should never have come to me. He claims a counsellor at Hotel Dieu, a rehab center in St. Catharines, Ontario, caught him at just the right time. I said, 'Well, what are you gonna do?'. They did a study on the top 10 sports pictures of the century and that picture won it. A few smart-alec quotes in the press made his new owners irate and, before the season was over, the team bought him out for $1 million. When did Derek Sanderson retire? Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Sherman, who spent time with Sanderson during the four months he worked on the script, said he was a young fan of Sandersons. [9] If the Frank J. Selke Trophy had been given to the top defensive forward during his Bruins stint -- the award made its debut in the 1977-78 season -- it's not unrealistic to think that Sanderson would have been the recipient more than once. To begin with, Sanderson fears flying. Web1967 Topps. That was all I needed, just a little opening. Ace Bailey. The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Sanderson as a free agent in 197778. ", "Falling Down: The greatest downfalls in Canadian sports history", "20 Questions: Ex-NHLer Derek Sanderson on running the town and sleeping on its benches", "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Derek Sanderson", "The Ever Elusive, Always Inscrutable And Still Incomparable Bobby Orr", "Boston Sports Museum's 12th annual 'The Tradition', "A movie about a Bruins legend is in the works", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Derek_Sanderson&oldid=1150859446, Oklahoma City Blazers (19651977) players, Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Retired as the NHL career leader in shorthanded goals (currently 11th all time), Selected to the OHA-Jr. First All-Star Team. WebPlot: What's the story about? But I realized that I needed help. But Harry came to me at the end of the game (regulation) and said, Listen, usually these things end quickly and the only chance theyve got is if it ends quickly., I sat beside Phil and he goes, I cant believe that. I said, What are you going to do? . I live across the street from Bobby. I'll wear a sweatshirt home.'. By now, his alcoholism and substance abuse was in full bloom. 1970 and 1972 were, but for the man they called "Turk," the first one had He was demoted to the Boston Braves of the American Hockey League for three games then traded to the rival New York Rangers. He's got complete stick controlwhen you're coming into forecheck somebody and they go left to right, no, go right at them and drop your stick.
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