Today in Boston Bruins History: July 31

Boston Bruins history for July 31 has two things, both involving the city of Toronto:

1960: Tom McCarthy is born in Toronto, Ontario. Drafted by the old Minnesota North Stars in 1979, he played in Minny until 1986. He missed much of 1985-86, though, due to Bell’s palsy, which is a form of facial paralysis that leaves people unable to control the muscles on the affected side of their face. It’s often treatable and can be fully recovered from, though. McCarthy was able to recover and play again, spending a 59-point 1986-87 campaign in Boston and a seven-game season to follow. Unfortunately, after he retired, he got caught up in some trouble with the law, getting involved with a drug dealer and paying the price, serving hard time in both American and Canadian prisons for conspiracy to traffic drugs. Once he paid his debt to society, he went into coaching, mostly coaching junior teams–he continues to do so today.

2011: Tyler Seguin has his day with the Stanley Cup. After a visit to his condo in downtown Toronto, he visited The Hospital for Sick Children to show Stanley off to the kids in a lounge inside the hotel where kids can play pool, use computers and watch movies. Of course, the kids loved the visitors. Then he went to his hometown of Brampton and met a crowd of more than 2,000 at Chinguacousy Park for an official ceremony with the mayor, who gave him a key to the city. His arena visit was to Rexdale’s Westwood Arena, which isn’t the home of his junior team; he played for the Plymouth Whalers. But at Westwood, more than 1,000 people waited to get their moments with the Cup. Then, he got to ride by limo to a friend’s house for a barbecue and backyard party, getting some fuel before heading out to the nightclub Club Embassy in Toronto. Photos from that event show him drinking, but he is legal to do so in Canada.

 

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