Minutes of Monday, March 16

The Topsham Express Rotary Club was off and running on Marc h 16 when President Ron tapped the “Donley Bell” and called us to order.  After a fine prayer from Ron, he called on Bill Gillispie to solicit happy dollars from the faithful.  As Bill was striding to the front of the room a challenge was heard, “an extra dollar if you don’t mention the St. Louis Cardinals.  With a wry smile Bill responded, “a dollar for a great day.”  President Ron couldn’t help himself when he said, It will be the Cards and the Cubs.  Bob Davis put in a dollar to salute Gordon’s presentation last week on sailing.  Joel Merry gave a dollar for a driver in SAD 75 who brings children’s books on his bus for older kids to read to younger ones on their way to school.  Bill Brillant confessed to “drinking the bug juice” as he showed off his new Rotary tie he purchased at PETs (President Elect Training) conference in Framingham.  He told us Carolyn Johnson, current district governor, did a great job designing the event.  Bill informed the faithful that we are not the smallest club in the district.  Bill concluded his happy dollars with a recognition that his step daughter is visiting for a week.  Tom Connelie proudly announced that Spring IS coming.  His other dollar was for the time he sailed with his brother in law and turned the boat upside down.  Gordon Donley told us that when a boat’s mast is pointing down it is called “turning turtle”.

Topsham Expresso Rotary will be represented in the Big Brothers Big Sisters bowl a thon on March 28.  Bill Brillant informed us that the district assembly will be held on March 28 from 8- 1:30.  He invited others to join him that day.

The program for this day was arranged by member Fred Burgess.  With his wife, Irene Boetscher, they provided a wonderful presentation on the Boston Bruins Hockey team.  Unashamedly Fred admitted that his wife with the most fervent fan of the two of them so he deferred the narration to her while he worked the video presentation he had arranged.  Irene has always been a hockey fan but when she met Tim Thomas, goalie for the Bruins, in 2011 after winning the Stanley Cup she got hooked. 

Irene shared that in 1899 Isabel Stanley, daughter of Lord Stanley, and a promoter of women as skaters, pushed her father to fund a trophy for hockey.  Hence, the Stanley Cup, the coveted prize of winning the annual playoffs in the National Hockey League.

In 1924 Boston had the first professional hockey team in North America.  How did the Boston hockey team come up with Bruins?  A contest revealed that fans like “Bears” as a name for the team: reason was that bears had speed, agility, and cunning.  But the name was morphed into Bruins, a nickname for brown bears. 

When Irene asked who were the original six teams in the league a few hands went up.  Tom Connelie listed them as Detroit, New York, Chicago, Boston, Montreal and Toronto.  He was correct.  In 1929 Boston won its first Stanley Cup.  Five other cups were held over the course of time.

Irene shared a lot of history of some of the best players through the years.  Of course, Bobby Orr is the name most people think of when the Bruins are mentioned.  His famous horizontal leap in front of the goal is one of the all time great sports shots in modern times.  Other names included Milt Schmitt (the leader of the all German “Kraut Line”), Johnny Bucyk, Don Cherry and Derk Sanderson. (please forgive the misspelling of this non hockey fan).

Thanks Irene and Fred for a great presentation.