Thank You, Bobby Orr Winthrop Boys, Girls Hockey Teams

We have the ultimate hockey hero in Michael Eruzione living in our midst and there are other reasons why Winthrop has always been considered a hockey hotbed — notably the success of our Winthrop High boys hockey program from the coaching eras of Bill Falasca in the 1970s (when Winthrop won a state title) and Tom Holmen to our current mentor, Dale Dunbar, whose teams play hard and fundamentally-sound hockey.

Our girls ice hockey team, led by Coach Anthony Martucci, is also on a roll and the team is celebrating a landmark win Saturday over defending Division 1 state champion St. Mary’s High School.

There are big games ahead for the both programs, beginning this Saturday when the boys host undefeated Beverly in what could be a preview of the North Sectional finals of the state tournament.

The Larsen Rink at the Mike Eruzione Center has been drawing big crowds this year and we hope Winthrop residents will continue to support our two exciting and talented boys and girls hockey teams.

We would note that hockey came of age in Winthrop during the era of Bobby Orr and the big, bad Boston Bruins, for whom the fervor on the part of local fans led to the construction of Larsen Rink in the early 1970s, providing Winthrop athletes with an opportunity to excel unmatched in most communities.

So on behalf of today’s high school and youth hockey players, we say, “Thank you Bobby Orr, Derek Sanderson, Phil Esposito, Gerry Cheevers, and Johnny MacKenzie, for creating a legacy that still remains today.”