Montreal Gazette Feature on Johnny Bucyk

Bruins legend Johnny Bucyk, 79, still plays a vital role for his team

He’s first off the bus when it pulls into the Bell Centre garage, followed by a handful of coaches and perhaps half his team, the rest having arrived earlier by foot or by cab. Johnny Bucyk walks briskly toward the Boston Bruins dressing room, his lists and checklists under his arm, two Stanley Cup rings on his fingers and a Rolex on his wrist.

Bucyk will greet friends, acquaintances and welcome the hug of longtime Bell Centre visitors-room security guard Carole Pellerin, who treats the Bruins legend like a king and adores him fully.

And then he’ll settle into a chair outside the dressing room, the arena bowl remaining unseen to him during the game between his team and the host Canadiens.

At 79, Bucyk is the energetic, jack-of-all-trade road services coordinator for the Bruins, the man who keeps his team moving smoothly around the NHL, a seamless route from buses onto charter airplanes, into hotels and restaurants and then on to the next town.

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