Via the Vancouver Sun and courtesy of Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette, there is a fascinating story on Terry O'Reilly this week.Terry O'Reilly is one of the most popular sports stars in Boston. His physical style was as legendary as his Irish temper. But as Stubbs reports, the physical style has caused O'Reilly great difficulty later in life.
O'Reilly spent two weeks in Birmingham, England, undergoing surgery and initial rehabilitation. He returned home in a wheelchair, moved into a walker, then leaned on two canes, and finally one. From there he was on a stationary bike, on skates and, last summer, 18 months after his surgery, he took part in a two-day, 309-km charity bike ride.The 55 year old O'Reilly is now pain free, and about to return to the ice to participate in a charity alumni game to raise money for the Montreal Canadiens' Children's Fund.
Stubbs goes on to give a good recap of O'Reilly's career, and how Bruins fans loved him while fans of every other teams hated him while secretly admiring him.
"It was a passionate hate, at first," O'Reilly said. "But as years went by, I'd show up for an exhibition game in the fall, get a penalty, head for the box and the season-ticket holders behind it would be smiling, yelling: 'Hey Terry, have a good summer?' "
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