Eddie Johnston certainly saw good times with the Bruins after a lot of bad times in the mid 60's. The Bruins protected EJ in the 1967 expansion draft as they felt he deserved a chance to play for a better Bruins team so they let the promising Bernie Parent be exposed and he was claimed by Philadelphia.
ESPN sat down with him.
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/1...ston-more-pittsburgh-penguins-good-luck-charm
ESPN sat down with him.
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/1...ston-more-pittsburgh-penguins-good-luck-charm
Anderson: You were the last goalie to play every minute of every game for a team, and you did it without a mask?
Johnston: Yeah. No brains, either. On my back was my IQ back then. I was No. 1. You really only had one [goalie] back then.
Anderson: When did you start wearing a mask?
Johnston: I got hit in Detroit in the warmups [by teammate Bobby Orr's slap shot on Halloween night 1968] and I was in a coma for six weeks. I remember [St. Louis goalie] Glenn Hall came up to the hospital to see me when his team came in town, and he put the mask on that night. Back then we wore [the form-fitting white "Friday the 13th"] masks. If the puck hit you hard, you would get cut, but it would save you from breaking bones. Now [masks] are terrific, all the equipment for the goalies. With us, starting at training camp, you were black and blue and you were hurting all the time. Your arm pads were soft. You had a chest protector, but you never had anything for your shoulders. They have protection all over now, thank God.