from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

Bruins Hall of Fame winger John Bucyk hoped to have one of his hips replaced in March, only to have the surgery delayed because of the logjam the coronavirus pandemic has created at hospitals around North America.

Bucyk’s operation initially was rescheduled for April 2, but that also was postponed, and now the Chief awaits word as to when surgeons can gain access to an operating room and ease his excruciating pain.

“The one hip is fine,” explained Bucyk, who will celebrate his 85th birthday May 12. "But the other one, the X-ray shows there’s no cartilage in there. Nothing, just bone on bone. Pretty painful. But, hey, I’ve got no complaints. It’ll get done.”

Bucyk, who is 25th on the all-time NHL scoring list (1,369 points), made those hips the signature of his physical play during his 23 seasons, all but the first two spent with the Bruins. A rock-solid 6 feet and 215 pounds, he perfected the art of the hip check, often sending unsuspecting puck carriers upside-down and sideways as they attempted to circle out from behind the net.

continued plus more hockey topics...