from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,

Fifty years ago tonight, one hard shoulder shot turned old Boston Garden into a war zone – and set the stage for a Bruins-Maple Leafs rivalry that echoes today.

Pat Quinn might as well have knocked Paul Revere off his horse in the midst of his Midnight Ride when he stepped into New England’s beloved superstar Bobby Orr as the Bruins were in the midst of embarrassing Toronto 10-0 in Game 1 of their first-round series. Orr was destined to lead the B’s from laughing stocks to Stanley Cup champions while the once-mighty Leafs were about to fade into post-expansion irrelevance and be swept in four straight....

Orr’s hip, then bare head hit the ice and he lay flat out cold as concerned teammates gathered around. In the press box, NHL director of officiating Scotty Morrison whispered a quiet prayer.

“I said to the guy next to me, ‘If he doesn’t get up, we don’t get out of here alive.’”

Orr did not have a broken neck as some feared, eventually diagnosed with a concussion, his first and only.

“It was deathly quiet,” agreed Quinn. “Then as soon as they got him up and off the ice, it was bedlam.”

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Below, watch Don Cherry on the hit...

added 11:10am, below, watch Pat Quinn on the hit...