Sanderson played junior hockey in his hometown with the
Niagara Falls Flyers of the
Ontario Hockey Association. His time with the Flyers saw him being named to the Second All-Star Team in
1965–66, to the First All-Star Team in
1966–67 and winning the
Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the top scorer in the OHA also in 1966–67. In
1964–65, Sanderson helped the Flyers reach the
Memorial Cup finals where they beat the
Edmonton Oil Kings in five games. After spending four years in the OHA, Sanderson turned pro by signing with the
Boston Bruins of the
National Hockey League in
1965–66, and made his professional debut that season by playing two games with the Bruins.
Boston Bruins (1968–1972) After brief stints with the Bruins in the two previous seasons, Sanderson earned a permanent roster spot in the
1967–68 campaign. The 21-year-old scored 24 goals and 49 points in 71 games. He also had 98
penalty minutes, establishing himself as something of a "tough guy". Although Sanderson had been an elite scorer in junior hockey, the Bruins already boasted the most potent offense in hockey when he joined the club. Instead, head coach
Harry Sinden had a different vision for him, one as a valuable multi-purpose center who could neutralize the top center men in the league, dominate the face-off dot, help kill penalties at a high rate, unnerve opponents with physical if not chippy play and contribute at the offensive end on a regular basis. Sanderson would become a fixture on the third line, often paired with left wing
Wayne Carleton or
Don Marcotte and right wing
Ed Westfall throughout his Bruins career. In particular, Westfall and Sanderson developed an uncommon chemistry that allowed them to become one of the most accomplished penalty-killing tandems in league history. Sanderson also became one of the first NHL centers to focus on and excel in winning faceoffs. Sanderson averaged more than 24 goals over his first five seasons, the best of which was the 1970-71 campaign, when he had career highs of 29 goals, 63 points and a plus-39 rating in 71 games. The Bruins captured consecutive East Division titles in the
1970–71 and
1971–72 seasons, and won the Stanley Cup in
1971–72 against the
New York Rangers, its second in three seasons.
The Flying Goal After their series victory over the Rangers followed by a sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks in the
1969–70 playoffs, the Bruins faced the
St. Louis Blues in the
Stanley Cup Final. With the Bruins ahead in the series 3–0, Game 4 went into overtime with the teams deadlocked at 3-all. Forty seconds into the extra period, Sanderson controlled the puck behind the Blues goal line, at which point defenseman Bobby Orr broke in from near the blue line. His short pass found its way to Orr, who fired a short wrist shot past goaltender
Glenn Hall before he went airborne, clinching the first Bruins
Stanley Cup in 29 years. In 2017, on the 100th anniversary of the league, fans voted the so-called Flying Goal as the greatest in its history.
Philadelphia Blazers (1972–1973) In the summer of 1972, Sanderson signed what was then the richest contract in professional sports history. The
Philadelphia Blazers of the new
World Hockey Association signed Sanderson to a five-year, $2.65 million contract that made him the highest-paid pro athlete in the world at the time. He received $600,000 in cash as part of the agreement, an offer that the Bruins declined to match. The remainder of the money was to be spread over 10 years. On November 1, in a game at Cleveland, Sanderson suffered a back injury when he slipped on a piece of debris on the ice. When he was fit to return weeks later, club management insisted that he remain inactive. It was widely speculated that it had hoped to prod Sanderson to bolt the team and void his lucrative deal but his contract was bought out for $800,000 after the season. ==The Mod New Face of Hockey==