It’s one of the most famous goals in NHL history. But Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh unfortunately missed Bobby Orr’s legendary “Flying Goal.” Years later, the Bruins icon found out—and stunned Harbaugh with an incredible gift.
John Harbaugh and his brother Jim Harbaugh became the first brothers in NFL history to serve as head coaches. But they’ve always been competitive.
In 1970, as the Boston Bruins faced the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final, the Harbaugh brothers were watching from the basement of their home when their father, Jack, suddenly asked them to grab some snacks and drinks for him. As always, the brothers turned it into a race.
Bobby Orr’s hilarious move
Although the kitchen was only a short distance away, just as John was about to grab the cheese, crackers, and a beer, he heard a commotion from downstairs.
“Then I hear him go, ‘Yeah! Oh my God! Did you see that?’” John Harbaugh recalled in a TSN video.
John had just missed Bobby Orr’s iconic flying goal—one of the greatest in NHL history. His brother Jim, however, had seen it all. And that stung.
As it turns out, Jack Harbaugh was good friends with Orr. When he got the chance, he told the Bruins legend the story of how his son had missed the goal—simply because he was fetching his dad a snack.
Not long after, John received a package in the mail from none other than Bobby Orr himself.
“It was a picture, and it’s the goal,” John said. “It’s Bobby Orr. It’s the first time I actually saw [the goal]. And he writes, ‘John, forget the cheese and crackers.’”
