Former Bruin Andrew Ference gifts lifelong fan famous piece of Boston sports memorabilia
Ference infamously flipped off the Montreal Canadiens crowd in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, and now one lucky fan owns the glove he wore that night.
Andrew Ference etched his name into Boston sports history during his time with the Bruins.
It wasn’t for his elite goal-scoring prowess; he only registered 15 goals in his six full seasons wearing the black and gold sweater. It wasn’t for his particularly stout defense, either, though he certainly wasn’t a slouch in Boston’s own zone.
What made Ference a true fan favorite was his personality and ferociousness against every other team in the NHL. And his entire career could be summed up by one infamous moment during Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup playoff run.
Facing the rival Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs that season, Ference scored a goal and immediately turned and flipped off the road crowd, much to the delight of Boston fans in attendance and watching from afar.
Ference recently appeared on the “Empty Netters” podcast and talked about the incident.
“All the stuff leading up to that game: fans throwing stuff at us, rocking the bus, parking outside the hotel, pulling fire alarms … you just want to beat them so bad,” Ference said. “Earlier in that shift, I got rocked by like [Brian] Gionta I think. And all the fans pounded the glass. … I’m getting up, all pissed off, skating up the ice and I kind of found [Brad] Marchand’s [pass].
“I just hit the puck. I didn’t even aim, it just happened to go top shelf. When it went in it was just one of those moments of literally pure elation. Like ‘F- you’.”
Ference also acknowledged that the glove did not in fact “get stuck” as he claimed when attempting to explain the incident afterwards. He received a game misconduct and a fine for the gesture. Comically, the fine was paid for by Bruins fans, who sent donations endorsing the act.
After hearing the podcast episode, one lifelong Bruins fan wrote to the show explaining his memory of watching that game from Afghanistan, where he was serving in the U.S. military.
The story made its way to Ference, who responded with a gift the fan would surely never forget. Ference sent his game-worn glove that he used to flip off the crowd to the fan, who now has it displayed in a glass case with the middle finger up.
Despite his ruthless on-ice demeanor, Ference was described by the podcast hosts as an “incredible person,” and his kindness and generosity towards the military veteran highlights that even more.
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