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June 8, 2009
Boe made dreams come true
Roy Boe, the man who brought the Sound Tigers to Bridgeport, passed away on Sunday. He was 79.
I'll be writing about what Boe meant to the city for Tuesday's Connecticut Post. Here's a sampler.
BRIDGEPORT – It wasn’t that long after the trio of original dreamers, Mickey Herbert, Jack McGregor and Mary-Jane Foster, pooled their resources and brought the Bridgeport Bluefish to life, another dreamer stood on the third base concourse at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard and saw the first concrete evidence of his dream becoming reality.
What he saw exactly was concrete and steel. A couple of dozen yards away from the ballpark, a new project was growing up from a large hole in the ground. A sports arena with seating for close to 9,000 was underway and with each steel beam being welded into place, with every brick placed in the foundation, Roy Boe saw potential. He saw hope. He saw the future.
The man had been dreaming big all his life. More than 35 years ago, he brought Doctor J and the Nets to New York and later, moved them to New Jersey. He made the Nets into an ABA champion and then took them to the NBA. He brought the New York Islanders into the NHL and made them into a four-time Stanley Cup champion. And best of all, he brought the Sound Tigers to Bridgeport.
It was all because of Roy Boe.
Sadly, the dreamer is gone. Boe passed away Sunday at the age of 79 after battling cancer for the third time.
“He was one of the kindest gentlemen I’ve ever met in the game,” said Dave Baseggio, who was head coach of the Sound Tigers in the 2005-06 season after being an assistant for four years under Steve Stirling and Greg Cronin. “He loved hockey, he loved to be around the team and was a tremendous person.”
Read more about Boe in tomorrow's Connecticut Post.
Posted by celsberry on June 8, 2009 2:19 PM
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