A perfect sports picture

I am sitting at the desk of my friend, Jack. On the wall above his monitor is a framed and famous picture. Bobby Orr, hero of Boston in the early 70's and undeniably one of the greatest hockey players to ever lace up skates, floats horizontal about 3 feet above the ice. His stick is raised in triumph and a broad smile floods his face.

There have been many amazing moments in sports throughout human history, but few have ever been so perfectly captured on film as this one. It was overtime in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals. Orr, ever the offensive minded defenseman, glides in front of the cage and deftly takes a pass from Derek Sanderson. He stuffs it passed stunned goalie Glenn Hall while simultaneously being upended by the St. Louis defender.

Everything that makes a perfect sports picture is in this one. The joy of victory is perfectly captured in Orr as he sails across the frame. Behind him, a dour look of loss is pinned on the face of the defenseman as Hall falls backwards into the net he so desperately tried to protect. These characters stand out in contrast to the mottled white surface of the ice and boards that make up two thirds of the background while the upper third is filled with fans leaping to their feet with arms raised up in triumph. It was an wonderfully dramatic moment captured in equally dramatic perspective. And the best part? I saw it on TV.