Derek Sanderson

At 78 years old, Derek Sanderson has this physical status:

Derek Michael Sanderson (born June 16, 1946) — nicknamed "Turk" — is a former professional ice hockey center in Canada who now works as a financial advisor to athletes.

Early years

Sanderson, a son of Canadian Army Private Harold A. Sanderson and Caroline Hall Gillespie of Dysart, Scotland, was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Karen, his older sister, was born in 1944 while their father was serving in France. Sanderson took to hockey as a youth, skating for hundreds of hours on a scaled-down version of an NHL rink, which his father designed and maintained, although his mother served hot chocolate during breaks in the action. On two backyards of tiny cookie-cutter houses on lots that were sold at modest rates to servicemen like Harold on their return home.

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Playing career

Sanderson played junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey Association's Niagara Falls Flyers. He served with the Flyers from 1965-66, earning the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the top scorer in the OHA for 1966–67. Sanderson helped the Flyers reach the Memorial Cup finals, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings in five games from 1964 to 1965. Sanderson spent four years in OHA, winning the National Hockey League in 1965–66, and made his professional debut with the Boston Bruins in 1965-66. Sanderson appeared in two games in the CPHL with the Oklahoma City Blazers in 1965–66, scoring just one goal.

Sanderson earned a permanent roster spot in the 1967–68 campaign after brief stints with the Bruins in the two previous seasons. In 71 games, the 21-year-old scored 24 goals and 49 points. He had 98 penalty minutes, establishing himself as a "tough guy" in the league. Sanderson was named Rookie of the Year by the Calder Memorial Trophy at the end of the season, an honor given to his coworker Orr for the previous year. It's the first time in Bruins history that they have had consecutive Calder Trophy winners.

Although Sanderson had been a top scorer in junior hockey, his time with the Bruins was limited to that of a third-liner in the middle of right wing Ed Westfall's left wing and either Wayne Carleton or Don Marcotte on the left side. Westfall and Sanderson were not the first penalty-killing pairing in the league until they emerged as the most effective penalty-killing team in the league. If the Frank J. Selke Trophy had been awarded to the top defensive forward during his Bruins tenure — the award's first appearance in 1977-78 — it's not unreasonable to assume that Sanderson was the recipient more times than once.

Sanderson and the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1971-72 against the New York Rangers, their second in three seasons.

He has received accolades for his many female companions and extravagant ways, including a Rolls-Royce car and circular bed. He was dubbed one of America's most sexiest guys by Cosmopolitan as one of America's most popular men, and he was a frequent visitor to television talk shows.

The Bruins defeated the Rangers in a series of victories followed by a sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1969–70 playoffs, placing them in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Sanderson controlled the puck behind the Blues goal line for the second period, when defenseman Bobby Orr came from near the blue line. Orr was able to Orr thanks to his short stop. The defenseman shot goaltender Glenn Hall in a short wrist, winning the Bruins' first Stanley Cup in 29 years.

Fans voted the so-called Flying Goal as the best in the league's history in 2017. Both players' careers had a memorable moment during their careers.

Sanderson signed what was then the richest deal in professional sports in 1972. Sanderson was signed by the Philadelphia Blazers of the new World Hockey Association to a five-year, $2.65 million deal, making him the highest-paid pro athlete in the country at the time. As part of the bargain, he received $600,000 in cash, an offer that the Bruins refused to match. The remaining funds were supposed to be spread over ten years.

Sanderson sustained a back injury while slipping on a piece of paper on the ice on November 1st. When he was scheduled to return weeks later, the club's president insisted that he remain inactive. It had been widely believed that it had wished to persuade Sanderson to leave the team and void his lucrative contract, but his deal was bought out for $800,000 after the season.

Later career

Sanderson returned to the Bruins for two seasons after the Blazers parted ways, but only for 54 games. He was drafted to the Boston Braves of the American Hockey League for three games before being drafted to the rival New York Rangers.

Sanderson had vascular necrosis by that time. Steroids were supposed to relieve the disease, but when they dried out his hip sockets, it only became more difficult in appearance. The pain in his hips was so acute, he began using barbiturates as a sleep aid.

Bachelors III, a trendy nightclub on New York City's Upper East Side, was he founded with New England Patriots receiver Jim Colclough and New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath. Negative coverage of some of the club's less reputable patrons led to problems, and Sanderson had to get out of what went from a "goldmine" to a money-losing venture.

Sanderson went from squad to team, never being able to play for more than two seasons. After playing for the Rangers and scoring 50 points in 75 games, he was traded eight games to the St. Louis Blues next season. Sanderson set career highs in assists and points scored in a season with 43 assists and 67 points in a season that included 43 assists and 67 points, but Blues management decided to trade him to the Vancouver Canucks in 1976-77 in exchange for a first-round pick in the 1977 draft.

Before a regular-season game was played, Sanderson had a bad first impression with Canucks management. He was involved in a brawl at a local strip joint that left him in a hospital, where blood tests revealed an incredibly high amount of alcohol, sleeping pills, Seconal, and Valium in his system in the pre-season. Sanderson played 16 points in 16 games for the club before being sent to the minors due to discipline reasons. The front office grew impatient with his personal and health problems and fired him after the season, as was the case in St. Louis.

Sanderson was a free agent for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1977 to 1980. He played 13 games with the Penguins and eight in the minors before his release. He resigned from football after no takers stepped forward until the next season.

Personal life, fitness, and sportscasting work.

Sanderson married Rhonda Rapport, a former Playboy Bunny from Chicago, in April 1979. Scott Leslie Sanderson's son died on October 4, 1981, in Niagara Falls, on October 4, 1981. The couple separated shortly after, according to a tale in the Toronto Star written by Ellie Tesher on March 21, 1982. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario launched an investigation into Rhonda Sanderson's extensive inquiries into their son's death.

Sanderson made several bad business investments and lost millions of dollars over the course of his career. By the time his career came to an end, he was discovered on a bench in Central Park sleeping in an inebriated state. He underwent ten hip surgeries, prostate cancer, and two heart attacks, according to his estimation.

Bobby Orr discovered his ex-teammate in Chicago's dire straits and checked him into a local hospital in late 1978. Orr was told by doctors that his ex colleague was an alcoholic and heroin user.

Sanderson went on to become a sports broadcaster. Fred Cusick, a play-by-play announcer for New England Sports Network and WSBK-TV, spent ten years with them. Sanderson created The Professionals Group at State Street Global Advisors, where he served as Director of The Sports Group, which provided expert financial assistance to athletes in the 1990s, in order to ensure that other hockey players did not follow his example.

Sanderson became the managing director of The Sports Group in Boston in 2012. His staff worked with athletes and high-net-worth individuals, but the company's website does not have him. Crossing the Line: Kevin Shea's second autobiography, Crossing the Line: The Outrageous Story of a Hockey Original, was published in October 2012. I've Got To Be Me, Stan Fischler's first autobiography, had been published in 1970. Sanderson was honoured with the Hockey Legacy Award from The Sports Museum in TD Garden in September 2013.

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Awards and achievements

• Retired as the NHL career leader in shorthanded goals (currently 11th all time)
• Memorial Cup champion in 1965.
• Selected to the OHA-Jr. Second All-Star Team in 1966.
• Selected to the OHA-Jr. First All-Star Team 1967.
• Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Top scorer in OHA) winner in 1967.
• Calder Memorial Trophy winner in 1968.
• Stanley Cup champion in 1970 and 1972.
• Eddie Shore Trophy, Presented by the Gallery Gods in 1972.
• 7th Player Award in 1972.