It’s hard to fathom that nearly four decades have passed since Bruins greats Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and Derek Sanderson embraced the coveted Stanley Cup. But, seeing the emotion and excitement on the faces of current stars, including standouts Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tim Thomas, shows us that unadulterated pride is timeless.
Sure, Causeway Street and the Boston Garden looked a lot different back in ’72, which coincidentally is the year we established Westboro Toyota. The elevated central artery cut the city of Boston virtually in half. Life was different, too. Gas prices hovered around 36 cents per gallon. Toyota’s fleet included the Carina, the Celica, the Corolla, the Corona, and the Crown. Cars had a boxy style featuring wood paneling and shag carpets dominated interiors. Bill Gates formed Traf-O-Data, a computer company that strived to read raw road data and create reports for traffic engineers—a far cry from the Microsoft of today.
In the more than 14,200 days that have past since the Cup last resided here, we’ve witnessed and been a part of so much history in the making. We’ve seen the political and economic landscape of this country and countless others shift in ways that before may have seemed unimaginable. With the birth and explosive growth of the Internet over the past 10-plus years, we’ve gained 24/7 connectivity to the world at large—not to mention we’ve found a way to plug in our cars, too!
Gas prices are now about 10 times what they were back then. Big Dig tunnels have replaced the monstrosity of the Central Artery, marrying North Station to the North End, as it should be. Toyota has since retired many of its classics, only to reinvent itself with so many sleek and beloved models, like the Camry, the Prius Hybrid, the Rav4, the Matrix, and the Highlander, just to name a few. Have you checked out Toyota’s concept models lately (http://www.toyota.com/concept-vehicles/)? Pretty impressive technology that’s light years away from the AM radio of the 1970s.
Yes, times have changed, but some things never will. Today, hard-core and fair-weather fans alike in the city of Boston and across our state will be decked out in their black, gold and white, beaming with a renewed sense of pride and adoration for what the Bruins and the rest of our revered sports teams have accomplished.
Did you know that Wednesday’s win makes this the 7th championship title we’ve won in the past 10 years? Rock on Bruins, Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics and rock on fans. To the next 40 or so years—I wonder what our Toyotas will look like then!
Toyota earns more accolades from Vincentric's 7th Annual Best Value in America awards for the 2011 model year. In total Toyota captured 10 awards to lead all auto manufacturers - a total doubling the second-place brand and representing almost one fourth of the total awards distributed.
