I was perusing Hockey Reference this morning on my new smartphone (yes, I’ve joined the 21st century) when I noticed that former Penguins defenseman Randy Boyd had passed away suddenly of a heart attack at age 59 while golfing with friends. Since I’d written a piece about the passing of Islanders great Clark Gillies, I felt compelled to honor Boyd in the same fashion.
In a way, the two were strangely linked. Boyd was a rookie rearguard on the 1981-82 Pens squad that nearly derailed the two-time defending champion Islanders in the playoffs.