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One kid’s memories of ‘Jarrin’ John

By Dean Shalhoup - Senior Staff Writer | Apr 28, 2019

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 1969, file photo, Boston Celtics captain John Havlicek, left, is presented the Walter Brown Memorial Trophy by NBA basketball president Walter Kenney, in Boston. The Celtics said Havlicek died Thursday, April 25, 2019, in Jupiter, Florida. He was 79. The cause of death wasn't immediately available. (AP Photo/FILE)

The kid from Nashua noticed the highways getting busier, the narrow streets becoming narrower and the buildings growing taller as the old station wagon, conspicuous with its New Hampshire license plates and its “normal” driver, crept closer and closer to an open space marked by a sign reading “Parking, $2.”

That “normal driver” ­ the kid’s Pop ­ led the way down a fairly crowded sidewalk, past a couple of giant truck trailers sprouting wires and cables the size of firehoses. Finally he said, “this way,” and guided the kid around a corner and into sight of the historic edifice he’d only seen on a black-and-white TV screen.

Now, the big, brightly-lit capital letters spelling “NORTH STATION” and “BOSTON GARDEN” were in color, a sight very likely met by a “wow!” from the kid.

There were more “wows” to come.

Inside the rambling structure, various aromas filled the kid’s senses, as if competing for attention. If the kid’s memory serves, the fragrance of hot pizza won out, at least for the moment.

FILE - In this March 17, 1976 file photo, Boston Celtics' John Havlicek chats with newsmen after an NBA workout in Lexington, Mass. The Boston Celtics say Hall of Famer John Havlicek, whose steal of Hal Green’s inbounds pass in the final seconds of the 1965 Eastern Conference finals against the Philadelphia 76ers remains one of the most famous plays in NBA history, has died. The team says Havlicek died Thursday, April 25, 2019 at age 79. (AP Photo/ File)

We strode purposefully up a wide ramp, passing some folks and being passed by others. We were all headed in the same direction, until we began to split off into smaller and smaller groups.

Ours ended when Pop pointed to two empty seats, from which we had a pretty darn good view of a bunch of really tall men wearing jackets I recognized as warmups, some passing basketballs back and forth while others took shots at the basket.

The kid noticed someone was playing the organ as the tall guys began walking over to one of two sets of front-row seats and taking off their warmup jackets. Pop knew the names of many of the tall men, and almost all of the ones wearing white uniforms. But when he got to the guy wearing number 17, the kid noticed something: Number 17’s name was spelled wrong in the program.

Pop was puzzled. The kid explained. “Well, you said his name is Havlichek, and Johnny always calls him Havlichek, but the program says, ‘Havlicek,'” the kid reasoned.

Pop probably chuckled before trying to explain to the elementary school-age kid that sometimes, people’s names are spelled differently than they sound.

A Boston Bruins hockey fan walks past memorabilia, including a Boston Celtics great John Havlicek (17) jersey at TD Garden in Boston, Thursday, April 25, 2019, in Boston. The Celtics said Havlicek died Thursday in Jupiter, Florida. He was 79. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP)

You’ll notice the kid was, even as a youngster, on a first-name basis with Johnny Most, the legendary Celtics’ radio play by play man whose glory years coincided with some of the team’s greatest seasons way back when.

The kid was lucky enough to come of age when professional athletes were far more accessable than in recent times, even to the point where kids, especially, could approach most of them for an autograph or to simply say “hi” and maybe shake their hand and tell them how much you enjoy watching them beat other teams.

Among the most gracious the kid from Nashua remembers meeting was the Celtic with the misspelled name, although it took only a couple of trips to the old Garden for him to get over that spelling thing.

As the Celts enjoyed great season after great season, the kid from Nashua managed to get to more and more games. And not one went by, win or lose, that he didn’t watch number 17 with respect and admiration ­ partly for his athletic ability and knack for finding ways for the Celts to win, but mainly for living his life both on and off the court with the kind of inherent graciousness and level of class so rarely seen today.

The kid’s thoughts immediately honed in on those memorable, however brief, moments exchanging a “hi” or handshake with Johnny Havlicek when news of his passing reached him Thursday evening.

Of course, Johnny Most’s unforgettable “Havlicek stole the ball!” radio call promptly came to mind, as did the so many other moments “Jarrin’ John” pulled off a key play or drained an improbable shot at the right moment.

The kid is just one of who knows how many folks, from his Ohio home to Ohio State and throughout New England, feel they’ve lost, with the passing of John Havlicek, one more link to the NBA’s golden era, not in attendance numbers or salary figures or TV revenue, but in the kind of men who once played the game.

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