Derek Sanderson
A flashy, rebellious center who lived as fast as he played, he helped Bobby Orr score the most famous goal in hockey and became a symbol of 1970s excess.
Born 1946 (age 80)·Ice hockey player·Birthday: June 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Derek 'Turk' Sanderson was the embodiment of hockey's swashbuckling, long-haired era. On the ice, he was a gifted two-way center for the Boston Bruins, a key piece of their 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup wins, best known for feeding the pass to Bobby Orr for his iconic flying Cup-winner. Off it, he was a magnet for attention, with a taste for fur coats, nightclubs, and a lifestyle that made him one of the first athlete-celebrities. His record-breaking contract with the Philadelphia Blazers of the WHA briefly made him the highest-paid player in professional sports, but his personal demons led to a precipitous fall. Sanderson's later-life redemption, overcoming addiction and becoming a financial advisor, completed a dramatic arc from superstar to survivor.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Derek was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Derek Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Derek's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 1968 after a 24-goal, 49-point season.
- Assisted on Bobby Orr's famous Stanley Cup-winning overtime goal in 1970.
- Won two Stanley Cup championships with the Boston Bruins in 1970 and 1972.
- Signed a groundbreaking 10-year, $2.65 million contract with the WHA's Philadelphia Blazers in 1972, briefly making him the highest-paid athlete in team sports.
Did You Know?
He earned the nickname 'Turk' as a child because his crew-cut hairstyle reminded his father of a turkey.
Sanderson wrote an autobiography in 2012 titled 'Crossing the Line: The Outrageous Story of a Hockey Original'.
After losing his fortune, he lived for a time in a garbage dump before achieving sobriety and rebuilding his life.
He was known for his exceptional face-off skills, often ranking among the league's best in face-off win percentage.
“I saw the open man, made the pass, and history took care of the rest.”
