When gangsters and middle men take hold of sport

One of the many interesting little anecdotes that emerged out of the James ’Whitey’ Bulger conviction on Monday was the fact that his lawyers had fought successfully for the Boston gangster to keep possession of a 1986 Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup ring.

Bulger’s going to prison for the rest of his life so it’s not completely clear what will be done with the ring, but of all the items and chunks of cash seized from his Santa Monica hideout in 2011, this intriguing bit of memorabilia will remain far from the clutching hands of the FBI.

This was a huge and dramatic case for the city, obviously, and if there was ever even a slim chance of being somehow redeemed in the eyes of Bostonians, Bulger blew it when he, or someone close to him, decided they needed to hold onto a souvenir of when their bitter arch-rivals from across the border were winning their 23rd cup.