DENNIS CROWLEY and Pauly O'Brien grew up together on Telegraph Hill in South Boston. At 64, they're still the greatest of friends, spending all their time together.

About 35 years ago, they began a little tradition. Every year they go to the Garden for the Bruins' first home game after St. Patrick's Day.

So on March 19th, the two friends headed to the Bruins game. The Bruins were playing the Edmonton Oilers, probably the best team in hockey. Fans weren't expecting a victory, just a couple of fights to keep the game interesting.

At about 9:15 of the first period, Ray Bourque threw Wayne Gretsky, the Edmonton star, a devastating body check. It looked like things would get pretty tense. One of Gretsky's defensemen (more like a bodyguard) moved toward Bourque, looking to teach him a lesson.

Everyone was guessing who would land the first blow. But it never came. Fans were amazed.

"What's goin' on? Bourque's being a pussy," Dennis shouted.

"I don't know, Dennis. Sure doesn't look like a hockey game out there, more like St. Monica's Easter Bake Sale.

"You know ever since Mayor Flynn started talkin' about finin' the players for fightin', it just ain't been the same out there."

Pauly, like just about everybody else who has watched hockey in the Garden during the last three weeks, was talking about the Mayor's plan to strike a blow against violence in the city. The plan, which the Mayor talked about a lot following a city hall news conference and a lot less since he met with NHL Commissoner John Ziegler last week, would fine professional athletes who fight on the playingfield or on the ice.

PAULY DOESN'T like it. "Well, I'll tell ya," he told Dennis, "No commie law from the Mayor is gonna work in this town. We like our sports and we're gonna keep 'em."

"Me and some of the guys at the VFW were talkin' about that last week," Pauly explained. "The way we see it, it's the NHL's job to determine when a guy's gone too far in a fight, not the Mayor's The NHL's been doin' a good enough job for me. Where's he get off tellin' us how to play hockey?"

Dennis was convinced: "I don't know why he's worrying about this. It sure ain't like we don't have enough real problems in the city. Why doesn't he do anything about the violence in my neighborhood? It's a hell of a lot worse than anything out there. Where's the Mayor when ya need 'em?"

"Ya know I really liked Flynn. He seemed like a smart guy, like us. But, he's becoming just a typical politician, stickin' his nose in where it don't belong, trying to get some attention.

"Remember when we used to come to these games. Geez, they used to beat the hell out of each other. Don't see good fights like that anymore. Ya know, Crowley, we've seen some great fighters--remember when Terry O'Rielly was out there?"

"I think he almost killed a few guys," Dennis reminisced.