Skip to content
Seattle Sports Online

Seattle Sports Online

For the Love of Sports.

  • Home
  • Football
  • Tennis
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Combat Sports
  • Hockey
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Hockey
  • Bobby Orr: The Greatest Defenseman to Ever Play the Game

Bobby Orr: The Greatest Defenseman to Ever Play the Game

3 min read
128

The greatest defenseman that ever played the game, Bobby Orr spent his entire NHL career as a Boston Bruin. He was drafted by them in 1966 and over the course of those 18 years, he made an impact on hockey unlike any other before him.

Early Life

Bobby Orr grew up playing CYO and house league hockey in the town of Parry Sound, Ontario. He grew up idolizing NHL Hall of Famer Eddie Shore and his style of play even as a young boy.

His first foray into professional hockey came when he played for the Oshawa Generals as a 15-year old underage junior during the 1962-63 season. Even at such a young age, Orr’s skating ability caught the eye of many teams across the NHL. The Bruins were able to acquire his rights from the Blackhawks and Bobby signed a contract with Boston in 1963 prior to being drafted at just 17 years old.

It was during this time that he began to learn what playing for Eddie Shore meant. He had a very difficult first training camp and Shore called him “too small” and “a dumb hockey player”. Orr’s skating ability was unparalleled, but his decision making was not. He became known as an offensive defenseman which is the opposite of what Shore wanted out of him; he needed a playmaker on the back-end who could control the flow of the game.

Orr would play for the Oshawa Generals in the OHA from 1962 to 1966 and was a point per game player during his junior days. In 1965-66, he was an integral part of the Memorial Cup winning team which led to him being named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team along with future teammate Carol Vadnais.

The following year, he would make his debut with the Boston Bruins in 1966-67 at just 18 years old. The rest is history as they say.

Bobby Orr’s Playing Career

Orr began his career with the Boston Bruins during the 1966-67 season on a line alongside center Phil Esposito and left winger Ken Hodge. Esposito, who was also making his debut that year, had the best statistical season of his career alongside Orr which included scoring 76 goals and 152 points.

Orr would go on to record 29 goals and 87 points in his rookie campaign which would earn him the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. He would add another 20 points in the post-season and was a key player in helping Boston win their first Stanley Cup in 29 years.

At just 19 years of age, he had become the youngest member in history to join the NHL’s 500 point club and at 21, he became the youngest captain of any team in Bruins’ history after having worn an “A” during his rookie campaign. He would go on to captain the team for eight seasons.

Orr won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman a total of eight times in a row from 1967-1975 which is an NHL record. In 1970, he also won the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer with 37 goals and 102 points. Orr had a total of 270 goals and 915 assists in his career for a total of 1,185 points. He is the only defenseman to ever win the Art Ross Trophy and holds the record for most assists by a defenseman with 849 until Ron Francis passed him in 1994.

Orr helped lead Boston to another Stanley Cup win in 1970 after which into 1971, he would be diagnosed with a left knee injury that was the result of multiple ligament tears. He pushed through it and managed to suit up for the season opener before having surgery which forced him out of the lineup until mid-December.

Best Record in NHL History

Bobby Orr. 1st in plus/minus (+528), 2nd in assists (921), 2nd in points (1257). I remember reading that he used to assist on his own goals just so the other team couldn’t beat him.

Plus every game you saw him play was against some powerhouse like Montreal or Boston so his plus/minus is even more incredible. He was the player every other team wanted to be when they grew up, and he made everyone on his team better. If I had to pick one guy for my franchise it would definitely be him (although Gretzky is a close second).

Continue Reading

Previous: Red Wings Begin Quest for Another Cup
Next: NHL salaries 2016

Trending

How to Design a Watson System? sources ibm watson 1bstreetjournal 1

How to Design a Watson System?

How The New Funding will Help Jobandtalent Expand? madridbased jobandtalent 108m 80k lomastechcrunch 2

How The New Funding will Help Jobandtalent Expand?

How Skydio is Changing The Drone Landscape skydio 171m usbased dji usmcgee financialtimes 3

How Skydio is Changing The Drone Landscape

The Line Between Protected Speech and Hate Speech github nazis hrschiffer theverge 4

The Line Between Protected Speech and Hate Speech

What this Means for the Future of AI relativity iq 100m dallke chicago businessjournal 5

What this Means for the Future of AI

Tips On Finding Trusted Betting Company 6

Tips On Finding Trusted Betting Company

Related Stories

Is There A Lottery In NHL
3 min read

Is There A Lottery In NHL

130
The Ultimate Resource for Hockey Fans
3 min read

The Ultimate Resource for Hockey Fans

140
The Number of Timeouts in an NHL Game
3 min read

The Number of Timeouts in an NHL Game

126
Watch All NHL Playoff Games Live Online on Mac, PC, iPhone or Android
3 min read

Watch All NHL Playoff Games Live Online on Mac, PC, iPhone or Android

251
Facts About Red Wings Playoff Streak
3 min read

Facts About Red Wings Playoff Streak

137
How Much Will You Get If You Win A Stanley Cup
3 min read

How Much Will You Get If You Win A Stanley Cup

117

articles you may like

How to Design a Watson System? sources ibm watson 1bstreetjournal

How to Design a Watson System?

How The New Funding will Help Jobandtalent Expand? madridbased jobandtalent 108m 80k lomastechcrunch

How The New Funding will Help Jobandtalent Expand?

How Skydio is Changing The Drone Landscape skydio 171m usbased dji usmcgee financialtimes

How Skydio is Changing The Drone Landscape

The Line Between Protected Speech and Hate Speech github nazis hrschiffer theverge

The Line Between Protected Speech and Hate Speech

What this Means for the Future of AI relativity iq 100m dallke chicago businessjournal

What this Means for the Future of AI

Tips On Finding Trusted Betting Company

Tips On Finding Trusted Betting Company

Pro Ballers to Watch in 2023

Pro Ballers to Watch in 2023

Benin National Football Team’s Most Capped Forwards

Benin National Football Team’s Most Capped Forwards

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • About The Team
© 2022 seattlesportsonline.com
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT