Happy Birthday Bobby Orr; Revisiting the Goat's career
Born on March 20th, 1948, Bobby Orr is arguably the best defenseman to play the game, and to celebrate his 75th birthday, let's revisit his legendary career.
Where It All Started
Orr was noticed by the Boston Bruins in the spring of 1961 when he was playing in a youth hockey tournament at the age of 14 in Ontario. Despite heavy interest from the Maple Leafs, Canadiens and Red Wings, Orr chose the Bruins for the following reason:
Orr made his NHL debut on October 19th, 1966, (playing centre) against the Detroit Red Wings, where he recorded an assist for his first career point. His first goal occurred three days later on October 22nd, when a slap shot made it past Gump Worsley of the Montreal Canadiens.
He finished his rookie season with 13 goals and 28 assists - one of the best rookie campaigns by a defenseman in NHL history at the time - and took home the Calder Trophy.
�'Number Four, Bobby Orr'' would go onto become THE greatest defenseman in the the history of the NHL. Although he would be later surpassed in points, by players he most likely influenced, Orr was the one who changed the way a defenseman played the game of hockey.
Legendary Career Cut Short by Nagging Injuries
Unfortunately, Orr was forced to retire at the age of 30 after undergoing over a dozen separate surgeries on his knees. He registered his last career goal and point as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, on October 28th, 1978, in Detroit.
He retired as the league's leading scorer for defensemen with 270 goals and 645 assists in just 657 games, along with 953 penalty minutes. But the late, great Gordie Howe said it best:
Orr skipped the three-year waiting period and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame at the age of 31. His number 4 was retired by the Bruins on January 9th, 1979, however, the ceremony was cut short when the crowd at Boston Garden would not stop applauding.
Orr holds - some since surpassed - a total of almost 50 records, awards and achievements from the NHL, but if you ask him, none bigger than winning the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972.
As per Sportsnet:
8x James Norris Trophy winner
3x Hart Memorial Trophy winner
2x Art Ross Trophy winner
2x Conn Smythe Trophy winner
2x Stanley Cup champion
| POLL | ||
Which current players have the chance to pass Bobby Orr as the greatest defenseman ever? | ||
| Cale Makar | 50 | 45 % |
| Erik Karlsson | 15 | 13.5 % |
| Roman Josi | 3 | 2.7 % |
| Other? | 43 | 38.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
