Ice Hockey

Bobby Orr

Bobby Orr was born on March 20, 1948, in the town of Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada.

He first caught the eye of a Boston Bruin scout in 1960 as a 12 year old defenseman playing in a bantam tournament. At age 14 the Bruins had already signed him to a junior contract that saw him begin play with the Oshawa Generals. Orr would go on to set a new record for points by a defenseman in the Ontario League. He played in Oshawa until he was 18, when he signed with the Bruins to play in the National Hockey League. Orr's first season saw him score 41 points, win the Calder trophy and be named as a Second Team All-Star.

Bobby Orr had an enormous impact on the game of hockey, pioneering the "mobile" or "rushing defenseman". His blazing speed, quickness, and a knack for scoring changed the face of hockey by bringing offense from the defenseman. Orr would win the Norris Trophy as best defenseman for eight straight years, and added two Art Ross trophies for scoring titles.

His first Art Ross was in 1970 as he became the only defenseman to lead the league in scoring, and he would repeat the feat in 1975. Orr also led the Boston Bruins to their first Stanley Cup in 29 years when they won the championship in 1970. The followin season saw him score 33 goals and 102 assists for 139 points, one of six seasons where the Bruin defenseman scored over 100 points. His record for goals by a defenseman stood until 198x when Paul Coffey scored 48 goals with the 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers.

Knee injuries which began soon after Bobby Orr entered the NHL would force him to miss numerous games, require several surgeries, and a severely shortened career. He would undergo five knee operations between 1968 and 1975 before leaving the Bruins for the Chicago Blackhawks. But even with his bad knees, Orr was by far the best Canadian player in the 1976 Canada Cup series. Even at Chicago, he only played 20 games in 1976-77 and missed the entire 1977-78 season. His final NHL season was in Chicago in 1978-79 where Bobby Orr played in just 6 games before retiring at the young age of 31.