Who was Bobby Orr?
Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2010
by Dr. Carla Goddard
"Bobby " Orr is still considered to be one of the greatest hockey players ever to play the sport. Born Robert Gordon Orr in 1948, he started skating by the age of 4 and was signed by the Boston Bruins by the time he was 12. He played for a junior league in Ontario against 18-21 year olds, due to the fact at the time the NHL had an age rule of 18 to be eligible to play. During his third season with the Ontario Hockey Association he won the J. Ross Robertson Cup. When he turned 18, he was able to negotiate his first contract with the Bruins that made him the highest paid player in league history.
His trophy winning did not stop there, he went on to win three consecutive Hart Trophies as a regular season MVP and the Conn Smythe Trophy for MVP of the playoffs. He is the only player in NHL history to have won four major NHL awards in a single season. That year he went on to lead the Boston Bruins to give Boston its first Stanley Cup in 29 years. The list goes on and on of the records and trophies that Orr went on to capture.
His knee problems took an increasing toll after 1973, shortening his NHL career. In the late 1970's controversy arose during a renegotiation of his contract when his agent falsely led him astray. Subsequently the Bruin at heart player left the organization to play for Chicago. It wasn't until years later that the real story came out about the misdeeds of his then agent. In 1979 his knee injuries were to sever and the famous Orr retired. He never cashed a Chicago pay check during the three years he was signed with the team. Orr claiming that is not right to take pay for playing hockey when he wasn't on the ice. Other's believe it was due to the fact that Orr had Bruin's blood running through his veins.
Although, his record numbers made Orr one of the leading contributors to hockey, it was the unique way he played defense that would leave lasting impression on the game of hockey. Being one of the first defense men to play a two way game. His unique style influenced countless defense men that followed him and it is now called the Orr style of defense.
Bobby Orr was the youngest player to ever be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame at the age of 31 and is only one of ten players that the three year waiting period was waved for. Gordie Howe, a legend in his own right, commented that Bobby Orr's early retirement was a great blow to the NHL. Respected on and off the ice, one of Orr's lasting legacies is the popularity of his personality influenced the NHL's need to expand teams. Everyone wanted to be a Bobby Orr. Even today, the influence that Bobby has on the game of hockey is evident whether it is his role as consultant to the NHL and Canadian Hockey Association or as a player agent, his name will be forever em blazed as one of the greatest sports figures ever. This was cemented in the minds of everyone when in 1970 Sports Illustrated selected him as "Sportsman of the Year" and the Boston Globe leading a poll that resulted in Bobby Orr voted in as the greatest athlete in Boston history. The Hockey News has voted that Bobby Orr is the 2nd greatest hockey player of all time behind only Wayne Gretsky.
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