Biography

Widely regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time, Bobby Orr played 12 years in the NHL, 10 with the Boston Bruins and 2 with the Chicago Blackhawks. Born in Parry Sound, Ontario in 1948, Orr was a star at every level of hockey as a child. In 1962, when Orr was just 14 years old, he signed with the Boston Bruins and made the jump to Junior A hockey with the Oshawa Generals, a team owned by the Bruins at that time. Orr’s point totals increased in each of his 4 years in Oshawa, and he was named to OHA’s first all-star team every season as a junior player. The 1966/67 season marked Orr’s first season with the Boston Bruins, where he was an immediate success and collected the 1967 Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie and he was named to the NHL’s second all-star team. The 1967 season is the only full season during Orr’s career he was not named to the NHL’s first all-star team. In 1970, Orr became the first and only defenseman to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer, scoring 120 points in 76 games. It was during the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals that one of the most iconic moments in hockey history would occur. With Boston leading the St. Louis Blues 3-0 in the series, game 4 went to overtime. Just as Orr scored the Stanley Cup winning goal, he was tripped by Blues defenseman Noel Picard. The trip caused Orr to fly through the air as he celebrated his Stanley Cup winning goal. That replay is now recognizable to most hockey fans. For his strong playoff performance, Orr won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. The Bruins would win the Stanley Cup again 2 years later in 1972 against the New York Rangers, with Orr leading the playoffs in scoring and claiming his 2nd Conn Smythe Trophy. In 1975, Orr lead the NHL in scoring again and eclipsed his previous record for most goals in a season for a defenseman with 48. Sadly the 1974/75 season would be the last season in which Orr played the whole season. Orr’s rushing style of play proved to be tough on his knees, as they were often the target of opposing players. The 1975/76 season saw Orr play only 10 games for the Bruins. Despite his deteriorating knees, Orr would suit up for Team Canada at the 1976 Canada Cup tournament, where he was widely considered the best player in the tournament and was named Tournament MVP. Prior to the 1976/77 season, Orr signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. Orr would only play 26 games over 3 years with Chicago, and he would announce his retirement shortly into the 1978/79 season. Throughout his career, Orr also won 8 James Norris Trophies as the NHL’s best defenseman, 3 Hart Trophies as the NHL’s MVP and the 1975 Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL’s MVP voted by the players. Orr also won the prestigious Lou Marsh Trophy as the Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1970. In the fall of 1979, Orr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, with the hall waiving the traditional 3 year waiting period. Orr currently resides in Boston where he runs Orr Hockey Group, a player representation agency that represents several high profile NHL players.