Inductee Profile
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At a glance
Born: Mar. 20, 1948Where: Parry Sound, ON Interesting Note:
As a 14-year-old he played for the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Junior A League, competing against mostly 19-and 20-year-olds.
In 1979, Orr was invested as an officer in the Order of Canada. Two buildings in Parry Sound honour Orr. A museum, called the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame, where his Order of Canada medal is on display along with other exhibits. Also named in his honour is The Bobby Orr Community Centre.
On November 27, 2008, the Oshawa Generals retired Orr's number 2 jersey. Orr thanked all who helped him in the four years he played in Oshawa: "I did a lot of growing up in Oshawa from ages 14 to 18 and I'll be forever grateful for those people who helped me in that time of my life."
In February 2010, Orr was one of the eight bearers of the Olympic flag at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
On May 10, 2010, the fortieth anniversary of Orr scoring the game-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues in overtime to clinch the 1970 Stanley Cup, the Bruins commemorated the event with a bronze statue of Orr outside the TD Garden, the Bruins' home rink. The statue depicts Orr sprawled in mid-flight after scoring the goal. The unveiling was attended by many of Orr's past team-mates. Orr spoke at the unveiling: "This specific moment and time we celebrate with this statue is something we can all now nostalgically remember with fondness, together, each time we enter Boston Garden. To all of you, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I'm honored. Guys, thank you."
Notable Achievements:
Orr played in only twelve seasons and only in his first nine seasons (totalling 621 games from 1966-1975) did Orr play a majority or all of the games. Although his career was shortened by injury, Orr accomplished many records and achievements, a number of which still stand today, and are listed below.
As of 2010:
* First defenceman to score 30 goals in a season (1969–70)
* First defenceman to score 40 goals in a season (1974–75)
* First player to record 100 assists in a season (1969–70)
* Only defenceman to lead the league in scoring (1969–70, 1974–75)
* Only player ever to win the Norris Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Conn Smythe Trophy in one season (1969–70)
* Second all-time in career plus-minus rating (+597) (retired as the overall leader)
* Fourth in league history in career point-per-game average, all-time, (1.393)
* Fifty-ninth overall in league history in career assists and 90th in career points
Awards
* OHA First All-Star Team - 1964, 1965, 1966
* Awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy (rookie of the year) in 1967, the youngest ever to win the award, and the youngest ever to win a major NHL award up to that time
* Named to the Second All-Star Team in 1966–67 (his only full season when he did not make the First Team, as a rookie)
* Named to the NHL First All-Star Team eight times consecutively (1968-1975)
* Awarded the James Norris Trophy eight times (from 1968 to 1975, his last full season)
* Played in the NHL All-Star Game eight times (from 1968 to 1975)
* Won the Art Ross Trophy in 1969–70 and 1974–75
* NHL Plus/Minus leader in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1975, the most in history
* Awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy three times consecutively (from 1970 to 1972)
* Awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1970 and 1972, the first two-time winner of the playoff MVP award
* Stanley Cup winner in 1970 and 1972
* Won Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadian athlete of the year in 1970
* NHL All-Star Game MVP in 1972
* Received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award in 1970
* Voted the greatest athlete in Boston history in the Boston Globe newspaper's poll of New Englanders in 1975, beating out baseball and basketball stars such as Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Carl Yastrzemski and Bob Cousy
* Awarded the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1975
* Named the Canada Cup Tournament MVP in 1976.
* Awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1979
* Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979, with the mandatory three-year waiting period waived,[145] making him the youngest inductee at 31 years of age
* Voted the second greatest hockey player of all time by an expert committee in 1997 by The Hockey News. Orr is behind only Wayne Gretzky and ahead of Gordie Howe as well as being named the top defenceman of all time
* Ranked 31 in ESPN's SportsCentury: 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century in 1999
* Named the top defenceman of all time in 2010 by The Hockey News
Records
* Most points in one NHL season by a defenceman (139; 1970–71
* Most assists in one NHL season by a defenceman (102; 1970–71)
* Highest plus/minus in one NHL season (+124; 1970–71)
* Tied for most assists in one NHL game by a defenceman (6; tied with Babe Pratt, Pat Stapleton, Ron Stackhouse, Paul Coffey and Gary Suter)
* Held record for most assists in one NHL season from 1971 to 1981 (102; broken by Wayne Gretzky and also bettered by Mario Lemieux)
* Held record for most goals in one NHL season by a defenceman from 1968 to 1986 (21, in 1967–68, 37 in 1970–71, broke own record in 1974–75 with 46; broken in 1985–86 by Paul Coffey with 48)
* Held record for most points by a defenceman in one game from 1973 until 1977 (7 (3 goals/4 assists) in game November 15, 1973
* Held record for longest consecutive point-scoring streak by a defenceman from 1971 until 1984 ( 15 games, set in 1970–71 and 1973–74)
* Held record for most consecutive 100-or-more point seasons from 1974 until 1980 ( 6, from 1969–70 until 1974–75)
* Held record for career plus-minus rating from 1978 until 1985 (+597)
* Held record for most assists in a season by any player from 1971 until 1981 (102)
BOBBY ORR
1998 INDUCTEE
View all inductees from 1998 »Mention Bobby Orr's name to hockey fans and watch their faces brighten as they recall one of the greatest hockey players this country has ever produced. Born on March 20th 1948 in Parry Sound, Ontario, Robert Gordon Orr took to the ice like mortals take to breathing.
He first hit the ice at the age of four on an oversized pair of skates. He began playing hockey in the Parry Sound Minor Squirt Hockey League when he was in kindergarten. At age 9 he won the MVP of the Peewee division. Since he was always playing with older boys, he would skate every night until dark, working endlessly his skating and his skills. He was blessed with a natural talent for the sport and his skating became a thing of beauty.
In 1960, the legend of Bobby Orr began. While playing with the Parry Sound Bantam All-Stars at age 12, NHL scouts looked on in amazement as Bobby played the entire game - except for a 2-minute period when he sat in the penalty box. The team won the championship and a star was born.
Signed to the Boston Bruins when he was only 14, Orr would have to wait four more years before making his official debut with the team in 1966. In his rookie year with the Bruins, Orr won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the 2nd All-star team. Orr was the first player to negotiate a contract with a lawyer, thus setting the standard for today's players. An unbelievable defenseman, Orr used his offensive skills to break practically every record, claim every prize, and leave the crowd wanting more. He was the first NHL defensemen to lead the league in scoring. He won the Norris Trophy for Best Defenceman eight consecutive times and was a two-time winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP all in a short 10-year career.
After leaving hockey due to irreparable damage to his knees, Orr embarked on a very successful career in business and athletic management, and has dedicated himself to numerous charitable organizations.
