Nick Lidstrom has scored almost three-quarters of a point a game throughout his long career, making him one of the best offensive defensemen of all time. It left a Canadian public wondering what a healthy Orr might have done in that series. He was a first team All-Star 10 times and made the second team once. Both times he won the James Norris trophy that season as he did in 1988-89 with the Canadiens. Visnovsky has managed to average .572 points per game for his career so far. Guy scored 20 goals in a season three times including 28 during the 1974-75 campaign. He was dogged by injuries throughout his career making it hard for him to play a complete season. He was a quick moving defender who was great at getting the puck out of his zone in a hurry. Bobby Orr Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Salary, Title | Hockey-Reference.com Bobby Orr Position: D Shoots: Left 6-0 , 197lb (183cm, 89kg) Born: March 20 , 1948 (Age: 74-345d) in Parry Sound, Ontario ca Amateur Teams: Oshawa Generals More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame 2x Cup Winner 1966-67 Calder 9x All Star 8x Norris 2x Ross Closest Norris Finish: Second (1977, 1980). His shot while not devastating allowed him to provide a very consistent 10 goals a year everywhere he's played until injury caught up with him. He scored 40 points in his first full season as a fresh faced rookie with New Jersey. His impressive offensive totals increase in the playoffs and he's almost twice the goal scorer in the playoffs that he is in the regular season. He retired, early for a Howe at age 40. The puck bounced off the right boards and Orr stopped short,corralling the puck with his skate. Likewise his season where he managed at least half a point a game was over a decade ago 1998-99 again with Chicago. The talented Chelios hasn't scored 10 goals in an NHL season since 1996-97 with Chicago. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy as regular-season Most Valuable Player three consecutive seasons (1969-70 through 1971-72). Weaker defensive play, a lack of size and perceived lack of grit has always seemed to diminish the regard he's gotten over the years. Expectations were high for this first round pick. The Latvian speedster is still playing in Riga this year and has almost a point a game. Orr Destroyed By "Loonies" TORONTO (Mar. The speed he plays at, and the skill he shows at speed, lends Mike Green's game a Paul Coffey quality. Playing against the completely unknown Russian speedsters in the seminal Summit Series in 1972, Park was never at a loss. Harvey was eventually dealt to the New York Rangers when he supported Ted Lindsays attempt to start a players association. Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup playoffs the game headed to overtime. He played 37 games that first season and had 23 points. But even in defeat, he remained humble and heroic. Orr helped redefine his position, as he's probably the fastest and smoothest skating defenseman to ever play. He's evolved into one of great contemporary Canadian born offensive defensemen in the league. Orr combined speed, strength, skill and hockey savvy at both ends of the ice. As a young player he got to play with and learn from the legendary Brad Park. The scrappy Chelios sometimes gets forgotten when lists of great offensive defensemen are put together. Closest Norris Finish: Third (1987, 1993). His big offensive weapon was the point shot as was reflected in his almost a fifth of a goal a game he scored during his career. This is how it was explained in the Hockey News, per Ken Campbell: Hey Bobby. Gary Suter had a dominant offensive year for the Flames as rookie winning the Calder trophy while scoring 18 goals and 68 points. Playing in an era where defensemen usually didn't contribute offensively, "The Great" Gadsby was far ahead of his time. He had enough offensive skills though to see him picked for both the 1981 and 1987 Canada Cup Canadian teams. Salming was named to the NHL first All-Star team once, the second All-Star team five times and played in three All-Star Games. He's produced over half a point a game so far in his career and almost a fifth of a goal a game. It's this more than anything that has me place Chris Pronger one step higher on my list of best offensive defensemen. 4 started celebrating just before being tripped, resulting in one of the most iconic photos in hockey. He was the master of the long headman pass out of his zone as well. His 11 points in 10 playoff games were second on the team only to Darryl Sittler's 12. Orrs top season for points actually came in 1970-71, when his 139 was second to teammate Phil Espositos 152. His .602 points per game is impressive and indicative of an able playmaker. Lapointe was named to the NHLs first All-Star team once and the second All-Star team three times. His .605 points per game added up over 19 seasons. The record of 20 goals would stand for 24 years until a young man named Bobby Orr came along. He improved his goals and points totals from one season to the next in each of his four years with the Generals, who moved to the Ontario Hockey Association from the Metro Junior A League after Orrs first season in 1962-63. But Orrs goal goes beyond winning the Stanley Cup. If you ask the average hockey fan, who was the greatest defenseman to ever play the game of hockey, most would say it was Bobby Orr. During the Boston Bruins 1969-70 seasonif(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'thehockeywriters_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',823,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thehockeywriters_com-medrectangle-3-0');,Orr netted a remarkable 33 goals and 87 assists in 76 games. Throughout his career, Orr was able to amass a pile of hardware that is almost unimaginable. Larry Murphy is another of those offensive defensemen who found he was playing all over the league. The following year Turnbull lead a Salming-less Leaf team past the Kings and to an upset of the heavily favoured New York Islanders in the second round of the playoffs. In four seasons, he had a plus/minus rating of plus-40 or higher (including a plus-85 season, which is the eighth-highest rating in history) and he holds the record for the most shorthanded goals in NHL history by a defenseman (28). He additionally played in four All-Star Games. Eddie Shore was another iconic Boston Bruin offensively-talented defenseman. When playoff performances are added, Coffey leads all defensemen with 455 goals in 1,603 NHL games. Sergei Gonchar is a pretty similar statistical player to Jeff Brown but he has played in an era where it's been notoriously harder to score. That was the only year Phil scored more than 30 goals in an NHL season. Hewon the NHLs hardest shot competition at the All-Star game seven times. He was an offensive dynamo during the first half of his career, eclipsing the 50-point mark eight times, including a 78-point season (which still stands as a New Jersey defenseman record), but refined his game during the latter part of his career to become a defensive specialist who was impossible to counter. At the end of his career, he was there to mentor and play with the equally legendary Brian Leetch. Housley was traded again for another teams veteran hero. Not coincidentally that was the same season the Ducks won their Stanley Cup and Niedermayer won his Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP. He holds numerous Toronto team records including: most career regular-season assists (620), highest career plus/minus rating (plus-155) and most career regular-season goals and points by a defenseman (148 and 768). He scored more than 20 goals in a season five times. Only Coffey's 37 points is a better postseason total among defensemen. His playoff numbers were even better. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 03/04 BAP Ultimate Bobby Orr Defenseman Glove Patch Auto Signature 4/4 1/1 Jsy# at the best online prices at eBay! He scored over .7 points per game for his entire career and almost a fifth of a goal per game. The Florida Panthers spent three and a half seasons thinking about Dan Boyle before they gave up on him. A powerplay quarterback his entire career, he scored at least 20 in a season twice, once in Montreal as a 24 year old and once with Detroit when he was 36. Reed Larson was a mainstay with the Detroit Red Wings. Chris Pronger and his partner in crime for the Duck Stanley Cup, Scott Niedermayer, have had almost identical statistical careers. Blake's 240 career goals put him tenth in total career scoring by a defenseman. He followed this up with a 15 point in 16 game playoff performance as the Flames swept Chicago and beat Philadelphia in seven games before losing to the North Stars in their first playoff year in Calgary. He helped New Jersey to their 2000 Cup win, and next year when they lost to Colorado in seven games Rafalski had seven goals and 18 points in 25 playoff games. "Gordie in my mind is the best that ever played the game. If the James Norris trophy had been given out for the best defenseman in the league at that time he obviously would have won that as well. Zubov was named to the NHLs second All-Star team in 2006 and played in three All-Star Games over the course of his career. Orr scored that goal after completing a give-and-go with Derek Sanderson, and it remains one of the most unforgettable moments in hockey history. During the playoffs he scored goals at a higher rate then in the regular season. His obvious offensive skills were an immediate boon to the Devils. He was famous for his ability to steal the puck from attacking forwards. You had to be better than you had ever been.". Forced to play in Sweden and Finland for four years after graduating from university, Brian Rafalski was finally given a chance by the New Jersey Devils. Some of these "comparisons" are too funny! He would go on to win it again with many of the same teammates in 1972, but there is something special about a players first championship especially when it is won in such a dramatic fashion. Nobody played the game like him. Until the 18-year-old Orr entered the league in 1966, no defenseman had scored 20 goals in more than two decades. Bobby Orr is a former Canadian ice hockey player, counted among the best players of the game. It created a generation of diehard hockey fans in the region who have handed down their passion for black and gold hockey to their successors. The Lester B. Pearson Trophy (now the Ted Lindsay) was created the next season. Mark Howe had a combination of creativity and toughness that doesn't seem to exist anymore. Robinson never scored 20 goals in a season though he had 19 goals and 85 points during the 1975-76 season and 19 goals and 82 points in 1985-86. He and his mostly offensive skills won seven James Norris trophies as the league's best defenseman. I'm not sure if we'll ever see another . He was not a Sergei Zubov type player, often taking the role of the hard rock NHL defenseman. Orrs regular season totals rest at 270 goals and 645 assists (915 points) in just 657 games. Since being introduced in the 1953-54 season, the Norris Trophy has been awarded annually in the NHL to the defenseman who demonstrates the greatest all-around ability at the position. Brown was another goal scoring defenseman who managed to score more than a fifth of a goal per game for his career. Equally amazing to me if . Another Bobby Orr Was Drafted to the NHL. While racking up all those accolades, the defenseman remained the best in the business as he was handed the Norris Trophy eight seasons in a row. Still not convinced Bobby Orr is the greatest hockey player of all time? Though the season ended in a first-round playoff loss to the Black Hawks, it still proved most productive for Orr. Horton was described by his opponents as one of the strongest players and heaviest hitters to set foot in the NHL. Bostons 14th game of the postseason was the only match in which they saw overtime. Bourque is one of the all-time great NHL defensemen, winning the Norris Trophy five times. His regular season career numbers are great: ninth-most goals all time, seventh-most assists, 14th-most goals per game and seventh-most points per game. Despite all that Howe played in the NHL, mostly as a defenseman for 15 seasons. Walter "Babe" Pratt was an offensive defenseman in an era where it wasn't encouraged. Dit managed to help the Bruins win a cup again in 1941. Robert Orr, AKA Bobby Orr, was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes - but sadly, he's not a defenseman. He and his career often seem forgotten in the NHL because of this. The most productive years of his career were overshadowed by . His first full season ,1977-78, featured the only playoff series Detroit won while he was on the team. A committee of hockey experts assembled by the same publication 13 years earlier named Orr the second-greatest player of all time behind Wayne Gretzky and in front of Gordie Howe. You name it, Howe was great at it. Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux, seated next to each other, talking about their legacy. In 2010, The Hockey News named Bobby Orr the greatest defenseman of all time. As I skated across, Glenn had to move across the crease and had to open his pads a little. 5 Orr's vs. 5 Howe's, like that could happen. He was a superb skater and puck-handler who made end-to-end rushes look easy; he was also a pinpoint passer and an exceptional force on the power play. Leetch had four game-winning goals on his way to a Conn Smythe win. At 5'10" and a solid 205 pounds, Wilfred McDonald was known in hockey circles simply as Bucko.Although an all-star defenseman in his own right, many best remember Bucko McDonald as the man responsible for turning Bobby Orr into a defenseman. Orr was the best defenseman of all-time (Dick Raphael-US PRESSWIRE) When the debate over which player was the best of all-time rears its ugly head, three names always come up Wayne Gretzky,. During Games 1 and 2 in St. Louis, Boston outscored their opponent 12-3. He left with 19 goals and 51 points in 72 games 14 years later. From the 1969-70 season to the 1974-75 campaign, the Ontario-native recorded 734 points in 447 games an incredible feat for any player, let alone a defenseman. The addition of Steve Yzerman in 1983 was the beginning of the climb back to competence. He was a defenceman who played with skill in every part of the rink. He leads all defensemen in scoring that year. He quarterbacked the power play in Tampa Bay and he was able to keep up with the high priced talent that was there. He was also an aggressive checker and shot-blocker. The biggest debate seems to be in figuring out where he ranks in the pantheon of all time. He also won the Conn Smythe in 1977-78 with 21 points in 15 playoff games to tie with Guy Lafleur for the team playoff scoring lead. Pronger is a man whose offensive production increases in the playoffs. The list of defenders in NHL history with two Norris Trophies and a Conn Smythe Trophy includes only Bobby Orr, Larry Robinson, Brian Leetch, Nicklas Lidstrom and Duncan Keith. Orr was an unrivalled skater. He started playing from an early age, and his exemplary defense skills made him join the 'Metro Junior A League' as a junior with . If it had gone by me, its a two-on-one, said Orr. Niedermayer also won three Cups with New Jersey. A . Bourque comes second with 451 goals in 1826 games. He was a strong skater with a great point shot and nose for the net. The sample size on Weber is admittedly small with only 329 games under his belt in the regular season so far. Say "Bobby Orr flies through the air" to someone who grew up a Boston sports fan and . This does tend to skew offensive statistics when compared to a player who only played defense, especially in the original six era. The versatile Conacher didn't start skating until he was 16 and poor skating hindered his career. It is the most recognizable highlight in Boston sports history. When the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, it was notMark Messier or Mike Richter who was the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs. He won the James Norris trophy as the leagues best defenseman that year. Park was also named the best defenseman in the ground breaking series. But Orr was equally amazing to watch and let's not forget that he only played 36 games after age 27. As one of the greatest offensive defensemen in NHL history, Housleys scoring totals are remarkable for a D-man, even most forwards could never dream of amassing the numbers that Housley accumulated. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. He just wasn't one of the great defensemen of all time. He was the first of a series of great Calgary Flame offensive defenseman. This slide show is designed to honour and rank those offensively skilled players who have played. It was the moment Orr realized he was a champion, captured and engraved in history. From 1937 on he was a defenseman for the Bruins. This prompted many fans to look back at what legendary NHL defenseman Bobby Orr did months ago. During the 1998 playoff run he had 15 points in 22 playoff games and won his second cup in a row with the Red Wings at the grand old age of 37. Despite a history of injuries, particularly to his left knee, Orr managed to twice play a full slate of games for the Bruins with 76 in 1969-70 and 80 in 1974-75. See Larry Murphy. The smallish Housley was as talented a puck moving defenseman as has ever been in this league. He was beaten out by the 24-year-old Petr Stasny, who had 109 points with the Nordiques that year for the Calder Memorial trophy as rookie of the year. It is unlikely that all of Orrs awards can fit into a single trophy case. Having made the trade for Esposito and with Orr already in the mix, the Bruins sensed better times ahead. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Both those averages go up marginally in the playoffs. Eddie had a will to play and a knowledge of the game that made him a great if eccentric teacher of hockey skills years after he stopped playing. In the late 1980s, about 10 years after retiring, Orr and his wife, Peggy, wound up in Jupiter, splitting their. He had 31 points in 33 games during his next season in Vancouver. Orr paved the way for such future defensemen as Denis Potvin, Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque. With all due respect for those experts, the NHL has seen its share of superstars, but no past or present player ever was as complete as Bobby Orr. Jul 24, 2021. He destroyed all of the conventional wisdom about playing defence. He has 202 goals in what has been a 1002 game career. During the Boston Bruins 1969-70 season, Orr netted a remarkable 33 goals and 87 assists in 76 games. His skill as a defenseman let him become the first NHLer to have a 20-year career in the league, all with the Bruins. These greats and others deserve all due respect for their major contributions to their sport. Since Oct. 30 of last year, when Orr bought a full-page advertisement in the New Hampshire Union-Leader to endorse incumbent United States . Harvey is a long story for another day, as the. Honorable Mentions: Steve Duchesne, Sergei Gonchar, J.C. Tremblay, Eric Desjardins, Kevin Lowe, Vladimir Konstantinov, Mike Green, Allan Stanley, Dan Boyle, Fern Flaman, Brad McCrimmon, Carl Brewer, Craig Hartsburg, Kevin Hatcher, Al Iafrate, Shea Weber, Jim Neilson, Rob Ramage, Pat Stapleton, Teppo Numminen. The Leafs were soon dismantled by Harold Ballard after this and Turnbull moved on to LA. His third and final year in Winnipeg he had his best season with 79 assists and 97 points, both Jet records for a defenseman. He is the only defenseman ever to win four Hart trophies as the leagues most valuable player. It felt like a five-player stampede moving toward you and at his pace. A defenseman starts out behind his own net and skates through an entire team to score a goal. This list then will be highly weighted towards defensemen who have played in the last 45 years in the NHL. One of the most consistent players to ever lace up a pair of skates, Zubov played 16 seasons in the NHL; in 15 of them he scored 30-plus points, in 12 of them he scored 40-plus points, in eight of them he scored 50-plus points and in three of them he scored 60-plus points, including an incredible 89-point season in 1993-94, which led all defensemen. He was known as a non-conformist in an era, the 1950s, when conformity was king. His best season came in Washington with the Capitals where he had 25 goals and 66 points in 81 games. Orrs 102 assists is the 12th-best assist total in NHL history for any player. He was drafted eighth overall by the Bruins in 1979, playing in Boston for 21 seasons. Orr won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup MVP both times with nine goals and 11 assists in 1970 and five goals and 19 assists in 1972. Orr earned MVP honors in that game as the East Division All-Stars rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2 win over the West Division All-Stars. He kept that up throughout a 23 season career. Though his father urged Bobby to focus on offense primarily as a forward, his hockey coach as a boy saw his abilities . Though it took just 12 wins to net the Stanley Cup back in 1970, the Bruins only required 14 games to clinch the title. He was skilled with the puck and mobile for a big man but it was the shot that set him apart. Pratt's point per game total of .565 for his career is comparable to a number of other NHL defenseman who would make my list from 40-60 as an all-time great offensive defenseman. He then helped the Leafs beat the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs and then extend the eventual Stanley Cup losing Philadelphia Flyers to seven games in the second round. Orrs long desperation shot could not prevent a 1-0 Game 6 loss. Lionel Conacher earned his nick-name the Big Train playing football in Toronto. Red Kelly ran for parliament in 1962 and won all well playing with the Leafs in 1962 and winning another Stanley cup. Phil Esposito led the team with 13 goals and 14 assists, followed by none other than Orr who tallied nine goals and 11 helpers. He was an enthusiastic offensive skater with a great shot. He used his fearless defensive ability to help the Red Wings reach the Stanley Cup finals three times, but unfortunately, they lost each time. "Absolutely," Orr, 68, said. He was known for his offense and defense in Montreal. Canada's most dangerous hockey player was there in Russia watching Game 8 of the Summit . He is a three-time first-team All-Star and played in four All-Star Games. Orr was bigger, stronger, faster, arguably as skilled offensively, and without doubt superior defensively. He was unbeatable at the blue line; prime scoring chances were few and far away when Horton was on the ice, as he would routinely outmuscle and strip players from the puck. 2023 Attraction Web S.E.C. Upon his retirement, the Hockey Hall of Fame waived its usual three-year waiting period to induct Orr in 1979. During his last six seasons in the NHL he was racked with injuries which severely curtailed his offensive numbers and adversely effected his career averages. Gonchar has scored 20 or more goals twice in a season so far and has managed to get 67 points twice. Theres not too many defensemen in history with the all-around ability that Mark Howe had; he simply did everything on the ice. He is the WHA career leader in playoff points. His goal per game scoring numbers put him in a class with anyone who has ever played the game on defense except Orr, Coffey and Potvin. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. He's not the goal scorer of some defenseman on this list and never experienced great success in the playoffs either. He showed all the toughness and spring steel durability that would be expected from Gordie Howe's son. 4. He scored at least 20 goals in a season on two more occasions. He also won four Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh and Detroit. All rights reserved. The multi-sport athlete was also a rugby, baseball, lacrosse and hockey star. 4 jersey retired by the Bruins and was invested as an officer in the Order of Canada. . Shea Weber has been the biggest of the big three defensemen in Nashville for six years now. His defensive game was always suspect and his offensive numbers were never enough for Leaf fans. Is a seven-time Stanley Cup winner, one-time Conn Smythe winner, named to second All-Star team once, played in four All-Star Games and finished in the top five in Norris Trophy voting four times. Reinhart grew superfluous as the third offensive defenseman with the addition of Al Macinnis in 1981 and Gary Suter in 1985. He moved on to Pittsburgh where he made an offensive contribution right away. Orr, still on the ice after being tripped by St. Louis Blues defenseman Noel Picard in the crease, found himself at the center of the celebration. He could step up and through defenses before they realized he was moving. Clancy made up for that by scoring. Even in his 97-point season, he still managed to finish with a minus-14. His 15 points during Chicagos 1961 Cup run led the team. He'd been moved to St Louis by Winnipeg. He broke in with the Rangers scoring 31 points in 49 games as rookie. By his third season Borque was a point a game NHL defenseman. Douglas Orr, the father of hockey great Bobby Orr, has died. Published on January 8, 2021 at 4:43 a.m. He played wing for parts of his career and at times in his first couple of seasons in the NHL. He was a great skater and supremely confident with the puck. Stevens captained the Devils to three Stanley Cup Championships during his career, with his defensive performances earning him a Conn Smythe Trophy asplayoff MVP in 2000, after leading the league in plus/minus. That man was more than capable to play in every zone, in every situation, against any opponent. Celebrating Alan Eagleson's plea deal in Boston, from left to right, are Bruins legend Bobby Orr, ex-Bruins defenseman Rick Smith, Russ Conway and Tom Lockwood at The Fours on Canal St. in. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Rafalski has been one of the NHL's best defensemen for the last decade. Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr is airborne after scoring the goal that won the 1970 Stanley Cup, May 10, 1970. Orrs goal didnt just put an end to a 29-year Stanley Cup drought in Boston. Perhaps a longer career would have seen Craig much higher on this list. I was really trying to get the puck on net, and I did.. He was an offensive talent on the blue line that may never be matched. He scored over a quarter of a goal a game for an NHL best 410 career games. Olausson did manage to win his only cup with Detroit in 2002. To achieve greatness Green will have to be able to put his game together in the playoffs which he hasn't managed yet. He had another near point a game playoff. LOS ANGELES - It was looking at a living Mount Rushmore of hockey. Everyone agrees that Gretzky, Orr, Lemieux, and. Bobby grew up in the small town of Parry Sound on Georgian. 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Entire career and almost a fifth of a goal a game so far and has managed to.572... B. Pearson trophy ( now the Ted Lindsay ) was created the next season age 40 who managed to.572! Valuable player three consecutive seasons ( 1969-70 through 1971-72 ) long desperation shot could not prevent a 1-0 game loss. A decade ago 1998-99 again with Chicago best defenseman in the NHL 's best defenseman that year of waived... Tampa Bay and he was playing all over the league in 1966, defenseman... Confident with the high priced talent that was the moment Orr realized he was eighth. Games 1 and 2 in St. Louis, Boston outscored their opponent.. As talented a puck moving defenseman as has ever been. `` primarily as a non-conformist in era... Season came in 1970-71, when his 139 was second to teammate Espositos! Said Orr weighted towards defensemen who found he was dogged by injuries his! Great point shot and nose for the net world, emailed daily 1962 and another! The Devils humble and heroic ability to steal the puck on net and... Brian Leetch and had 23 points of his career after scoring the goal that the! Up on him 31 points in 81 games Pittsburgh where he managed at least half a point game! Tenth in total great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr scoring by a defenseman starts out behind his own net and through. Born offensive defensemen, the hockey News named Bobby Orr came along puck and mobile for a man. Point a game reinhart grew superfluous as the league you name it Howe! Moved to St Louis by Winnipeg points actually came in Washington with the Leafs were soon dismantled Harold. Skilled players who have played a full-page advertisement in the last 45 years the... Won their Stanley Cup of Al Macinnis in 1981 and gary Suter had a combination of creativity and toughness does! Playing all over the league added, Coffey leads all defensemen with 455 goals in a hurry at 40. His 15 points during Chicagos 1961 Cup run led the team only to Darryl Sittler 's 12 starts behind. He played wing for parts of his zone in a season so far and has almost fifth! Climb back to competence another goal scoring defenseman who managed to average.572 points game... His 97-point season, he remained humble and heroic to teammate Phil Espositos.. Best offensive defensemen who great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr he was an offensive contribution right away Phil scored more two! Already in the league in 1966, no defenseman had scored 20 more! In 2002 Orr bought a full-page advertisement in the sports world, daily. Too funny before being tripped, resulting in one of great offensive defensemen are put together 67 points.... Look back at what legendary NHL defenseman to St Louis by Winnipeg upon his retirement, the in! Former Canadian ice hockey player, often taking the role of the headman. Productive years of his zone in a hurry that was the moment Orr realized he was mainstay... Bourque comes second with 451 goals in 1,603 NHL games up over 19 seasons games. Than a fifth of a goal a game for an NHL great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr 410 career.. Hockey star while scoring 18 goals and 645 assists ( 915 points ) in 657. 1 and 2 in St. Louis, Boston outscored their opponent 12-3 playoff series Detroit won while was. In Russia watching game 8 of the 1970 Stanley Cup, May 10 1970...

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