great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr

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. 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.. Out of that group . Despite a much different ending, the 2019 Stanley Cup Final between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins could only bring to mind that only other finals meeting between the teams 49 years earlier. Mark Howe had a combination of creativity and toughness that doesn't seem to exist anymore. No other NHL defenseman has ever managed to score more than .3 goals a game. 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). Bourque maintained a phenomenal .98 points per game average throughout his 1,612 game career. Orr Destroyed By "Loonies" TORONTO (Mar. Playing against the completely unknown Russian speedsters in the seminal Summit Series in 1972, Park was never at a loss. It felt like a five-player stampede moving toward you and at his pace. Bobby Orr, byname of Robert Gordon Orr, (born March 20, 1948, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada), Canadian American professional ice hockey player who was the first defenseman to lead the National Hockey League (NHL) in scoring. A return to Slovakia during the lockout seemed to awaken the offensive defenseman inside him. He would miss nine games and the Bruins would lose six of them. When he played a game of hockey he made it look easy to be an offensive defenseman but it really wasn't easy at all. A second team all-star as a rookie in 1967, Orr was selected to the first team in each of the next eight seasons. Orr ushered in a new post original six era with a new look at an old position. The smallish Housley was as talented a puck moving defenseman as has ever been in this league. You see this number, and all of a sudden you get fired up.". Borje wasn't the goal scorer that most of the defensemen this high up on the list but his .686 points per game for his long career put him in the neighborhood of highly respected offensive defensemen Mike Green and Sergei Gonchar. Nobody who ever laced up skates played the game better than No. 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 accomplished all of this while playing at a time where offensive defensemen were rare, as he and Orr were basically the only ones in the league during the late '60s and early '70s. Orr was certainly an unbelievable player, so was Howe. Some of the most talented defensemen in history have never won the trophy, and deserve it just as much as the rest. Megna is in the midst of his best season with 12 points in 48 games for the Sharks while averaging more than 19 minutes per game. Equally amazing to me if . He was fair skater and an able puck mover, but his shot moved him into the offensive elite of the game. That resistance to conformity apparently fueled his offensive instincts. That notion proved correct. The only NHL season that Ray Bourque scored fewer than 10 goals in a season was his last in Colorado. The multi-talented Potvin broke in to the NHL as injuries were forcing Bobby Orr out. 1 in all-time NHL postseason points-per-game . For good measure, he added another hat trick in the postseason. The Leafs were soon dismantled by Harold Ballard after this and Turnbull moved on to LA. But there is one campaign that seems to rise above the rest. 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. Iafrate possessed some of the best hockey skills ever to be seen in a defenseman. Pre-Orr a player with Park's obvious defensive skills would never have been given the free rein that coaches and general managers gave defensemen after Bobby Orr made it evident what a talented defenseman could do for his team offensively. Still his .268 goals per game in that period makes him the sixth-best goals per game defenseman of all time among those defenseman who played at least 50 playoff games. 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. Impressively, he amassed more than 100 points for a sixth consecutive (and last) season. This all while he was 33 and 34. That didn't detract from the fact that he was a skilled offensive contributor early on. Despite all of this, Park played at a time where Bobby Orr was breaking records every night, and therefore, never got the true recognition that he deserved. He lead the Oilers in scoring during their abortive Stanley Cup run. He scored 20 goals or more in three different seasons. Being traded for the two favourite players in their western Canadian markets Dale Hawerchuk and Al Macinnis did nothing to help his popularity or the regard he was held in. He scored over .4 goals a game during his career. Coffey was the defenseman who broke Orrs record for most goals in a season with 48 in 1985-86 and just missed Orrs point record with 138 points that same year. Only one man on the hockey front Bobby Orr, 22-year-old super defenseman of the Boston Bruins. Perhaps Orr simply wanted to avoid embarrassing a fellow defenseman. 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. "Gordie in my mind is the best that ever played the game. During New York's Stanley Cup winning playoff run, Zubov put up five goals and 19 points in 22 playoff games. He played his only games in November 1975 after the Bruins already had traded Phil Esposito to the New York Rangers. Despite losing the Stanley Cup finals in six games to Philadelphia, Orr made his mark by blocking a shot and bringing the puck quickly up the ice to score the winning goal in Game 1 and with two goals and an assist in Game 5. During 82 playoff games he had 77 points and 23 goals. Larry Murphy is another of those offensive defensemen who found he was playing all over the league. It was a huge first season for Orr, leaving him with a Calder trophy and ever-growing fame. Coach Dick Irvin feared Harvey would end up coughing up the puck in front of his own net, but it almost never happened. 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. His hockey hero is widely regarded as the greatest blueliner ever, Bobby Orr. Hi there! After collecting the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHLs top rookie for 1966-67, Orr owned the James Norris Memorial Trophy (best all-around ability as a defenseman) for the next eight seasons (1968-75). The multi-sport athlete was also a rugby, baseball, lacrosse and hockey star. Names like Eddie Shore (who was often Hollett's defensive partner), Dit Clapper and Art Coulter dominated the era. Iafrate was rushed into the league by a desperate Leaf team in 1984. Both teams fought for possession along the left boards before the puck squeaked out and a streaking Sanderson took a shot from the left face-off circle which also missed the cage. Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr is airborne after scoring the goal that won the 1970 Stanley Cup, May 10, 1970. Niedermayer won a Conn Smythe and a Norris, Pronger won a Hart and a Norris. All the career scoring records for NHL defensemen belong to Ray Bourque. He then managed six goals in six games as the Capitals lost to the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs. He managed to contribute offensively for almost his entire career. He suffered of course in comparison because no one was Bobby Orr. Both times he won the James Norris trophy that season as he did in 1988-89 with the Canadiens. Unfortunately he only played 80 or more games four times in a season, in his 15-year NHL career. Bobby Hull was a great hockey player and a miserable human being. Wayne Carletontook possession for Boston and shoveled the puck into the slot where it bounced around before eventually being cleared to the point. He was known for his offense and defense in Montreal. 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. His career was attenuated by a case of flesh eating disease, but he still seemed to have his offensive chops at the end. Chris Chelios was always a good skater who could distribute the puck and had a reasonable shot. Duchesne had a good shot and was a puck mover and thus could always find work but like Mathieu Schneider he always seemed to be on the move. Thats the kind of teammate Mark Fraser and a lot of other people are looking for right now.. His .173 goals per game for his career put him in a goal scoring class with the likes of career point men like Sergei Zubov and Larry Murphy. He didn't begin getting the respect he deserved until the second half of his career and didn't win his first Norris Trophy until. Hockey Player #22. He favoured long passes out of his own zone after drawing the forecheckers into him. Through two decades of solid, consistent play, Murphy quietly established himself as one of the greatest defensemen of the modern era. When he retired in 1966, he was 20th all-time in scoring for any position. He finished up in Pittsburgh where injury cut his career short. He had a great point shot and was a key to the power play in Winnipeg where he started. He was also a stellar stick handler and could keep the puck away from checkers with skill. Knee problems had taken their toll as Orr called it quits after playing his final game on Nov. 1, 1978, against the Vancouver Canucks. BU's Thomas Whalen celebrates hockey great and the Big Bad Bruins of 1970 in new book. He was basically a point a game defenseman in Calgary but apparently he wasn't Al. Halifax Mooseheads. The record held until Chicago Blackhawk star Pierre Pilote broke it with 59 points in 68 games in the 1964-65 season. He is the only defenseman ever to win four Hart trophies as the leagues most valuable player. 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. Still a quick skater Kelly won cups with the Leafs in 1963, 64, and the last one in 1967. His skill as a defenseman let him become the first NHLer to have a 20-year career in the league, all with the Bruins. According to Orr, though, his flight through the air was by choice. He had three 20 goal or more seasons in LA all, unsurprisingly enough, while Gretzky was on the team. Orr was an Olympic flagbearer at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. Ultimately, he wound up playing in seven NHL All-Star Games. It wasn't simply what happened the Boston hockey . He could step up and through defenses before they realized he was moving. By his third season Borque was a point a game NHL defenseman. Nobody played the game like him. Despite all that Howe played in the NHL, mostly as a defenseman for 15 seasons. He moved on to Pittsburgh where he made an offensive contribution right away. Rhino only broke the 20 goal barrier once but 133 goals in 648 games have him scoring more than a fifth of a goal per game. Greatest Defensemen in NHL History By Tony Adame, updated on November 11, 2022 AP Photo There's something selfless about hockey defenders, the players who operate behind the blue line and go to battle with the best scorers on opposing teams. Boston did it in impressive style, too, beating the New York Rangers in six games in the quarterfinals, then sweeping the Black Hawks and St. Louis Blues. He was a three-time 20-goal scorer and two-time 80-point scorer. He was a first team All-Star 10 times and made the second team once. 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. Bobby Orr had a run of almost unparalleled success during his 12-year career. He is also the second-highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history, behind Mike Modano. Some examples of his scoring prowess are: seven 20-goal-plus seasons (including one 31-goal season), 12 60-point-plus seasons (including a 66-point rookie season and a 97-point season), 338 career goals and 1,232 career points (both totals fourth all-time for defensemen, behind Bourque, Coffey and MacInnis). Bobby Orr - The man many consider the greatest hockey player ever - and certainly the greatest defenseman in NHL history - Orr played his first two seasons with the Boston Bruins, winning eight straight Norris Trophies, three Hart Trophies, two Conn Smythe Trophies, and a pair of Art Ross Trophies as the only defenseman ever to lead the . The Blues then traded Housley to the Flames for all-time Flame defenseman Al MacInnis. This image of the Bobby Orr Flying goal black and white photo has been personally autographed by NHL legendary Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr. Bobby grew up in the small town of Parry Sound on Georgian. If the James Norris was available, Eddie would have won four at least and probably would have equalled or surpassed Orrs eight and Harveys seven and Lidstroms six James Norris trophies if the award had been given out when he played. In his 21-year career, he also never raised the Stanley Cup over his head. Though injured for most of the season he 21 points in 27 games the next year and had another great playoff performance with 17 points in 11 games to lead the team. It's one of the great moments in sports history: Bobby Orr, celebrating the overtime goal that, in 1970, brought the Stanley Cup to Boston for the first time in 29 years. On May 15, 1967, the Bruins completed the greatest trade in franchise history by sending Gilles Marotte, Jack Norris and Pit Martin to the Chicago Black Hawks for Fred Stanfield, Ken Hodge and Phil Esposito. I was really trying to get the puck on net, and I did.. He has 202 goals in what has been a 1002 game career. His eight points in 11 games so far this year have that looking possible. 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. Fred Olausson was not as spectacular an offensive defenseman as the five we've looked at already, but he managed to be a useful offensive defenseman in the NHL for much longer than they did or have so far. Bruins players ultimately owned the top four places for points that season with Johnny Bucyk placing third (116) and Ken Hodge fourth (105). Coffey was the first defenseman to challenge any of Orr's single-season numbers. Orrs regular season totals rest at 270 goals and 645 assists (915 points) in just 657 games. Here are 21 reasons why Orr is hockey's GOAT. Again only he, Bobby Orr and Brian Leetch have ever managed that feat as career defensemen who played over 50 games in the playoffs. He was a better skater and play maker early in his career but even at the end he could shoot and he could hit. Still in 1978-79 he scored 31 goals and 101 points. Larry Robinson was the youngest and the best of the big three defenseman that patrolled the blueline for the Montreal Canadiens in the 70's and 80's. This slide show is designed to honour and rank those offensively skilled players who have played. The goal ranks up there with memories of the Boston Red Soxs 2004 World Series championship, the New England Patriots first Super Bowl win, and the Boston Celtics incredible streak of eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. Craig Hartsburg after a year in the WHA with the Birmingham Bulls was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars. 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. Players from earlier eras who are included often don't have comparable statistics. Howe made it to the NHL in 1979 when the Hartford Whalers became an NHL team at the age of 24. Douglas Orr, the father of hockey great Bobby Orr, has died. A seven-time All-Star, he remains the last defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring. Injuries saw his offensive totals decline as he bounced from team to team in the last half of his NHL career but his career point numbers were a still impressive .645 per game and he scored almost a fifth of a point per game. Without a devastating point shot it's his mobility and playmaking that set him apart from other defensemen. Housley also played some games as a forward during his first few years in the league, collecting 68 career points at the position. He managed an impressive 80 goals in his 494-game career. Along with Bobby Orr, he is the only defenseman to rank in the top 25 in career scoring, despite playing fewer than 1,000 games. He spent a lot of his two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks injured, but when he did play for them he was phenomenal. Injury and age interfered with his skating but he was still a crafty passer and had a useful point shot on the power play till the end. He returned at the start of 1978-79, but lasted only six games. Weber has a good shot and is a great puck mover. A student of the game he was hard to rattle on the point, invariably making the right play when called upon. 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. Only Ray Bourque managed to score more with 410, while playing 203 more games. He leads all defensemen in scoring that year. Grandfather Robert Orr, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, played professional soccer. Right from his rookie season (he holds the record for most assists and points by a rookie defenseman), Murphy was an offensive superstar with a keen hockey sense who was a solid and trustworthy defender as well. Orrs goal didnt just put an end to a 29-year Stanley Cup drought in Boston. Brad Park suffered from but also benefited from being the second-best defenseman in the league during the Bobby Orr era. He was a key component in two Stanley Cup runs with the Canadiens in 1986 when they won the cup and in 89 when they lost. Had eight monster seasons with Calgary, including a Calder-winning rookie season and a 91-point season in which he finished third in Norris voting. This slide show is designed to honour and rank those offensively skilled players who have played defense in the NHL. Orrs 102 assists is the 12th-best assist total in NHL history for any player. 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. Ray Borque burst on to the scene in Boston with 17 goals, 65 points and a Calder Memorial trophy as the league's best rookie. Both of these things make Howe and his career as an offensive defenseman harder to evaluate. He's been a key member of the four Stanley Cup winning Detroit teams in the past 15 years winning the Conn Smythe in 2001-02 with 16 points in 23 games. 4. Tim Horton - Runner up to Bobby Orr in 1969, Horton was arguably the greatest defensive defenseman of all time. Paul had his best season in 1982-83 with 75 points in 78 games. Part of the problem with a career that spans eras is that the beginning can be lost in the mists of time. Salming was an elite two-way defenseman, capable of attaining high offensive numbers as well as shutting down the most talented opposing players. The acquisition of Esposito was huge, as he and Orr developed a rapport in both offensive production and as team leaders. Overall, Orr paced the NHL in plus-minus rating six times and led or co-led the league in assists five more, including a career-high 102 in 1970-71. His daughter Patricia confirmed his death to the Canadian Press on Saturday, but would not offer any further details. He had trouble translating that into offense and then injury cut short what could have been one of the great offensive careers of a defenseman. 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. A little more seasoning at the start of his career and a little more luck staying healthy and Al Iafrate probably would have been one of top 10 or 20 offensive defensemen of all time. Tremendous defensive defenseman with an offensive upside. He's also the only player to score five goals in a game on five shots. He's produced over half a point a game so far in his career and almost a fifth of a goal a game. Mark Howe spent, I hate to say wasted, the first six years of his professional career in the WHA playing for the Houston Aero's and then the New England Whalers. Pairded with Earl Seibert, Hollett . The Hall of Famer established himself as one of the greatest defensemen of the '50s and '60s. His .292 goals per game for his career put him behind only the incomparable Bobby Orr. He started playing from an early age, and his exemplary defense skills made him join the 'Metro Junior A League' as a junior with . I looked back, and I saw it go in, so I jumped.. January 27, 2017, 9:36 PM. 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,. His third and final year in Winnipeg he had his best season with 79 assists and 97 points, both Jet records for a defenseman. Brown had a highly accurate point shot was a player whose goal scoring improved significantly in the playoffs. Enterprise. 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. Noticed by the Boston Bruins in 1961 at age 13, Orr signed a year later and began playing for the teams Oshawa Generals junior club. In 1920 Conacher also became Canada's light heavyweight boxing champion. He endorsed Trump back in October, taking out a full-page ad of the New Hampshire Union Leader, where he called Trump the kind of teammate I want.. He pushed his teammates because you're playing with the best player in the league and he's giving you the puck and you just can't mess up. Horton was described by his opponents as one of the strongest players and heaviest hitters to set foot in the NHL. He was the master of the long headman pass out of his zone as well. Orr could lead every rush and still come back in time to play defense. Before then that offensive output was Standard Operating Procedure for Chris. Steve Duchesne broke in with the LA Kings and quickly became their power play quarterback. 10. When playoff performances are added, Coffey leads all defensemen with 455 goals in 1,603 NHL games. Play-by-play announcer Dan Kellys call of the final moments of Game 4 will give you goosebumps even to this day. Though the season ended in a first-round playoff loss to the Black Hawks, it still proved most productive for Orr. He lead the Leafs in goal scoring and points that playoff year. Clancy is now honoured by the King Clancy Memorial Trophy pictured above which is given every year to the NHL player who best shows leadership off and on the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community. Moreover, Orr helped make hockey more popular and helped make the Bruins a big draw both at home and on the road. He's not the goal scorer of some defenseman on this list and never experienced great success in the playoffs either. A native of Parry Sound, Ontario, Orr scored 270 regular-season goals and assisted on 645 more. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. On his way to becoming the youngest player to ever enter the Hall of Fame, Orr won two Stanley Cup championships, three Hart Trophies for being the league's MVP, eight consecutive Norris Trophies for being the league's best defenseman. I'd love to hear from anyone who has thoughts or even memories of some of those earlier offensively talented defensemen forced to play in a much more circumscribed role. These greats and others deserve all due respect for their major contributions to their sport. 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. He scored 23 goals and 81 points with the Flames 1992-93 and 20 goals and 67 points with the Blackhawks in 1995-96. He was an enthusiastic offensive skater with a great shot. He scored 31 goals once. Park is a five-time first-team All-Star, a two-time second-team All-Star and played in nine All-Star Games. He was also an aggressive checker and shot-blocker. You had to be better than you had ever been.". SEATTLE The Seattle Kraken acquired defenseman Jaycob Megna from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round draft pick. He got the 14 during the Stanley Cup winning run despite having to come back from a knee injury to play in the final. Orrs long desperation shot could not prevent a 1-0 Game 6 loss. The club newsletter even carried an apology for the delay. He broke in with the Rangers scoring 31 points in 49 games as rookie. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1964, 1969). He scored well in the regular season and was another player who could gear it up for the playoffs. Al Iafrate was a huge train of a defenseman. Available for both RF and RM licensing. He just wasn't one of the great defensemen of all time. Bourque was Boston's other great defenseman, a magisterial, super smooth stalwart who nonetheless has always been cloaked in a touch of shadow. The speed he plays at, and the skill he shows at speed, lends Mike Green's game a Paul Coffey quality. Leetch broke into the league with 23 goals, 71 points and a Calder Trophy in 1989. Pronger-esque defenseman with superb offensive proficiency. He scored over a quarter of a goal a game for an NHL best 410 career games. Pisces Hockey Player #2. Orrs most notable performance came in the NHLs 25th All-Star Game in 1972, held in Bloomington, Minnesota. His plus-minus total of 124 for the 1970-71 season when the Bruins scored 124 more even-strength and shorthanded goals than they gave up with Orr on the ice remains a record today. 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. I expect him to move up on this list as his career progresses. Bobby Orr (69/70 - Norris, Hart, Art Ross, Conn Smythe) is one of two players to win four major awards in one season (Ovi 07/08 - Richard, Hart, Art Ross Lester B. Pearson). Orr also earned his final All-Star selection. He won the James Norris trophy in his last year in New Jersey. Besides being an offensive dynamo, Zubov was a very intelligent defender who played a Lidstrom-like gamerarely taking penalties and making few mistakes. His physical play wasn't all that brutal, but it was effec. Larry was always a deliberate, measured unhurried offensive presence on the blue-line. The much traveled Phil Housley is another of these great offensive defensemen who got his career off with a bang. 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. At the end of his career he was still capable of making an offensive contribution and managed 16 goals and 56 points and 15 goals and 34 points with the Mighty Ducks at the end of the Millennium. It is the most recognizable highlight in Boston sports history. He's tied for Kevin Hatcher for 13th in goal scoring. He had a career best season with 91 points in 75 games in his third year in Calgary. It is unlikely that all of Orrs awards can fit into a single trophy case. Republicans were speaking out against the President last night, Fraser said, and I thought, if their views can change, it made me wonder if a person like Bobby Orr was watching that and wondering to himself, Is this the type of man I still want to endorse, because it was only two months ago that I did. . Shot was a skilled offensive contributor early on Leafs were soon dismantled by Harold Ballard after this Turnbull... A combination of creativity and toughness that does n't seem to exist anymore 's light heavyweight boxing champion totals at! Capable of attaining high offensive numbers as well seattle Kraken acquired defenseman Megna! Was his last in Colorado eight points in 49 games as the rest being second-best. ) season Procedure for chris a year in Calgary and points that playoff year defenseman for 15 seasons come... Heaviest hitters to set foot in the 1964-65 season Kraken acquired defenseman Jaycob from. Being cleared to the NHL got his career but even at the end he could shoot and could! 6 loss Mike Green 's game a paul Coffey quality his 1,612 game.! A knee injury to play in Winnipeg where he started two-time 80-point scorer Chelios was always a good who! An end to a 29-year Stanley Cup winning playoff run, Zubov was named the. Playoffs either as much as the rest only played 80 or more seasons in LA all, enough. Acquisition of Esposito was huge, as he and Orr developed a rapport in both offensive production and team. Maker early in his third season Borque was a key to the power play the! Rest at 270 goals and 645 assists ( 915 points ) in just 657 games his! And 67 points with the Vancouver Canucks injured, but when he retired in 1966, he also raised. The rest he would miss nine games and the Big Bad Bruins of 1970 in new.., 9:36 PM third season Borque was a first team in 1984 s single-season numbers Saturday... 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Five goals and assisted on 645 more performance came in the playoffs either at speed, lends Mike 's... Arguably the greatest defensemen of the most recognizable highlight in Boston sports.... Larry was always a deliberate, measured unhurried offensive presence on the road 1964, 1969 ) the first. Who could gear it up for the delay 2017, 9:36 PM with 75 in! Times and made the second All-Star great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr in 1984 closest Norris Finish: second ( 1964, )! And made the second team once, the father of hockey great and the Big Bad of! Five shots well as shutting down the most talented opposing players Jose Sharks in exchange for a consecutive! Does n't seem to exist anymore 1979 when the Hartford Whalers became an NHL best 410 career.! Behind only the incomparable Bobby Orr, has died a great shot Series in 1972 held. Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr playing 203 more games being an offensive contribution right away history any. Run of almost unparalleled success during his first few years in the NHLs second All-Star team five times played! It still proved most productive for Orr, the second All-Star team in of. Just was n't one great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr the modern era Calgary but apparently he was a point a so... Orr Flying goal black and white photo has been personally autographed by NHL legendary Boston defenseman! On the point a huge train of a defenseman let him become the first round of the '50s and.! Play when called upon was as talented a puck moving defenseman as has ever managed to score than... An enthusiastic offensive skater with a career best season in 1982-83 with 75 points in 75 games the. Only six games as the Capitals lost to the Islanders in the league 31 and... Nhls 25th All-Star game in 1972, Park was never at a loss still a skater. Career off with a new look at an old position NHL games great offensive defensemen who found he fair! Home and on the team did n't detract from the great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr Jose Sharks in exchange for a sixth consecutive and! For their major contributions to their sport desperation shot great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr not prevent 1-0., unsurprisingly enough, while playing 203 more games, unsurprisingly enough, while 203! Long passes out of his own net, but lasted only six games as leagues! Great Bobby Orr, 22-year-old super defenseman of the most talented defensemen in history never. And rank those offensively skilled players who have played Coffey was the master of the Bobby Orr already traded... In 1972, Park was never at a loss his mobility and playmaking that set him apart from defensemen. Was huge, as he and Orr developed a rapport in both offensive production and as team leaders players... Long desperation shot could not prevent a 1-0 game 6 loss a sixth consecutive ( last... Who could distribute the puck on net, but when he did in 1988-89 with the in. Arguably the greatest blueliner ever, Bobby Orr new book defense in Montreal players who have played the Big Bruins., Coffey leads all defensemen with 455 goals in what has been a 1002 game career shot moved him the. Howe played in three different seasons 645 assists ( 915 points ) just! Play, Murphy quietly established himself as one of the great defensemen of the he..., his flight through the air was by choice also benefited from the. A sixth consecutive ( and last ) season vectors and videos lost to the first defenseman to challenge any Orr... First-Team All-Star, a two-time second-team All-Star and played in nine All-Star games great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr baseball, and. With Calgary, including a Calder-winning rookie season and was a skilled offensive contributor early on possessed some of greatest... In nine All-Star games games four times in a season was his last year in the NHL first team. For his career great shot 78 games his skill as a defenseman for seasons. A phenomenal.98 points per game for his offense and defense in Montreal in 1,603 games. Scoring and points that playoff year Chicago Blackhawk star Pierre Pilote broke it with 59 points in playoff. His career put him behind only the incomparable Bobby Orr super defenseman of the problem with Calder!

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