Say "Bobby Orr flies through the air" to someone who grew up a Boston sports fan and . The sports spectrum in New England was dominated by basketball at the time, as the Celtics had already brought home 11 championships by the time 1970 rolled around. You see this number, and all of a sudden you get fired up.". That didn't detract from the fact that he was a skilled offensive contributor early on. His plus-minus rating for those games resides at a whopping plus-582. Youve probably heard of Bobby Orr. 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. Other great defensemen such as Red Kelly and Doug Harvey preceded Orr, but the latter inspired with his speed and artistry on the ice. One photo caught his. Pisces Hockey Player #2. He was also a stellar stick handler and could keep the puck away from checkers with skill. "With Orr's exit, Boston fans felt as if a loved one had disappeared," Conway wrote. He took home the Hart, Norris, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe Trophies and his first Stanley Cup. Since Oct. 30 of last year, when Orr bought a full-page advertisement in the New Hampshire Union-Leader to endorse incumbent United States . . He was a great skater and playmaker with a very useful point shot. He became "the" offensive defenseman on those great Avalanche teams. Reinhart grew superfluous as the third offensive defenseman with the addition of Al Macinnis in 1981 and Gary Suter in 1985. He had more than a point a game for Chicago in their 1992 run to the cup final versus the Lemieux-lead Pittsburgh Penguins. All the career scoring records for NHL defensemen belong to Ray Bourque. Jul 24, 2021. Calgary, Alberta, native Cale Makar has played three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche and each season he's been getting better and . Larson was the first US born player ever to score 200 goals in the NHL and the sixth defenseman to do so. Bobby Orr Highlights. 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. During his Boston years, Esposito led the league in goals six times and in scoring five times. The Leafs were soon dismantled by Harold Ballard after this and Turnbull moved on to LA. Unfortunately, Orr's career expired early, as knee injuries got the . The most exciting play in hockey is the end to end rush. Manage Settings He was the master of the long headman pass out of his zone as well. He additionally played in four All-Star Games. He was a point a game player for the next 12 years. He took home the Hart, Norris, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe Trophies and his first Stanley Cup . He was basically a point a game defenseman in Calgary but apparently he wasn't Al. Murphy became a key international player for Canada and contributed a goal and six assists in the 1987 Canada Cup. Closest Norris Finish: Third (1987, 1993). He had three 20 goal or more seasons in LA all, unsurprisingly enough, while Gretzky was on the team. Both those averages go up marginally in the playoffs. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1983, 1986, 1987). His best season saw him score 17 goals and 40 points for the Ottawa Senators in 1929-30. Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr (March 20, 1948-) is widely considered among the top three greatest hockey players in the history of the NHL, and most certainly the greatest defenseman the league has ever seen. Al MacInnis developed into a complete offensive defenseman as his career progressed, but it was his shot that got him to the NHL. Ken Dryden, Hall of Fame goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, summed it up best. He was fair skater and an able puck mover, but his shot moved him into the offensive elite of the game. Fraser hopes, like many fans, that Orr will change his position and be part of the solution. He and his career often seem forgotten in the NHL because of this. The physical Potvin was an abundantly talented skater, stick handler and playmaker. Besides his deft puck-handling and precise passing, Orr, who famously wore number 4, had a presence that made any team he played for better the moment he stepped on the ice. But Orrs goal goes beyond winning the Stanley Cup. He was an enthusiastic offensive skater with a great shot. Orr ushered in a new post original six era with a new look at an old position. The only NHL season that Ray Bourque scored fewer than 10 goals in a season was his last in Colorado. He was obviously a player who could play better when the games got tougher. 20) Today is Bobby Orr's 73rd birthday. During the Boston Bruins 1969-70 season, Orr netted a remarkable 33 goals and 87 assists in 76 games. He was destined to spend a career in Edmonton until a desperate Peter Pocklington started selling off assets in the late 80s. Bobby Hull was a great hockey player and a miserable human being. Its time for Orr to step up and to speak out against Trump and his sycophants just as forcefully as he did two months ago. Niedermayer won a Conn Smythe and a Norris, Pronger won a Hart and a Norris. Park was an end to end rusher throughout his career with a great shot. All rights reserved. His three best seasons came in the war years with Toronto when he set the record for most points by a defenseman in a season with 57 points in 50 games in 1943-44. The 1966 Topps #35 Bobby Orr rookie hockey card is his only rookie card and one of the most recognizable in the hobby. Expectations were high for this first round pick. He had 71 points in 78 games for Dallas in 2005-06. It is claimed by some that Horton was the first player in the NHL to use the slap shot as a reliable offensive weapon. He skated like the wind and had one of the hardest slap-shots ever. He was also an aggressive checker and shot-blocker. Horton was described by his opponents as one of the strongest players and heaviest hitters to set foot in the NHL. Brad Park suffered from but also benefited from being the second-best defenseman in the league during the Bobby Orr era. He was runner up in the Calder trophy balloting to young Mike Bossy with his 53 goals and 91 points as a rookie. According to Orr, though, his flight through the air was by choice. Lapointe helped to win a total of six Cups with Montreal, providing substantial offensive contribution from the blue line. He played his only games in November 1975 after the Bruins already had traded Phil Esposito to the New York Rangers. During New York's Stanley Cup winning playoff run, Zubov put up five goals and 19 points in 22 playoff games. He managed to contribute offensively for almost his entire career. He played another seven and a half seasons in Toronto. Orrs most notable performance came in the NHLs 25th All-Star Game in 1972, held in Bloomington, Minnesota. Not only did Orr become the first and to this date, the only defenseman to win a scoring title, the Bruins thrived as a team en route to their first Stanley Cup title since 1941. Orrs 102 assists is the 12th-best assist total in NHL history for any player. 4. That notion proved correct. But one stands above the rest. As a sophomore he scored 18 goals and 67 points in the regular season. Hi there! The high risk end of his game had him traded to Colorado where he helped them win the 1996 Stanley cup. 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. 2023 Attraction Web S.E.C. Offensive defensemen were popularized with the coming of Bobby Orr in 1966-67. He was named to the first all-star team that year alongside team-mate Eddie Shore. Opinion. Despite all that Howe played in the NHL, mostly as a defenseman for 15 seasons. He got the 14 during the Stanley Cup winning run despite having to come back from a knee injury to play in the final. When we speak of the greats of ice hockey, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau enter into the conversation. On June 24, 1976, Orr signed that multi-million dollar contract with the Blackhawks. The 22 goals and 79 points he managed that year were his career best. Now here they are, the 50 greatest offensive defensemen of all time. The Ducks look to be hoping his numbers with them will closer to the .686 points per game he's managed since coming back from Slovakia. Hed have been a likely Conn Smythe candidate that year if the trophy had existed back then. He had as rough a ride as any player I've ever seen play the game. Orrs regular season totals rest at 270 goals and 645 assists (915 points) in just 657 games. Housley was never treated very well by the fans in Calgary despite leading the team in assists during the strike curtailed 1994-95 season. He is the only defenseman ever to win four Hart trophies as the leagues most valuable player. Mike Green is the youngest player I have on my list and so has the most potential to climb and fall. Pairded with Earl Seibert, Hollett . The smallish Housley was as talented a puck moving defenseman as has ever been in this league. Coach Dick Irvin feared Harvey would end up coughing up the puck in front of his own net, but it almost never happened. For 1973-74, the Bruins amassed the NHLs best regular-season record (52-17-9) while once again boasting the leagues top four points leaders in Esposito (145), Orr (122), Hodge (105) and Wayne Cashman (89). Out of that group . Leetch broke into the league with 23 goals, 71 points and a Calder Trophy in 1989. 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. Playing against the completely unknown Russian speedsters in the seminal Summit Series in 1972, Park was never at a loss. Both of these things make Howe and his career as an offensive defenseman harder to evaluate. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978). He played 37 games that first season and had 23 points. 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. Douglas Bradford "Brad" Park (born July 6, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Hockey Player #22. Orr on '72: Best player misses greatest win. His .240 goals per game is the sixth best career average for a defenseman in the NHL. In the late 1980s, about 10 years after retiring, Orr and his wife, Peggy, wound up in Jupiter, splitting their. The biggest debate seems to be in figuring out where he ranks in the pantheon of all time. However it fits in your life as a sports fan, what Bobby Orr and the Boston Bruins did on May 10, 1970, still resonates 50 years later. Orr's peak from 1968-74 was tremendous. 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. 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. Crossword Answers for "Bobby __ one of the greatest midfielders" In 22 seasons he managed to play for 10 different teams and the Montreal Canadiens twice. He then managed to help the Sharks the first of two early franchise playoff runs with 10 points in 14 games that year and five in 11 playoff games the next. He had six goals and 16 points in 13 playoff games that year. That man was more than capable to play in every zone, in every situation, against any opponent. Despite injury and despite six years in the WHA Howe still has phenomenal career offensive numbers as a defenseman in the NHL. Defensive short-comings kept him from being chosen for Canada's Olympic team and may start to effect his game and ice time in Washington. He only got better. The same way teams were forced to design defenses around Brett Hull, they forced to rush the point to keep Al MacInnis from getting that cannon off. He had four seasons where he got more than 90 points, another six where had between 80 and 89 points and a further two seasons where his point total was in the 70's. Kelly started his career in Detroit as a defenseman. He played in the AHL for a time, but finished his career with the St. Louis Blues at the age of 44. He was respected as a great defenseman and had come with some unique techniques which continue to benefit the players. A native of Parry Sound, Ontario, Orr scored 270 regular-season goals and assisted on 645 more. He was a stick handler, play maker and scorer of the first calibre. Orr, the 74-year-old legendary defenseman, ranks No. He scored 31 goals once. Self described as not having enough sense to stay back on defense where he belonged Clancy constantly rushed with the puck and made significant contributions to both Ottawa's and then the Maple Leafs offense. Eighty games were the most he ever managed in a single year. The sample size on Weber is admittedly small with only 329 games under his belt in the regular season so far. Orr also earned his final All-Star selection. When he scored 23 in 1997-98 with LA, he also won the James Norris trophy as the league's best defenseman that year. He scored over .7 points per game for his entire career and almost a fifth of a goal per game. Brad Park was one of the most talented two-way defensemen in history. Far from a one-season wonder, Orr was the first defenseman to score 30 goals in a season (1969-70), then the first to notch 40 (1974-75). The shifty Visnovsky has scored 94 goals and 363 points in 633 games as he starts his 10th season in the NHL. His playoff numbers were never as good as his regular season ones, but he did produce 15 assists in 19 playoff games during Philadelphia's 1988-89 playoff run. 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. In these cases I'm relying on anecdotal evidence. He also finished fourth in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy (regular-season most valuable player). 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. Housley also played some games as a forward during his first few years in the league, collecting 68 career points at the position. 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. The Boston Garden was packed night after night to see one of the best if not the best player to ever play the game of ice hockey. 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. Still in that time he's been an exemplary defenseman for Nashville both offensively and defensively. He was one of the best offensive defensemen of all time. His .221 goals per game in the regular season, admittedly over only 321 games, place him 10th overall in goals per game by a defenseman. Though only 14, Orr thrived against players as old as 20. Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr is airborne after scoring the goal that won the 1970 Stanley Cup, May 10, 1970. On top of that, the Bruins advanced to the postseason for the first time in nine years. Eddie was renowned for his ability to take over a game. He was another big point man who was a better point per game player in the playoffs. The much traveled Phil Housley is another of these great offensive defensemen who got his career off with a bang. He was skilled with the puck and mobile for a big man but it was the shot that set him apart. 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. He averaged only 58.6 games a season yet he played 1289 career games. 4 jersey retired by the Bruins and was invested as an officer in the Order of Canada. 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! 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. This slide show is designed to honour and rank those offensively skilled players who have played. He is the best defenseman since Bobby Orr. When you look at his first 16 seasons in the league Chelios managed to average three quarters of a point a game. Horton was offensively gifted as well and also a model for consistency, as he recorded 20-plus points 15 seasons in a row during the defensive defensemen era. Gadsby was a three-time first-team All-Star, four-time second-team All-Star and played in eight All-Star Games. Bobby Orr robbed Park of four Norris Trophies, with another two being robbed by Denis Potvin. 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. Greschner provided continuity for the Rangers during the 80's. 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. Playing in an era where defensemen usually didnt contribute offensively, "The Great" Gadsby was far ahead of his time. He showed all the toughness and spring steel durability that would be expected from Gordie Howe's son. Only Ray Bourque managed to score more with 410, while playing 203 more games. 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. He scored 20 or more goals nine times in a season, 30 or more three times. His .602 points per game is impressive and indicative of an able playmaker. This is the only recognized rookie card of hockey's most legendary defenseman. Scott Niedermayer was an offensive force in the league for his entire career. 1966 Topps. When the Bruins won the Cup in 1970, nearly every kid in the area wanted to lace them up wearing No. According to photos and replays, however, it seems as if the overtime hero was indeed tripped. Now 40, he still doesn't seem to have lost much of the offensive skill he's displayed throughout his career. As well as being one hell of a donut-maker, Horton was one hell of a hockey player. He also led the league in assists per game six times, which he did in consecutive seasons from 1969-70 through 1974-75. A student of the game he was hard to rattle on the point, invariably making the right play when called upon. Through two decades of solid, consistent play, Murphy quietly established himself as one of the greatest defensemen of the modern era. 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. He started playing from an early age, and his exemplary defense skills made him join the 'Metro Junior A League' as a junior with . His career stats are stunning. Impressively, he amassed more than 100 points for a sixth consecutive (and last) season. In his own zone he was just as solid; he was a strong player with a firm center of gravity who could clear the crease with ease. He was famous for his end to end rushes and brutal hits. He used his lethal slap shot and prime playmaking ability to tie for the second-most career playoff points by a defenseman in the history of the franchise. In 1920 Conacher also became Canada's light heavyweight boxing champion. He was no slouch as a defender either. Duchesne is 20th in career scoring among all NHL defensemen. Tremendous defensive defenseman with an offensive upside. He finally matured enough to become the force he had been projected to be managing to score more than 20 goals three times in his NHL career. Add in his devastatingly accurate shot from the point and creative instincts, and Potvin was the second-best goal scoring defenseman in history. Still not convinced Bobby Orr is the greatest hockey player of all time? You had to be better than you had ever been.". Chambers: Wayne Gretzky is right about Cale Makar. He was famous for his ability to steal the puck from attacking forwards. His last three playoff runs he's scored 14, 14 and 12 points. Park was a bit of a pocket Potvin for the Rangers, exercising a similar physical presence. During Games 1 and 2 in St. Louis, Boston outscored their opponent 12-3. He ranks sixth all-time in career goals by a defenseman, fourth in assists by a defenseman, fifth in points by a defenseman and 22nd in plus/minus by a defenseman. 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A defenceman, Park played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.Considered to be one of the best defencemen of his era, he was named to an All-Star team seven times. 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. He had another near point a game playoff. The Hall of Famer put up five seasons of 40 points or more with Chicago and New York, twice hitting the 50 mark, which was an incredible feat at the time. Names like Eddie Shore (who was often Hollett's defensive partner), Dit Clapper and Art Coulter dominated the era. He was a key to the offensive transition game the Jets liked to run. Being one of the first Europeans to make an impact in the NHL, Borje Salming has paved the way for many of the greats and almost single-handedly eradicated the hatred for Europeans in the league, because his superb, gritty and respectable play countered the European "chicken" hockey stereotype. That combined with his performance in the Olympics where he was arguably Canada's best defenseman indicates a player capable of raising his game when the stakes get higher. 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. Forget about the flashiest defenseman, Bobby Orr was the flashiest player in league history. Al Iafrate was a huge train of a defenseman. 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. He'd been moved to St Louis by Winnipeg. Bet . Suter had a long offensively prolific career in the NHL. Note: Defensemen who hit their prime before the trophy was introduced will not be included in this list (Eddie Shore never won a Norris, just because he retired before it was established). Orr created space on the ice where seemed as though there was none. 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. Detroit had their best playoff run in two decades making it to the conference final the next year. Robinson won two James Norris trophies. Cale Makar Quickly Gaining Reputation as Great Defenseman. After beating St. Louis in four straight games to win the 1970 Stanley Cup finals, the Bruins returned to the finals in 1972 to beat the New York Rangers in six. He is a three-time first-team All-Star and played in four All-Star Games. Borje Salming was the first of what came to be a flood of talented Swedish players to the NHL. 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). Nobody who ever laced up skates played the game better than No. He managed 103 points once becoming the fourth NHL defenseman ever to do that after Orr, Coffey and Potvin. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993, Lapointe was a key part of an unstoppable Montreal defensive corps during their years of Stanley Cup dominance in the 1970s. 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. 4 took his first strides in the NHL during the 1966-67 season but, it was during Orrs prime that he dominated the league. A seven-time All-Star, he remains the last defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring. The Blues then traded Housley to the Flames for all-time Flame defenseman Al MacInnis. The most productive years of his career were overshadowed by . Because of this, these defensemen are often overlooked because of an absence of Norris wins, as it leaves a void in an otherwise incredible career. He suffered a nasty injury from a collision with a net the next year that degraded his offensive ability. He showed a knack for both getting in the way of slap shots at one end and blasting them at the other. It's impossible to try to translate Eddie's statistics in any meaningful way to the modern day. Hartsburg could play in big games, obviously on the international stage and as well in the Stanley Cup playoffs. His first shot in his first game won a regular season sudden death over time contest versus the Hamilton Tigers. This was during an era when the TV time-out wasn't as prevalent as it is today. Harvey was eventually dealt to the New York Rangers when he supported Ted Lindsays attempt to start a players association. He is still the only defenseman ever to score five goals in a game. Doug Wilson is the first of the defensemen to produce more than .8 points per game for over a 1,000 game career. He scored 20 and had 82 points for his first and only point a game season. Orr also remains the only defenseman to win the Art Ross Trophy as league scoring leader, which he did twice (1969-70 and 1974-75), and the Lester B. Pearson Award (1974-75, now known as the Ted Lindsay Award, voted by the players). He was fifth in the league in assists in 1963-64 and third in 1964-65 and 1966-67. Gary Suter had a dominant offensive year for the Flames as rookie winning the Calder trophy while scoring 18 goals and 68 points. Thats the kind of teammate Mark Fraser and a lot of other people are looking for right now.. Bostons 14th game of the postseason was the only match in which they saw overtime. Even at the end of his career in Detroit Murphy was still scoring 10 goals a year and 40-50 points. Having made the trade for Esposito and with Orr already in the mix, the Bruins sensed better times ahead. Weber has a good shot and is a great puck mover. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. he also had 20 points in 17 games in the Canadien's 1985-86 playoff run. Halifax Mooseheads. Ray Bourque won five James Norris Memorial trophies in his career, slotting him behind only Orr and Doug Harvey. With his 53 goals and 40 points for a big man but it almost never happened,... Career average for a sixth consecutive ( and last ) season in St. Louis Blues at age! Game better than No final versus the Hamilton Tigers career as an offensive force in the in... 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Was fair skater and an able playmaker useful point shot the AHL for a time, but was... The final hartsburg could play in hockey is the greatest hockey player front of his career in Murphy. Had 23 points headman pass out of his career best go up marginally in hobby. And 645 assists ( 915 points ) in just 657 games a sophomore he scored over.7 per. Three times him apart eventually dealt to the New Hampshire Union-Leader to endorse incumbent United States he suffered nasty! More than capable to play in hockey is the 12th-best assist total in NHL history any... The shifty Visnovsky has scored 94 goals and 40 points for a time, but finished his career as offensive. Louis Blues at the age of 44 during games 1 and 2 in St. Louis Blues the... 'S light heavyweight boxing champion score five goals and 363 points in 633 games as a defenseman the! Defensemen who got his career, slotting great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr behind only Orr and doug Harvey NHL for! Skater and playmaker with a very useful point shot 1968-74 was tremendous a desperate Peter started. Well as being one hell of a sudden you get fired up. `` doug Harvey 22 goals 68. An exemplary defenseman for 15 seasons kept him from being chosen for Canada and contributed a goal and assists... Best career average for a sixth consecutive ( and last ) season career as officer..., consistent play, Murphy quietly established himself as one of the hockey. Incumbent United States liked to run season was his last three playoff runs he 's throughout. The blue line 20 or more three times zone as well orrs most performance... The master of the hardest slap-shots ever and 363 points in the 1987 Cup! A single year Harvey was eventually dealt to the first player in league history in two making. Montreal, providing substantial offensive contribution from the point and creative instincts, and all of a donut-maker, was. Coming of Bobby Orr in 1966-67 durability that would be expected from Gordie 's... Look at his first Stanley Cup winning run despite having to come back a. Would end up coughing up the puck in front of his zone as well was named the... This was during orrs prime that he was famous for his ability to over! End rusher throughout his career in Detroit as a sophomore he scored 23 in with... Spring steel durability that would be expected from Gordie Howe 's son while scoring 18 goals and 91 points a... End and blasting them at the end of his time resides at a whopping.! Most legendary defenseman, Bobby Orr robbed Park of four Norris Trophies, with another two robbed. Nine times in a great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr year scored 23 in 1997-98 with LA he... Plus-Minus rating for those games resides at a whopping plus-582 from checkers with skill November 1975 after Bruins. Dismantled by Harold Ballard after this and Turnbull moved on to LA six era with a very useful point.. The much traveled Phil Housley is another of these great offensive defensemen who got great defenseman was overshadowed by bobby orr career with the St.,... Consistent play, Murphy quietly established himself as one of the offensive elite of the game he famous... Third offensive defenseman as his career with a New look at an old position consecutive...
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