Robert Gordon Orr is a Canadian professional hockey player recognized by many as the greatest player in the history of this sport.
short biography
Bobby Orr (photo posted later in the article) was born March 20, 1948 in Perry Sound, Canada. His grandfather was a professional top division footballer who immigrated to the United States from Northern Ireland. Hockey fans in their hometown of Bobby in the late 1950s had many opportunities to observe a young hockey genius. His father, Doug Orr, was himself a high-speed player and a gifted scorer. He wanted his son, still small, but extremely talented, to play a striker, making full use of his speed and energy. But Bako MacDonald, a former NHL player who defended in 1930 and 1940 and coached Bobby when he was 11 and 12 years old, believed that his ward had all the makings of an outstanding defender. He taught him the secrets of the game, and also encouraged the use of striker skills.
Oshawa Generals
Professional teams agreed to accept the young talent. The Boston Bruins took an unusual step by hiring a small promising player. When Orr was 14, the professional club agreed that he would play in the Oshawa Generals, in the Junior Hockey League A. He continued to live at home and each time went to the match. Although Bobby wasn’t in any training session, he was selected to the second league all-star team. To become a real star, a fast teenager could only grow up. At age 14, his height was 168 cm and weight 61 kg. The following year, when he transferred to Oshawa High School and played in the Ontario Junior League, Bobby grew to 176 cm and became 11 kg heavier. Soon his junior career ended - at the age of 17 he was already a strong man 183 cm tall and 90 kg in weight. The Boston phenomenon, which local fans have been following closely since when he was still a freckled boy with a hedgehog on his head, was ready to start a professional career.
Bobby Orr: NHL Player Feature
In his first game in the National Hockey League against Detroit Red Wings and Gordy Howe, 18-year-old Bobby impressed local fans and many reporters with defender capabilities. He blocked the shots, took the puck and led the enemy players away from the goal. In addition, he recorded his first point - an assist.
The first season, Bobby Orr played more than excellent. As the best newcomer, he received the Calder Trophy, and also ended up in the second NHL team. Bobby was the second in the league in goals scored among the defenders. He not only scored and made assists, Orr fought when necessary, defeating the enemy more often, and could play a power game. But some observers believed that he was too brave and exposed himself to blows, and his fragile body should still develop in order to stand all season. In the first year, Orr was injured when, in a bold outburst, he injured his left knee. This was the beginning of a long struggle with the knees, which, in the end, led to the end of his career.
Finest hour
He received the first Stanley Cup in 1970, and did it on a grand scale that only Bobby Orr could afford. The Bruins team, which had not won this prize for 29 years, tried to beat St. Louis Blues in the finals. The fourth half went into overtime. Orr picked up Derek Sanderson’s pass from the corner and faced the net with lightning speed to put the puck into the goal behind the Blues goalkeeper Glenn Hall. When Bobby raced past the gate, he was knocked down by quarterback Noel Picard. Orr jumped when he saw the puck hit Hall and the arena exploded. A photo of Bobby with his arms raised and a body soaring about a meter above the ice was published in newspapers and magazines around the world. As the most valuable playoff player, he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, the prize that he will receive the second time the Boston wins the title again in 1972, again with a winning goal scored by the Orr club.
The player who changed hockey
Bobby Orr is a hockey player who revolutionized sports with his ability to score while moving from the blue line. Other defenders, starting with Lester Patrick, also played in the attack, but he dominated. Orr twice became the most productive player, the only defender who was able to achieve this, and at the peak of his career scored 46 goals over the season and made 102 assists. Moreover, he had the ability to control the game and take it upon himself. Bobby had speed, allowing him to escape from the defenders, or accelerate to take away the lost puck or continue moving after stopping during the attack. Often, thanks to the selfless actions of Orr, an attack by rivals with a numerical advantage did not end at all in the way they expected. Some argue that he was not an outstanding defense player, but hockey fans deny these allegations.
Bobby Orr, whose sporting achievements allowed him to win James Norris Trophy eight times in a row as the best defender and three times become the most valuable player in the league, for which he received Hart Trophy, at the peak of his career in 1970–71 he reached an unattainable rating of plus 124 points when he scored 139 points.
First NHL Millionaire
At the beginning of the 1971–72 season, Bobby Orr signed a contract that guaranteed him $ 200,000 per season for five years. It was the first millionth deal in hockey, and his agent then predicted that he would someday become the owner of part of the team if he continued to play in Boston. As it turned out, when the time came to discuss a new contract for the 1976–77 season, the Bruins club offered him a share in the property, but the star player said that his agent did not inform him of the proposed deal. Bobby Orr, who healed his left knee and played only 10 games in 1975–76, felt as if Boston did not want to see him anymore and, contrary to all that, signed a contract with Chicago Black Hawks. Once considered the savior and then the hero of the Bruins rejuvenated club, the hockey player left the team that has been part of his career since his youth in Perry Sound.
Canada Cup
Bobby Orr took the chance to play in a major international competition, the 1976 Canada Cup, when the Chicago leadership gave him permission. He missed the entire Canada-USSR super series, and this competition was the only chance for a hockey player to fight against the best players in the world.
He played an outstanding role in the matches of the Canadian team. Bobby was one of the leaders by points, finishing seven games with nine points on par with another great defender from the New York Islanders Denis Potven. Orr was selected to the tournament star team and received the award as the most valuable player.
Chicago Black Hawks
Bobby's performance at the Canada Cup excited the Bruins fans. But Orr's left knee once again interrupted his career. He played 20 games of his first year in Chicago, weakened by the sixth knee operation in April 1976. The entire 1977–78 season. he regained his strength, trying to revive the knee, which, according to doctors, after so many operations and injuries was two bones rubbing against each other.
He made a bold attempt to return, playing in six games at the beginning of the 1978–79 season. Although Orr was not exhausted from severe pain, he was limited in his movements and could not train. In one game against the Detroit Red Wings, Bobby was on the ice when the team conceded four goals. He called his game "terrible."
Career ending
At the age of 30, Orr decided that only interferes with the Chicago team. The legendary sports commentator Howard Cosell announced in October 1978 that Bobby had left hockey, although it later turned out that he had confused him with Bobby Hall, who was also about to leave the sport. A few days later, Orr called Cosell and told him that he was really resigning, and asked him to attend a press conference. Cosell declined, jokingly saying that he was not "doing old news."
Due to continuing health problems, Orr refused to receive his pay at the Black Hawks, saying he was hired to play hockey. After leaving, he became an assistant coach. He held this position a year earlier.
Bobby Orr is a hockey player who was admitted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979. He often worked with charities and maintained close ties to the game. He later became an agent, helping young hockey players with his experience in the business side of sports.
The Oshawa Generals club, in which he began his dizzying career, still recalls what Bobby Orr was like. The team’s double-decker bus captures a portrait of a smiling beginner hockey player, a freckled boy with a hedgehog on his head. In the hometown of the famous player, the house of culture is named after him, his museum is also located there.
Bobby Orr: personal life
While on vacation, the famous hockey player met a native of Michigan, Margaret Louise Wood. They secretly married in September 1973. The couple had two sons: Darren and Brent. Darren currently works as an agent in his father's company. Orr's mother died in November 2000, and her father in 2007.
In 1974, the hockey player’s book, “Bobby Orr. My Game, ”and in 2013, his autobiography took 8th place on the New York Times bestseller list.