The Bruins' great beat Bill Russell to take home the title and was the last one standing in a very worthy field of 64 of the best and most beloved athletes in Boston sports history.
It's not a shocking result, but it's impressive nonetheless. In just a 10-year Bruins career that ended in injuries, Orr changed his sport, transformed New England into a hotbed for hockey and cemented his legacy as the greatest legend in a city rich with tradition and history. He has the legendary moment that serves as a symbol of his greatness, but Orr's legacy extends far beyond a black and white photograph.
Where Orr's career is hard to put into words, the results of the Boston's Biggest Sports Legends Tournament can help. Orr was paired up with some huge names in Boston sports — Russell, Ted Williams, John Havlicek and Cy Young among them — and won his six matchups by an average margin of 61 percent. In four of his six matchups, he garnered 88 percent or more of the votes.
Russell took a similarly dominating path to the final matchup, getting past Drew Bledsoe, Manny Ramirez, Adam Vinatieri, Carl Yastrzemski and Larry Bird by an average margin of victory of 59.2 percent. He was the greatest winner in Boston history, and maybe even in all of sports, but he didn't win the fan vote over Orr.
Not to put down any of the other legends in the tournament, but Orr coming out on top just seems appropriate. This is a man who's been the recipient of perhaps the longest and loudest standing ovation in Boston Garden history. It's a man who is arguably the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of skates but has always kept a level head. It's a man who came from Ontario, Canada, and embraced the city of Boston, and he's stuck around ever since. He is a Boston sports legend through and through, and that's something the fans truly appreciate.
No doubt, Orr feels that same appreciation toward the fans.
