Why Bruins Legend Bobby Orr Is Greatest NHL Defenseman Of All Time

There aren’t many things in life that draw a consensus opinion but Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr being the greatest defenseman the NHL has ever seen is one of them.

Stack Orr’s résumé up to any other player at the position and it doesn’t even compare. Orr has all other defensemen beat and that’s even with his career coming to a premature end after 12 seasons due to a chronic knee injury.

Orr contributed in ways on the ice that defensemen can only dream of and is often credited with revolutionizing the position with a stellar offensive skill set coupled with splendid speed.

“When I first saw him, it was like an old horse trainer who finally saw Secretariat,” Don Cherry, who coached Orr in his final two seasons with the Bruins, told NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs for a 2017 story on Orr. “He changed how defense should be played. He broke the mold because before that defensemen were big, slow guys. They just cleared the guys out and got the puck up. Bobby changed the whole face of the game and how it’s played.”

Orr spent 10 seasons with the Bruins — he finished his career playing 26 games over two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks — and fueled Boston’s offense from coming out of the defensive zone. He notched 270 goals and 645 assists for 915 points in 657 career regular-season games.

That type of high-level production, which is an understatement, brought plenty of accolades that go unmatched by other defensemen. He began his NHL career by winning the Calder Trophy in 1967 as an 18-year-old, but that was just the start of it.

Orr won the Norris Trophy, which is given to the league’s top defenseman, an NHL record eight times and did it in eight consecutive seasons from the 1967-68 season to the 1974-75 campaign. Hart trophies came Orr’s way as well. He was named the league’s MVP three times, which he did consecutively, too, from 1969-70 to 1971-72.

Orr also won the Art Ross Trophy for being the NHL’s top scorer twice. It’s a feat no other defenseman in the league’s history has ever achieved. He first did it in the 1969-70 season when he amassed 33 goals and 87 assists for 120 points. Orr was the top scorer in the league five seasons later when he tallied 45 goals and 89 assists for 135 points. That wasn’t even the highest point total of his career. He recorded 139 points off 37 goals and 102 assists during the 1970-71 season.

Orr, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979, has Stanley Cups to go with his individual success. He brought the Cup back to Boston twice and both times won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

It’s hard to imagine a better season than the one Orr had in 1969-1970. He won the Hart, Norris, Ross and Smythe as he led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup, capped by Orr scoring a goal that is frozen in time. Orr also finished that season with a plus-124 rating. Good luck trying to top that.

So, Nicklas Lidstrom, Ray Bourque and Doug Harvey among others may be brought up as challengers to Orr’s title of best NHL defenseman ever.

But just remember, nobody did it better than No. 4.