TOP 10 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT BOBBY ORR

A photo of Bobby Orr by Aaron Frutman-Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Bobby Orr

 Bobby Orr, by the name Robert Gordon Orr, is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T). He was born on 20th March 1948 at Parry Sound in Canada. He married Margaret Louise Wood in 1973 with whom they have two children, Brent Orr and Darren Orr.

Orr used his ice skating speed, scoring, and play-making abilities to revolutionize the position of defenceman. Bobby Orr changed the ice hockey game figurately and literally during his playing era.

He revolutionized how ice hockey was played and created several world records within a short period.

1. Born into a family of sportsmen

Bobby had a keen interest in sports from an early age having been born into a family full of athletes. He started playing organized hockey by the time he was five years. Even though he was petite and skinny, he was very talented and hardworking.

His grandfather was a soccer player while his father was a one-time aspiring hockey player who dropped his sporting dreams to join Royal Canadian Army.

Booby Orr played several youth hockey tournaments as a youngster.

2. A two-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy

Stanley Cop photo by Alex Goykham – Wikimedia Commons

Bobby won the Art Ross Trophy twice (1969-70 and 1974-75). He started playing for the Bruins as a professional during the 1966-67 season. He made his first debut against the Detroit Red Wings getting one assist.

During the season he managed to score 13 goals and 28 assists which was an unprecedented achievement by a defenceman till then.

He was named the league’s outstanding rookie and was presented the Calder Memorial Trophy. His scoring total doubled during the 1969-70 season. He led the Bruins through the 1970 playoffs and scored a historic goal that gave Boston its first Stanley cup.

3. Youngest player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame

A photo of Hockey Hall Of Fame, Toronto- Wikimedia Commons

Orr was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979 at age 31, the youngest to be inducted at that time. In 2017, Orr was named by the National Hockey League as one of the 100 Greatest NHL players in history.

He revolutionized his position in the game of hockey and he was renowned as the greatest ever hockey player. Bobby amassed 270 goals and 645 assists in 657 games.

4. The first defenceman to score 9 hattricks

A photo of 2o11 Boston Bruins Stanley cup parade by Sarah Connors- Wikimedia Commons

He was the first defenceman to score 9 hattricks and also the first one to score 40 goals in a single season.

Bobby Orr scored his first hattrick on 14th December 1968 against the Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Garden during the first period. He received an 80-second standing ovation and more than 50 hats were tossed onto the ice.

In 1970 he was presented with the Lou Marsh Trophy tat is given to honor Canada’s top athletes.

5. Bobby retired at an early age

A photo of Bobby Orr by Dan4th Nicholas –Wikimedia Commons

In 1976, Orr left Boston as a free agent to join the Black Hawks, but repeated injuries had effectively destroyed his left knee, and he retired 1n 1978 at age 30.

In 1968-69, Orr skipped the pre-season to rest the knee but was in uniform for the season’s start. He required an ice pack on the knee after every game and missed nine games after he caught a skate in a crack in the ice, twisting his knee.

Orr’s first professional contract was one of the first in professional ice hockey to be negotiated by an agent. In the final achievement of his career, he was the MVP of the 1976 Canada Cup international hockey tournament. At the end of the 1978 season, he retired after a dozen knee injuries.

6. He supports the multiple sclerosis society

A photo of Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada by Ultcursh – Wikimedia commons

As good as Orr was on the pitch, his contributions to the community off the ice were just as impressive. Although Bobby does not publicize his life, Orr was a frequent visitor at Boston Children’s Hospital during his playing career and was involved in several fundraising for charity.

Shortly after he hung his skates for good at the age of 30, The Multiple Sclerosis Society named Orr a recipient of the Multiple Sclerosis Silver Hope Chest Award for his off-ice contributions.

7. Bobby Orr’s statue in the US

Sculptor of Orr’s statue photo by Ariswent- Wikimedia Commons

An 800-pound (360kg) bronze statue of Bobby Orr is installed outside Boston’s TD Garden, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The statue was designed by Harry Weber and unveiled on May 10, 2010.

The 800 pounds statue commemorates Orr flying through the air in celebration after scoring the goal that clinched the 1970 Stanley Cup Championship for the Bruins over the St Louis Blues.

Recently, the statue was dressed in Boston Bruins Hospital scrubs and a face mask to promote safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to TD Gardens officials, on 3rd August 2020, the statue was temporarily relocated as a precaution to avoid construction work happening at the Hub on Causeway. Meanwhile, the statue base will undergo maintenance and it will be back during the playoff hockey.

8. Orr has written a book: ‘My story’

In his book, My Story, the greatest hockey player who ever played reveals why he only used one strand of tape, believing when he entered the NHL that there was a rule that players had to use at least some tape on the stick blade.

Orr admits he didn’t even know what lies his stick had when he was playing junior and still loves the feel of a wooden stick, writing:

“…there’s something about the feel of a wooden stick in your hands that can never be duplicated in carbon fiber.”

9. He scored the most iconic goals in NHL

Bobby Orr photo in 1970 by Djcz- Wikimedia Commons

In 1970, Bobby Orr scored one of the most iconic goals in NHL history 40 seconds into overtime, giving Bruins a 4-5 victory against the St. Louis Blues, a four-game sweep in the final, and their first Stanley cup in 29years.

After scoring Bobby Orr leaped into the air before landing flat and sliding into his teammates’ embrace. The famous celebration is immortalized by Boston Record-American photographer Ray Lussier, whose image of the soaring Orr is one of the most famous sports photographs of all time.

In Boston sports lore, Orr’s game-winner, which made the Bruins champions is known as “The Goal.

10. Bobby Orr offers entrance scholarship

Bobby Orr has generously funded an endowment at York University which provides an annual entrance scholarship. To be considered for this scholarship an applicant must apply to the Kinesiology and health science program.

The applicant must also have a distinguished academic record at the secondary level combined with extracurricular participation or service.

Bobby Orr has contributed both to his team Bruins lifting the Stanley cup after 29 years and also he has participated in community charity work right from offering scholarships to supporting the Multiple Sclerosis Society.  Despite his early retirement, he highly contributed to the success of the Bruins in various Stanley Cup competitions.