Housley was never treated very well by the fans in Calgary despite leading the team in assists during the strike curtailed 1994-95 season. 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. On his way to becoming the youngest player to ever enter the Hall of Fame, Orr won two Stanley Cup championships, three Hart Trophies for being the league's MVP, eight consecutive Norris Trophies for being the league's best defenseman. Paul Coffey's game had defensive holes in it. Bobby Orr is a former Canadian ice hockey player, counted among the best players of the game. During the playoffs he scored goals at a higher rate then in the regular season. Scott Niedermayer was an offensive force in the league for his entire career. Maybe he didnt want the media to run rampant with such a small footnote after all, the Bruins had just clinched the franchises first championship since 1941. But even in defeat, he remained humble and heroic. While offensively brilliant, Housley was average to mediocre in his own end, as he has a career plus/minus rating of minus-53. Orr, still on the ice after being tripped by St. Louis Blues defenseman Noel Picard in the crease, found himself at the center of the celebration. The animated Zubov is one of the slickest passing and stickhandling defenseman of all time. Halifax Mooseheads. He is a three-time first-team All-Star and played in four All-Star Games. Boyle blossomed almost immediately in Tampa Bay when exposed to the talent in the lineup there. He was known for his offense and defense in Montreal. The hockey was indelible, but Hull, who died Monday at age 84, had demons behind . Orr on '72: Best player misses greatest win. He has 202 goals in what has been a 1002 game career. Again only he, Bobby Orr and Brian Leetch have ever managed that feat as career defensemen who played over 50 games in the playoffs. A . Orr earned MVP honors in that game as the East Division All-Stars rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2 win over the West Division All-Stars. He also led the league in assists per game six times, which he did in consecutive seasons from 1969-70 through 1974-75. . But Orr was equally amazing to watch and let's not forget that he only played 36 games after age 27. The following year Turnbull lead a Salming-less Leaf team past the Kings and to an upset of the heavily favoured New York Islanders in the second round of the playoffs. I expect him to move up on this list as his career progresses. He suffered of course in comparison because no one was Bobby Orr. Before he was a coach, Randy Carlyle played 17 seasons as a defenseman in the NHL. He was a great skater and playmaker with a very useful point shot. In total, No. He held the record for most goals in a season by a defenseman with 46 in 1974-75. Coffey was the defenseman who broke Orrs record for most goals in a season with 48 in 1985-86 and just missed Orrs point record with 138 points that same year. This all while he was 33 and 34. Rob Blake has managed two 20 or more goal seasons in his career. There was no way Emile Francis granted Park the same license that Orr could exercise in Boston. Craig Hartsburg after a year in the WHA with the Birmingham Bulls was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars. Only Coffey's 37 points is a better postseason total among defensemen. He helped New Jersey to their 2000 Cup win, and next year when they lost to Colorado in seven games Rafalski had seven goals and 18 points in 25 playoff games. During the playoffs, that increased to .23 goals per game near the very top of career performances for defensemen. He won three James Norris trophies in a row from 1963 to 1965. He followed this up with a 15 point in 16 game playoff performance as the Flames swept Chicago and beat Philadelphia in seven games before losing to the North Stars in their first playoff year in Calgary. 1 in all-time NHL postseason points-per-game . Al was unfortunately a player who could have benefited from seasoning in the minors. 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. 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). Offensive defensemen were popularized with the coming of Bobby Orr in 1966-67. Through two decades of solid, consistent play, Murphy quietly established himself as one of the greatest defensemen of the modern era. His skill as a defenseman let him become the first NHLer to have a 20-year career in the league, all with the Bruins. This list then will be highly weighted towards defensemen who have played in the last 45 years in the NHL. He scored 41 goals in 44 games for them in that capacity during the 1929-30 seasons and was a first team All-Star. Orr picked up the loose puck, skated it to the red line and dumped it back into St. Louis zone. The answer to this crossword puzzle is 8 letters long and begins with C. Below you will find the correct answer to Bobby __ one of the greatest midfieldersCrossword Clue, if you need more help finishing your crossword continue your navigation and try our search function. Without getting into the entire story, hundreds of Donald Trump supporters stormed the building in what appeared to be an attempt to stop the results of Octobers election from being certified. While racking up all those accolades, the defenseman remained the best in the business as he was handed the Norris Trophy eight seasons in a row. Here are 21 reasons why Orr is hockey's GOAT. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1983, 1986, 1987). The game took place on May 10, 1970 Mothers Day. Red Berenson, Gary Sabourin, and Larry Keenan were credited for the three Blues goals during Game 4. The Texan-born player has scored 20 or more goals in a season five times. Calgary, Alberta, native Cale Makar has played three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche and each season he's been getting better and . He just wasn't one of the great defensemen of all time. He moved east-west but was constantly looking for the spot where he could move north south and he invariably found it. His .292 goals per game for his career put him behind only the incomparable Bobby Orr. This included, but it wasn't limited to, three Hart Trophies, two Art Ross . He was a defenceman who played with skill in every part of the rink. He is also the second-highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history, behind Mike Modano. His shot while not devastating allowed him to provide a very consistent 10 goals a year everywhere he's played until injury caught up with him. Orr, widely regarded as the greatest defenseman to ever play, agreed. Horton was described by his opponents as one of the strongest players and heaviest hitters to set foot in the NHL. Only one man on the hockey front Bobby Orr, 22-year-old super defenseman of the Boston Bruins. He was one of only two great offensive defenseman to be more than a point a game player for his entire career. On top of that, the Bruins advanced to the postseason for the first time in nine years. But one stands above the rest. His last three seasons he scored 56, 73 and 76 points. The record held until Chicago Blackhawk star Pierre Pilote broke it with 59 points in 68 games in the 1964-65 season. Perhaps a longer career would have seen Craig much higher on this list. He scored 20 goals in the 1999-2000 season. For his career, Orrs nine regular-season hat tricks remain a record for NHL defensemen. You name it, Howe was great at it. He also finished fourth in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy (regular-season most valuable player). Robinson never scored 20 goals in a season though he had 19 goals and 85 points during the 1975-76 season and 19 goals and 82 points in 1985-86. Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Olausson did manage to win his only cup with Detroit in 2002. Orr combined speed, strength, skill and hockey savvy at both ends of the ice. His eight points in 11 games so far this year have that looking possible. 1966 Topps. While not the goalscorer some of these offensive defensemen are, his skating ability made him capable of end to end rushes that were a trademark with the lanky Robinson. Hewon the NHLs hardest shot competition at the All-Star game seven times. Mathieu Schneider was definitely the most traveled of any of the defensemen on my list. Iafrate was rushed into the league by a desperate Leaf team in 1984. Dit managed to help the Bruins win a cup again in 1941. Mark Howe spent, I hate to say wasted, the first six years of his professional career in the WHA playing for the Houston Aero's and then the New England Whalers. 1968 O-Pee-Chee. He was a better skater and play maker early in his career but even at the end he could shoot and he could hit. He broke in with the Rangers scoring 31 points in 49 games as rookie. Pre-Orr a player with Park's obvious defensive skills would never have been given the free rein that coaches and general managers gave defensemen after Bobby Orr made it evident what a talented defenseman could do for his team offensively. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978). Orr scored that goal after completing a give-and-go with Derek Sanderson, and it remains one of the most unforgettable moments in hockey history. He would miss nine games and the Bruins would lose six of them. In a 12-year NHL career that began in 1966, he revolutionized the role of the defenseman before he retired in 1978 at 30. Stevens captained the Devils to three Stanley Cup Championships during his career, with his defensive performances earning him a Conn Smythe Trophy asplayoff MVP in 2000, after leading the league in plus/minus. he became the Jets best player leading the team in scoring from the back end three years in a row. Bobby Orr Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Salary, Title | Hockey-Reference.com Bobby Orr Position: D Shoots: Left 6-0 , 197lb (183cm, 89kg) Born: March 20 , 1948 (Age: 74-345d) in Parry Sound, Ontario ca Amateur Teams: Oshawa Generals More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame 2x Cup Winner 1966-67 Calder 9x All Star 8x Norris 2x Ross Orr was great, he played 12 NHL seasons between the years 1966 and 1979. Known as a devastating hitter, shutdown defenseman and long-time Devils captain, Stevens memorable and iconic career spanned 22 seasons and 1,635 games, and it's hard to believe that in that much time, he never won a Norris Trophy. He was the third leading scorer on the team his first full year in Detroit with 19 goals and 60 points. 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. Orrs ability to pace the Bruins offense helped him surpass 100 points in six seasons, including league highs of 120 in 1969-70 and 135 for 1974-75. 4 earned the 1966-67 Calder Trophy, three Hart Trophies, two Art Ross Trophies, two Conn Smythe Trophies and was named to nine all-star teams. Orr enjoyed an outstanding junior career, and the Bruins who last qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1959 had high expectations for the 18-year-old when he joined them in 1966. Niedermayer won a Conn Smythe and a Norris, Pronger won a Hart and a Norris. He could step up and through defenses before they realized he was moving. Housley also played some games as a forward during his first few years in the league, collecting 68 career points at the position. His .173 goals per game for his career put him in a goal scoring class with the likes of career point men like Sergei Zubov and Larry Murphy. He averaged only 58.6 games a season yet he played 1289 career games. Ray Borque burst on to the scene in Boston with 17 goals, 65 points and a Calder Memorial trophy as the league's best rookie. He favoured long passes out of his own zone after drawing the forecheckers into him. He suffered a nasty injury from a collision with a net the next year that degraded his offensive ability. He showed all the toughness and spring steel durability that would be expected from Gordie Howe's son. The wisdom at the time was Swedish players would not endure rough play and if hit enough would go back home to Sweden. Grandfather Robert Orr, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, played professional soccer. It was the shot that made Al great. 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. Hi there! He managed 103 points once becoming the fourth NHL defenseman ever to do that after Orr, Coffey and Potvin. Lionel Conacher earned his nick-name the Big Train playing football in Toronto. Youve probably heard of Bobby Orr. Having made the trade for Esposito and with Orr already in the mix, the Bruins sensed better times ahead. He was a late season addition in 1993-94 and had six goals and 15 points in their run to the Stanley Cup finals versus the New York Rangers. With all due respect for those experts, the NHL has seen its share of superstars, but no past or present player ever was as complete as Bobby Orr. His daughter Patricia confirmed his death to the Canadian Press on Saturday, but would not offer any further details. Park was an end to end rusher throughout his career with a great shot. An absolute defensive force for Toronto, he led the team to four Stanley Cup wins during the 1960s. Bobby Orr Highlights. Robinson won two James Norris trophies. He scored 20 and had 82 points for his first and only point a game season. 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