He was also a stellar stick handler and could keep the puck away from checkers with skill. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1977, 1980). Playing in an era where defensemen usually didn't contribute offensively, "The Great" Gadsby was far ahead of his time. Despite all of this, Park played at a time where Bobby Orr was breaking records every night, and therefore, never got the true recognition that he deserved. He kept that up throughout a 23 season career. A defenseman starts out behind his own net and skates through an entire team to score a goal. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993, Lapointe was a key part of an unstoppable Montreal defensive corps during their years of Stanley Cup dominance in the 1970s. During the Boston Bruins 1969-70 season, Orr netted a remarkable 33 goals and 87 assists in 76 games. Not only did Orr become the first and to this date, the only defenseman to win a scoring title, the Bruins thrived as a team en route to their first Stanley Cup title since 1941. Red Berenson, Gary Sabourin, and Larry Keenan were credited for the three Blues goals during Game 4. Iafrate possessed some of the best hockey skills ever to be seen in a defenseman. His contributions are still undeniable. Many Bruins fans who werent alive to witness Orrs most famous moment were surely told about it with the sense of an old folk tale though this one is 100-percent true. Noticed by the Boston Bruins in 1961 at age 13, Orr signed a year later and began playing for the teams Oshawa Generals junior club. Its time for Orr to step up and to speak out against Trump and his sycophants just as forcefully as he did two months ago. He is just ahead of Paul Coffey, who had 196 points in 194 games. During his last six seasons in the NHL he was racked with injuries which severely curtailed his offensive numbers and adversely effected his career averages. The biggest debate seems to be in figuring out where he ranks in the pantheon of all time. Ever since Bobby Orr came into the National Hockey League in 1966 and singlehandedly changed the concept of how to play defense, people have been waiting for . Orr was certainly an unbelievable player, so was Howe. A defenceman, Park played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.Considered to be one of the best defencemen of his era, he was named to an All-Star team seven times. The only NHL season that Ray Bourque scored fewer than 10 goals in a season was his last in Colorado. If you ask the average hockey fan, who was the greatest defenseman to ever play the game of hockey, most would say it was Bobby Orr. Bobby Orr - The man many consider the greatest hockey player ever - and certainly the greatest defenseman in NHL history - Orr played his first two seasons with the Boston Bruins, winning eight straight Norris Trophies, three Hart Trophies, two Conn Smythe Trophies, and a pair of Art Ross Trophies as the only defenseman ever to lead the . Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. He was beaten out by the 24-year-old Petr Stasny, who had 109 points with the Nordiques that year for the Calder Memorial trophy as rookie of the year. Everyone agrees that Gretzky, Orr, Lemieux, and. The Original Six era featured a conservatism of play that frequently quashed any offensive creativity from defensemen. Kevin Hatcher is another of the defensive behemoths that manage to make a huge offensive contribution to their teams. According to Orr, though, his flight through the air was by choice. Before then that offensive output was Standard Operating Procedure for Chris. His career stats are stunning. Hartsburg could play in big games, obviously on the international stage and as well in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He retired, early for a Howe at age 40. Bet . His .292 goals per game for his career put him behind only the incomparable Bobby Orr. After sweeping the Chicago Black Hawks in the second round, the Bruins went on to face the Blues. Unveiled on May 10, 2010, this statue commemorates Boston Bruins Hall-of-Fame defenseman Bobby Orr (1948-) and one of the most iconic moments in NHL history. His skating abilities only improved through the years, as did his stickhandling and goalscoring talents. Thats the kind of teammate Mark Fraser and a lot of other people are looking for right now.. He was one of the best offensive defensemen of all time. Not only was he one of the best at reading plays, he was also more than capable of contributing offensively. Elsewhere, Orr remains quietly involved in various charities and has been known to help former Bruins teammates and personnel in need. He leads all defensemen in scoring that year. Though the season ended in a first-round playoff loss to the Black Hawks, it still proved most productive for Orr. Housley was traded again for another teams veteran hero. There is obviously no argument that Lidstrom is the best defenseman in the history of the Red Wings. 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. Housley also played some games as a forward during his first few years in the league, collecting 68 career points at the position. 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. There, he used his all-around talents to make offensive rushes up to ice. Orr, a 1979 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the NHL in 1966-67; the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the League eight times (still a record) in. Orrs regular season totals rest at 270 goals and 645 assists (915 points) in just 657 games. His best year was with St Louis in 1992-93 when he scored 25 goals and had 78 points in 71 games. His stoicism was supplemented with a fitness level that allowed him to play 40 minutes a game late into his career. He accomplished all of this while playing at a time where offensive defensemen were rare, as he and Orr were basically the only ones in the league during the late '60s and early '70s. Orr could lead every rush and still come back in time to play defense. He is the best defenseman since Bobby Orr. Orr was also quite happy to hit and to drop the gloves. The 26-year-old stay-at-home defenseman was afraid of getting caught up ice, so he focused on his defensive responsibilities and let Orr work his magic all over the ice. Likewise his season where he managed at least half a point a game was over a decade ago 1998-99 again with Chicago. THATS the kind of teammate you want??? He took home the Hart, Norris, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe Trophies and his first Stanley Cup . To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. #16492. He broke the 80 point barrier twice. He scored more than 20 goals in a season five times. He and his mostly offensive skills won seven James Norris trophies as the league's best defenseman. His first game back he looked like he was playing on one leg. Andrei Markov is another hugely talented offensive defenseman whose numbers have suffered in the recent trap clogged, big pad NHL. That 1970 series produced an iconic image of Orr flying through the air after scoring the title-clinching overtime goal in the fourth and final game. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1988, 1994). It did far more for the city than that. He broke in with the Rangers scoring 31 points in 49 games as rookie. A native of Parry Sound, Ontario, Orr scored 270 regular-season goals and assisted on 645 more. He scored over .4 goals a game during his career. If it had gone by me, its a two-on-one, said Orr. Orr's peak from 1968-74 was tremendous. As I skated across, Glenn had to move across the crease and had to open his pads a little. Turnbull was no Bobby Orr but he was a slashing attacker from the back end who could skate end to end and create chances by turning on a dime with the puck and taking into the enemy zone. So I got a little lucky there.Blues defenseman Jean-Guy Talbot also took a one-handed swipe at the puck as Orr skated it to the corner, proceeding to dish it to Sanderson who was still waiting below the goal line. Conacher was named Canada's best athlete of the first half of the 20th century. Al MacInnis developed into a complete offensive defenseman as his career progressed, but it was his shot that got him to the NHL. 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. Dit managed to help the Bruins win a cup again in 1941. 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. He'd been moved to St Louis by Winnipeg. Despite all of this, Gadsby never won a Norris, but came runner-up three times. 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. Impressively, he amassed more than 100 points for a sixth consecutive (and last) season. He managed an impressive 80 goals in his 494-game career. Orr was an Olympic flagbearer at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. Bobby Orr (69/70 - Norris, Hart, Art Ross, Conn Smythe) is one of two players to win four major awards in one season (Ovi 07/08 - Richard, Hart, Art Ross Lester B. Pearson). Brad Park was one of the most talented two-way defensemen in history. Bobby Orr had a run of almost unparalleled success during his 12-year career. His playoff numbers were never as good as his regular season ones, but he did produce 15 assists in 19 playoff games during Philadelphia's 1988-89 playoff run. First Name Bobby #14. He was a three-time 20-goal scorer and two-time 80-point scorer. He was a first-team All-Star three times, a second-team All-Star three times and played in seven All-Star Games. His big offensive weapon was the point shot as was reflected in his almost a fifth of a goal a game he scored during his career. He lead the Oilers in scoring during their abortive Stanley Cup run. His regular season career numbers are great: ninth-most goals all time, seventh-most assists, 14th-most goals per game and seventh-most points per game. He accumulated 270 goals and 915 points in only 657 games. Jul 24, 2021. This was over a 21-season career. On December 4, 1966, Toronto Maple Leafs' defenceman Marcel Pronovost checked him into the boards, injuring Orr's knees for the first time in the NHL. His career pinnacle came in 1981-82 when he won the James Norris trophy, had 85 points and scored an amazing 39 goals. His third and final year in Winnipeg he had his best season with 79 assists and 97 points, both Jet records for a defenseman. The Cup was a result of Orrs most memorable moment his flying goal. Al, in his injury-shortened 799-game career averaged .19 goals per game, which puts him in the top 30 goal scorers per game of all defenseman. Pairded with Earl Seibert, Hollett . Youve probably heard of Bobby Orr. Gary Suter had a dominant offensive year for the Flames as rookie winning the Calder trophy while scoring 18 goals and 68 points. His .605 points per game added up over 19 seasons. He finished the postseason with 11 goals and 23 assists, a total of 34 points. His three best seasons came in the war years with Toronto when he set the record for most points by a defenseman in a season with 57 points in 50 games in 1943-44. Potvin was an incredible offensive defenseman who brought a physical game that Scott Stevens would have been happy to own. As I went across, Glenns legs opened. Even in his 97-point season, he still managed to finish with a minus-14. "He brought others with him. It was poetic that the Bruins best player potted the best goal in the franchises history. He scored at least 20 goals in a season on two more occasions. Opinion. He moved east-west but was constantly looking for the spot where he could move north south and he invariably found it. Answer: First off, he was rugged. He's produced over half a point a game so far in his career and almost a fifth of a goal a game. He suffered of course in comparison because no one was Bobby Orr. He finished out his career winning a cup as a depth defenseman with the Red Wings in 2002. Harvey is a long story for another day, as the. Salming endured what was at times brutal treatment with a stoicism and toughness that helped pave the way for every other Swedish player who has come to North America. His skills were critical to early Islander success, especially in 1975-77 where he almost singlehandedly lead the team on long playoff runs. Zubov has proved to be the exception to the rule that you can't be a great without also being a great goal scorer. He was the premiere offensive defenseman. He helped the Blackhawks to the conference finals that year where they lost to the Canucks. Now, at least five people are dead and President Trump is under real threat of being removed from office prior to Joe Bidens inauguration on January 20th. The record of 20 goals would stand for 24 years until a young man named Bobby Orr came along. 5 Orr's vs. 5 Howe's, like that could happen. He was seventh in the league in assists that year. Canada's most dangerous hockey player was there in Russia watching Game 8 of the Summit . I'd love to hear from anyone who has thoughts or even memories of some of those earlier offensively talented defensemen forced to play in a much more circumscribed role. Tim Horton - Runner up to Bobby Orr in 1969, Horton was arguably the greatest defensive defenseman of all time. "I'm not in that picture. He could step up and through defenses before they realized he was moving. He managed to contribute offensively for almost his entire career. During the playoffs he scored goals at a higher rate then in the regular season. The team finished with a 17-43-10 record, leaving the Bruins in last place. As knee surgeries limited him to just 10 games, Orr endured a most frustrating 1975-76 season. He only got better. He's been a key member of the four Stanley Cup winning Detroit teams in the past 15 years winning the Conn Smythe in 2001-02 with 16 points in 23 games. He was a three-time 20-goal scorer, a 10-time 50-point scorer (with his season high being 82 points) and twice recorded a plus/minus rating of plus-60 and higher. He played in the AHL for a time, but finished his career with the St. Louis Blues at the age of 44. No other NHL defenseman has ever managed to score more than .3 goals a game. Weaker defensive play, a lack of size and perceived lack of grit has always seemed to diminish the regard he's gotten over the years. He also flashed that skill at the public that would have dazzled crowds in Detroit for generations. Douglas Bradford "Brad" Park (born July 6, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Robinson managed just under .7 points per game over a 20 year career. But Orrs goal goes beyond winning the Stanley Cup. A revolutionary player who forever changed the role of defensemen, Orr is widely considered one of hockey's greatest players. An absolute defensive force for Toronto, he led the team to four Stanley Cup wins during the 1960s. Only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky have ever had better assist totals in a season. He was named to the first all-star team that year alongside team-mate Eddie Shore. 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