Boston Bruins x Bobby Orr [1967-1973]

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a great holiday as much as I have. The first Jersey Sunday to start off 2012 is my Boston Bruins Bobby Orr. Whether you are or are not a fan of the black and gold, this is definitely a jersey you can't go wrong with.


The number fonts were changed around during his playing days in Boston, but I chose this particular design because it was different and just looked better in my opinion. I based it on this game worn jersey, but of course he's best remembered wearing this. The purist that I am, I avoided the name bar. If someone asked me who wore this number, I'd suggest he/she read a book.


What's a jersey if I don't have the matching hat? This Zephyr made snapback pays homage to the classic script caps made back in the day.

What makes it better is the raised embroidery on the front and side and the two-tone colour pattern on the crown and strap.


Born on 20 March 1948 in Parry Sound, ON, Robert Gordon Orr played junior hockey for the Oshawa Generals from 1962-66. At 14 years of age playing with and against high school/college students, his point total was unusually high for a defenceman. He caught the attention of scouts from the Boston Bruins and signed him after he turned 16.


Making his professional debut in the 1966-67 season, he would score 13 goals with 28 assists. That was the best point total for a first year defenceman at that time, earning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie and becoming the youngest to recieve that honour. In his second season, limited to only 46 games due to injuries, he was selected for his first NHL All-Star Game and won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman. It would be the first of eight consecutive wins.
Fun fact: He wore #27 during the pre-season, but switched to #4 before the regular season.


In the 1969-70 season, the Boston Bruins would reach their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1958 against the St. Louis Blues. Already leading the series 3-0, Game 4 would be decided in overtime. Forty seconds into the extra period, Derek Sanderson registered an assist on Bobby Orr's Stanley Cup clinching goal. Upon skating away, he tripped on an opponent's stick and his airborne celebration became one of the most well-known images in hockey. He would also win the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP. That offseason, he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, and The Art Ross Award as the league's leading scorer with 120 points. The next season, he set the record for most points in a season by a defenseman with 139.



He would take the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals again in 1972. Defeating Toronto and St. Louis in the first two rounds, they would meet another Original Six team for Hockey's Holy Grail; the New York Rangers. Leading four games to one, Bobby Orr would score the the series clinching goal in the first period of Game 6. The final score was 3-0 as Bruins' goalie Gerry Cheevers registered a shut-out victory. With 24 points throughout the post-season, Bobby Orr was given the Conn Smythe Award [the first player to win it twice] and his third straight Hart Trophy. Additionally, he was also given the 1972 NHL All-Star Game MVP Award making him the first player to win three different MVP awards in one year.


Bobby Orr continued dominating the league with his incredible scoring and passing ability while maintaining a defensive mindset. After an early playoff exit in 1973, the Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup Finals a third time that decade, but lose to the Philadelphia Flyers. In the 1974-75 season, he broke his own record for most goals by a defenseman with 46 and won his 8th straight and final Norris Trophy. Unfortunately, early into the 1975-76 sason, a knee injury had him sidelined for the rest of the year.


He became a free agent in 1976 and inked a 5-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, but the acquisition was far from people's expectations. In 2 seasons, he played a total of 26 games due to his ongoing knee injury. After 13 years as a professional hockey player, he decided to call it quits in 1979 at the age of 30. In 657 regular season games played, he scored 915 points [270 goals, 645 assists]. In 74 playoff games, he netted 26 goals and assisted 66 times for a total of 92 points.


Bobby Orr is considered one of the greatest players of all time, and to some, the greatest of all time. He has forever changed the defenseman position by turning into an offensive threat. No previous "blue liner" would amass his point totals and it wasn't until half a decade later when players like Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque would match/succeed his accomplishments. Aside from adding NHL hardware to his collection, Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Year in 1970. He was also awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy that year as Canada's Top Athlete.


In 1975, the Boston Globe held a poll to vote for Boston's greatest athlete. Bobby Orr would take the cake over other outstanding city representatives such as Bill Russell and Ted Williams.


Bobby Orr represented Team Canada on two seperate campaigns. The first was in 1972 for the Summit Series, but was unable to play due to a knee injury. His second time was in 1976 for the first Canada Cup Tournament. His teammate Darryl Sittler stated, "Bobby Orr was better on one leg, than anybody else was on two." His 9 points led Team Canada to the gold medal and the Tournament MVP Award.


Career Highlights and Achievements:
Calder Memorial Trophy [1967], 2x Stanley Cup Champion/Conn Smythe Award [1970, 1972], 2x Art Ross Award [1970, 1975], 3x Hart Trophy [1970-72], Lester B. Pearson Award [1975], Lester Patrick Trophy [1979], 8x James Norris Trophy [1968-75], 8x NHL All-Star [1968-75], NHL All-Star Game MVP [1972], Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee [1979; three year waiting period waived, youngest ever enshrined at age 31].
On 9 January 1979, almost 33 years ago from today, the Boston Bruins organization retired the #4 in his honour.
In 1998, he was placed #2 on The Hockey News' Greatest Hockey Players of All Time.


On 9 May 2010, a bronze statue of Bobby Orr was unveiled in front of The TD Garden. It is modelled after his famous overtime goal during the Stanley Cup Finals that happened 40 years earlier.




Legends of Hockey: Bobby Orr

"Growing up, if I hadn't had sports, I don't know where I'd be. God only knows what street corners I'd have been standing on and God only knows what I'd have been doing, but instead I played hockey and went to school and stayed out of trouble."
- Bobby Orr