He could step up and through defenses before they realized he was moving. He had 71 points in 78 games for Dallas in 2005-06. "I'm not in that picture. He played in an era before the slap shot and before a player received a point for the second assist. Bobby Orr was the most creative individual in the game of hockey. Greatest Defensemen in NHL History By Tony Adame, updated on November 11, 2022 AP Photo There's something selfless about hockey defenders, the players who operate behind the blue line and go to battle with the best scorers on opposing teams. 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. Conacher was named Canada's best athlete of the first half of the 20th century. Names like Eddie Shore (who was often Hollett's defensive partner), Dit Clapper and Art Coulter dominated the era. Playing in an era where defensemen usually didn't contribute offensively, "The Great" Gadsby was far ahead of his time. One photo caught his. For Orr, 1974-75 was a season of "lasts" his last full season as a player, his last full season with the Bruins and his last season playing with Phil Esposito. During 82 playoff games he had 77 points and 23 goals. Not only did Orrs flying goal net the Bruins their first Stanley Cup since 1941, but it changed the landscape of hockey in New England forever. The Texan-born player has scored 20 or more goals in a season five times. Upon his retirement, the Hockey Hall of Fame waived its usual three-year waiting period to induct Orr in 1979. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. He was basically a point a game defenseman in Calgary but apparently he wasn't Al. The young defenseman was already turning heads with his ability to score goals and win fights. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. That resistance to conformity apparently fueled his offensive instincts. Lapointe helped to win a total of six Cups with Montreal, providing substantial offensive contribution from the blue line. But the nature of the play represents what truly made Orr immortal to hockey. The record held until Chicago Blackhawk star Pierre Pilote broke it with 59 points in 68 games in the 1964-65 season. When the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, it was notMark Messier or Mike Richter who was the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs. Most of the players on this list come from 1967 on. Bobby Hull was a great hockey player and a miserable human being. He scored well in the regular season and was another player who could gear it up for the playoffs. His career featured five 20 goal or better seasons. Al MacInnis was renowned for having the hardest shot in hockey, ever. Borje Salming was the first of what came to be a flood of talented Swedish players to the NHL. He managed to contribute offensively for almost his entire career. Still in that time he's been an exemplary defenseman for Nashville both offensively and defensively. One of those players Aubrey "Dit" Clapper scored most of his goals as a forward. Bobby Orr Highlights. During the playoffs, that increased to .23 goals per game near the very top of career performances for defensemen. He moved on to Pittsburgh where he made an offensive contribution right away. 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. Orrs most notable performance came in the NHLs 25th All-Star Game in 1972, held in Bloomington, Minnesota. Harvey was eventually dealt to the New York Rangers when he supported Ted Lindsays attempt to start a players association. Dit managed to help the Bruins win a cup again in 1941. A big party started in Boston Garden. Though the Bruins struggled with other problems en route to a last-place finish in the final season of a six-team NHL, Boston fans took a renewed interest in the team as home attendance at Boston Garden increased by 41,000 that season. Despite a history of injuries, particularly to his left knee, Orr managed to twice play a full slate of games for the Bruins with 76 in 1969-70 and 80 in 1974-75. Still in 1978-79 he scored 31 goals and 101 points. The physical Potvin was an abundantly talented skater, stick handler and playmaker. He kept that up throughout a 23 season career. Note: Defensemen who hit their prime before the trophy was introduced will not be included in this list (Eddie Shore never won a Norris, just because he retired before it was established). Paul "Rhino" Reinhart was an Atlanta Flame rookie who made the jump with the organization to Calgary. It was the moment Orr realized he was a champion, captured and engraved in history. The Lester B. Pearson Trophy (now the Ted Lindsay) was created the next season. Pronger has scored goals and points at a fractionally higher rate. By his third season Borque was a point a game NHL defenseman. He scored over .4 goals a game during his career. His last three seasons he scored 56, 73 and 76 points. Al was unfortunately a player who could have benefited from seasoning in the minors. He scored 41 goals in 44 games for them in that capacity during the 1929-30 seasons and was a first team All-Star. Dave Babych was a big point man in Hartford, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Eighty games were the most he ever managed in a single year. He played primarily on the wing until age 10, when he moved to defense. Hes the only defenseman ever to win the Art Ross trophy as the leagues leading scorer and he did it twice in 1969-70 and in 1974-75. Orr paved the way for such future defensemen as Denis Potvin, Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque. "Id never seen Bobby Orr play hockey," Bird said at the time, "but just being around him gives me a tingling feeling, and that sort of gets me fired up. 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. He is the best defenseman since Bobby Orr. Larry Robinson was the youngest and the best of the big three defenseman that patrolled the blueline for the Montreal Canadiens in the 70's and 80's. Orr on '72: Best player misses greatest win. He was considered one of the sport's greatest players. Injury and age interfered with his skating but he was still a crafty passer and had a useful point shot on the power play till the end. Nobody played the game like him. Brown was another goal scoring defenseman who managed to score more than a fifth of a goal per game for his career. He suffered a nasty injury from a collision with a net the next year that degraded his offensive ability. He endorsed Trump back in October, taking out a full-page ad of the New Hampshire Union Leader, where he called Trump the kind of teammate I want.. 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. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Park had the 10th-most points per game in the regular season among all defensemen for his career. He was incredible offensively and defensivelyon the power play, shorthanded, in the playoffs. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1964, 1969). Clancy scored 136 goals in 592 regular season games which puts him in the top for goals per game scored by a defenseman over his career. His impressive offensive totals increase in the playoffs and he's almost twice the goal scorer in the playoffs that he is in the regular season. Despite injury and despite six years in the WHA Howe still has phenomenal career offensive numbers as a defenseman in the NHL. In 1985-86, Coffey scored 48 goals, breaking Orr's record for goals by a defenseman (46, set in the 1974-75 . Orrs regular season totals rest at 270 goals and 645 assists (915 points) in just 657 games. Teams: Edm, Pit, LA, Det, Har, Phi, Chi, Car, Bos. 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. Park was a bit of a pocket Potvin for the Rangers, exercising a similar physical presence. Find the perfect bobby orr bruins stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. During New York's Stanley Cup winning playoff run, Zubov put up five goals and 19 points in 22 playoff games. Steven Ellis. Calgary, Alberta, native Cale Makar has played three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche and each season he's been getting better and . Orr, widely regarded as the greatest defenseman to ever play, agreed. He quarterbacked one of the greatest power-plays of all time in Montreal, featuring himself and Geoffrion on the points and Beliveau, the Rocket and Bert Olmstead. He was also an ageless wonder, as he played quality hockey right up until his death at the age of 44. His .605 points per game added up over 19 seasons. Kelly started his career in Detroit as a defenseman. Housley was traded again for another teams veteran hero. Just like the citys hero, hockey itself took flight in Boston. Twenty-three different defensemen have won this award since its inceptionfrom Red Kelly to Bobby Orr to Denis Potvin to Nicklas Lidstrom, with Orr leading the way with eight wins. The legendary Pilote was Chicagos answer to Doug Harvey. His skills were critical to early Islander success, especially in 1975-77 where he almost singlehandedly lead the team on long playoff runs. He wanted them involved. The Cup was a result of Orrs most memorable moment his flying goal. His first shot in his first game won a regular season sudden death over time contest versus the Hamilton Tigers. Luke Fox @lukefoxjukebox September 28, 2012, 4:30 PM. After beating St. Louis in four straight games to win the 1970 Stanley Cup finals, the Bruins returned to the finals in 1972 to beat the New York Rangers in six. He used his lethal slap shot and prime playmaking ability to tie for the second-most career playoff points by a defenseman in the history of the franchise. He had 22 goals and 85 points on that offensive juggernaut that year and thought he was on his way to winning his third cup in a row in Pittsburgh. He was a strong skater with a great point shot and nose for the net. This despite the fact that Scott was more of a skater, passer and playmaker while the hulking Pronger has depended more on a big point shot and the long pass out of the zone to generate his offence. Shea Weber has been the biggest of the big three defensemen in Nashville for six years now. Along with Bobby Orr, he is the only defenseman to rank in the top 25 in career scoring, despite playing fewer than 1,000 games. They increased that margin to a score of 16-4 during Game 3 as the teams headed into what would be the final matchup of the 1970 NHL Playoffs. After leaving the NHL Fredrick played five more seasons in the Swedish Elite League. "He brought others with him. The sports spectrum in New England was dominated by basketball at the time, as the Celtics had already brought home 11 championships by the time 1970 rolled around. Injuries ended his career with the North Stars much too early. January 27, 2017, 9:36 PM. Pisces Hockey Player #2. Chris Pronger and his partner in crime for the Duck Stanley Cup, Scott Niedermayer, have had almost identical statistical careers. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1977, 1980). 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. His .217 goals per game in the playoffs put him among the top 10 defensemen who had played at least 50 playoff games. Is a two-time first-team All-Star, five-time Stanley Cup champion and finished runner-up to Doug Harvey in Norris voting in 1961. His stoicism was supplemented with a fitness level that allowed him to play 40 minutes a game late into his career. A . Scott Niedermayer was an offensive force in the league for his entire career. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. In 22 seasons he managed to play for 10 different teams and the Montreal Canadiens twice. He quarterbacked the power play in Tampa Bay and he was able to keep up with the high priced talent that was there. Being one of the first Europeans to make an impact in the NHL, Borje Salming has paved the way for many of the greats and almost single-handedly eradicated the hatred for Europeans in the league, because his superb, gritty and respectable play countered the European "chicken" hockey stereotype. Brad Park was one of the most talented two-way defensemen in history. LOS ANGELES - It was looking at a living Mount Rushmore of hockey. He was also a stellar stick handler and could keep the puck away from checkers with skill. Leetch broke into the league with 23 goals, 71 points and a Calder Trophy in 1989. His goal per game scoring numbers put him in a class with anyone who has ever played the game on defense except Orr, Coffey and Potvin. Orr ushered in a new post original six era with a new look at an old position. He won the James Norris trophy in his last year in New Jersey. Had eight monster seasons with Calgary, including a Calder-winning rookie season and a 91-point season in which he finished third in Norris voting. Orr also remains the only defenseman to win the Art Ross Trophy as league scoring leader, which he did twice (1969-70 and 1974-75), and the Lester B. Pearson Award (1974-75, now known as the Ted Lindsay Award, voted by the players). Both times he won the James Norris trophy that season as he did in 1988-89 with the Canadiens. He was a stick handler, play maker and scorer of the first calibre. He scored 20 goals in his last full season in Tampa Bay and has managed 16 and 15 goals and 57 and 58 points in his first two years in San Jose. His 46 goals stood as a record for a defenseman until Paul Coffey scored 48 in 1985-86. More impressive are his playoff numbers. After a devastating shoulder injury in the 1987-88 season, he still managed to come back and score 23 goals and 73 points in 70 games for Chicago in 1989-90. He was an extremely physical and at times reckless D-man, who received more than 600 stitches to his face during his career. You name it, Howe was great at it. Douglas Bradford "Brad" Park (born July 6, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. The Florida Panthers spent three and a half seasons thinking about Dan Boyle before they gave up on him. Niedermayer also won three Cups with New Jersey. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 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.
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