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. In NHL history, franchises have built dynasties around elite defensemen over and over again. Some of these "comparisons" are too funny! This was over a 21-season career. "Bobby Orr was better on one leg than anybody else was on two," Canada teammate Darryl Sittler said. He lead the Leafs in goal scoring and points that playoff year. Wednesdays events at the Capitol building in Washington D.C. are literally unprecedented. His .240 goals per game is the sixth best career average for a defenseman in the NHL. Before then that offensive output was Standard Operating Procedure for Chris. Halifax Mooseheads. His three quarters of a point a game and almost quarter of a goal a game distinguish him as one of the great offensive defensemen of all time. Wherever he went Brown upgraded his new teams power play. That same year, Zubov scored five goals and assisted on 14 others in the postseason to help the Rangers win their first Stanley Cup in 54 years (he won another Cup with Dallas in 1999). That didn't detract from the fact that he was a skilled offensive contributor early on. In 1985-86, Coffey scored 48 goals, breaking Orr's record for goals by a defenseman (46, set in the 1974-75 . He was another of a wave of talented American-born offensive defensemen who grew watching Bobby Orr play hockey. 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. He finished up in Pittsburgh where injury cut his career short. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 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. His daughter Patricia confirmed his death to the Canadian Press on Saturday, but would not offer any further details. And you know the rest: Orr soared through the air in ecstasy having just won his first Stanley Cup. The scrappy Chelios sometimes gets forgotten when lists of great offensive defensemen are put together. Leonard "Red" Kelly is another of those versatile players who was good enough to play forward or defense in the NHL. Ray Bourque won five James Norris Memorial trophies in his career, slotting him behind only Orr and Doug Harvey. Cart. 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. Bobby Hull was a great hockey player and a miserable human being. 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. His playoff totals admittedly only cover 71 games. With what has transpired over the past months (not to mention what the President has done over the course of his life) and especially what took place at the Capitol on Wednesday, fans of the great player, including former NHLer Matt Fraser are demanding that Orr repudiates his endorsement to Trump. Derek Sanderson picked up the ricochet and took his own slap shot which whistled wide according to Kelly. He won the James Norris trophy in his last year in New Jersey. After setting a record for points by a defenseman with 64 during the 1968-69 season, Orr nearly doubled that total with 120 in 1969-70. The wisdom at the time was Swedish players would not endure rough play and if hit enough would go back home to Sweden. Rafalski has been one of the NHL's best defensemen for the last decade. Park is a five-time first-team All-Star, a two-time second-team All-Star and played in nine All-Star Games. He's tied for Kevin Hatcher for 13th in goal scoring. Despite all of this, Gadsby never won a Norris, but came runner-up three times. He's had more success, winning a Cup with Pittsburgh, and still has the potential to put up some good offensive numbers for a few more years. Gonchar at 36 is likely approaching the end of his career but a good season or two in Ottawa certainly won't hurt his offensive reputation. "I'm not in that picture. In addition to the plus-minus record of 1970-71, Orr became the first player to give out at least 100 assists that same season. Orr won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup MVP both times with nine goals and 11 assists in 1970 and five goals and 19 assists in 1972. Closest Norris Finish: Third (1987, 1993). The multi-sport athlete was also a rugby, baseball, lacrosse and hockey star. All rights reserved. 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. He finished out his career winning a cup as a depth defenseman with the Red Wings in 2002. For the first time in his long public life, hockey's greatest all-time player is affiliated with more than just the game and his revolutionary role in it.. Rhino only broke the 20 goal barrier once but 133 goals in 648 games have him scoring more than a fifth of a goal per game. Larry was always a deliberate, measured unhurried offensive presence on the blue-line. He is just ahead of Paul Coffey, who had 196 points in 194 games. In his 21-year career, he also never raised the Stanley Cup over his head. 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. Red Berenson, Gary Sabourin, and Larry Keenan were credited for the three Blues goals during Game 4. Leetch won that award with 11 goals and an incredible 34 points in 23 games. Ray Bourque had nine seasons when he scored more than 20 or more goals. Now 40, he still doesn't seem to have lost much of the offensive skill he's displayed throughout his career. He retired, early for a Howe at age 40. He was the best offensive defenseman on that team. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1977, 1980). 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). 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 also flashed that skill at the public that would have dazzled crowds in Detroit for generations. Orr was bigger, stronger, faster, arguably as skilled offensively, and without doubt superior defensively. Al MacInnis developed into a complete offensive defenseman as his career progressed, but it was his shot that got him to the NHL. Play-by-play announcer Dan Kellys call of the final moments of Game 4 will give you goosebumps even to this day. He added 26 goals and 66 assists in eight postseason runs and was a two-time Stanley Cup winner for the Boston Bruins. 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 . His last three playoff runs he's scored 14, 14 and 12 points. He had a couple big playoff runs scoring 19 points in 23 games for Colorado when they won the Cup in 2001. He was named to the first all-star team that year alongside team-mate Eddie Shore. His best season saw him score 17 goals and 40 points for the Ottawa Senators in 1929-30. Pratt's point per game total of .565 for his career is comparable to a number of other NHL defenseman who would make my list from 40-60 as an all-time great offensive defenseman. Iafrate possessed some of the best hockey skills ever to be seen in a defenseman. 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 October's election from being certified. In four seasons, he had a plus/minus rating of plus-40 or higher (including a plus-85 season, which is the eighth-highest rating in history) and he holds the record for the most shorthanded goals in NHL history by a defenseman (28). So rather than penalizing him for playing so long I want to reward the offensive skill he did show for over 1006 NHL games. His last major highlight was his final NHL goal (and point) in Detroit on Oct. 28. As a sophomore he scored 18 goals and 67 points in the regular season. 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. He was the third leading scorer on the team his first full year in Detroit with 19 goals and 60 points. 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. On top of that, the Bruins advanced to the postseason for the first time in nine years. Expectations were high for this first round pick. 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. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. Before he was a coach, Randy Carlyle played 17 seasons as a defenseman in the NHL. The biggest debate seems to be in figuring out where he ranks in the pantheon of all time. The quick skating Housley was an offensive force for the Sabres and he played forward as well as defense for them. He was 82. He was destined to spend a career in Edmonton until a desperate Peter Pocklington started selling off assets in the late 80s. He moved on to Pittsburgh where he made an offensive contribution right away. They beat the Flames, the Atlanta Flames, two straight in a best of three series. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. After a stint in the minors during his second season, Turnbull put his offensive game together in his third year, scoring 20 goals and 56 points. 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. Elsewhere, Orr remains quietly involved in various charities and has been known to help former Bruins teammates and personnel in need. He was obviously a player who could play better when the games got tougher. He only got better. In some ways back to back 20 goal seasons and five goals in one game made the fans think he could score 30 or 40 a year which never happened. A . Without a devastating point shot it's his mobility and playmaking that set him apart from other defensemen. Besides his deft puck-handling and precise passing, Orr, who famously wore number 4, had a presence that made any team he played for better the moment he stepped on the ice. Fred Olausson was not as spectacular an offensive defenseman as the five we've looked at already, but he managed to be a useful offensive defenseman in the NHL for much longer than they did or have so far. In this list, I will recognize the 10 greatest players who were never able to take home the defenseman holy grail. Meanwhile, Rick Smith, Esposito, and John Bucyk netted three goals for Boston in order to send the game into overtime. Only Coffey's 37 points is a better postseason total among defensemen. 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. The .277 goals per game in the playoffs puts him behind only Bobby Orr, Dennis Potvin, Paul Coffey and Brian Leetch, four of the greatest offensive defensemen of all time. Nobody who ever laced up skates played the game better than No. Published on January 8, 2021 at 4:43 a.m. That resistance to conformity apparently fueled his offensive instincts. Chelios's second season in Montreal he had 64 points in 74 games. The Ducks look to be hoping his numbers with them will closer to the .686 points per game he's managed since coming back from Slovakia. Orr is one of three players (Guy Lafleur in 1976/77 and Gretzky in 84/85) to win the Hart . 2023 Attraction Web S.E.C. Ultimately, he wound up playing in seven NHL All-Star Games. He scored 20 goals in the 1999-2000 season. His prowess was recognized through-out the league. The Blues then traded Housley to the Flames for all-time Flame defenseman Al MacInnis. 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. The talented Chelios hasn't scored 10 goals in an NHL season since 1996-97 with Chicago. Both those averages go up marginally in the playoffs. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The hall of fame end to end rusher, was the second best offensive defenseman of his era behind only Doug Harvey. Rob Blake has managed two 20 or more goal seasons in his career. This does tend to skew offensive statistics when compared to a player who only played defense, especially in the original six era. 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. Both teams fought for possession along the left boards before the puck squeaked out and a streaking Sanderson took a shot from the left face-off circle which also missed the cage. Playing in an era where defensemen usually didn't contribute offensively, "The Great" Gadsby was far ahead of his time. He scored over .7 points per game for his entire career and almost a fifth of a goal per game. Pronger has scored goals and points at a fractionally higher rate. Harvey is a long story for another day, as the. Zubov was named to the NHLs second All-Star team in 2006 and played in three All-Star Games over the course of his career. Clancy is now honoured by the King Clancy Memorial Trophy pictured above which is given every year to the NHL player who best shows leadership off and on the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community. Nobody played the game like him. Moreover, Orr helped make hockey more popular and helped make the Bruins a big draw both at home and on the road. The speed he plays at, and the skill he shows at speed, lends Mike Green's game a Paul Coffey quality. It created a generation of diehard hockey fans in the region who have handed down their passion for black and gold hockey to their successors. He had 50 points in 66 regular season games and then 199 in 22 playoff games. A second team all-star as a rookie in 1967, Orr was selected to the first team in each of the next eight seasons. When you look at his first 16 seasons in the league Chelios managed to average three quarters of a point a game. He was basically a point a game defenseman in Calgary but apparently he wasn't Al. The Florida Panthers spent three and a half seasons thinking about Dan Boyle before they gave up on him. 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. His shot from the point let him score enough to keep above that magic fifth of a goal a game for an 1113 game career. If you left him to run you almost never got a chance to notice them. He accumulated 270 goals and 915 points in only 657 games. You had to be better than you had ever been.". He's one of those players who is better when the games are important. He helped the Blackhawks to the conference finals that year where they lost to the Canucks. Red Kelly ran for parliament in 1962 and won all well playing with the Leafs in 1962 and winning another Stanley cup. 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 is the only defenseman ever to win four Hart trophies as the leagues most valuable player. Duchesne is 20th in career scoring among all NHL defensemen. The team finished with a 17-43-10 record, leaving the Bruins in last place. See Larry Murphy. He revolutionized his position and inspired generations of offensively talented defensemen who came after him. 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. Now here they are, the 50 greatest offensive defensemen of all time. Leetch had four game-winning goals on his way to a Conn Smythe win. He scored over .4 goals a game during his career. Brad Park was one of the most talented two-way defensemen in history. He had another near point a game playoff. 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. Orr combined speed, strength, skill and hockey savvy at both ends of the ice. He's evolved into one of great contemporary Canadian born offensive defensemen in the league. 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. Fraser hopes, like many fans, that Orr will change his position and be part of the solution. 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. 4 took his first strides in the NHL during the 1966-67 season but, it was during Orrs prime that he dominated the league. He was unbeatable at the blue line; prime scoring chances were few and far away when Horton was on the ice, as he would routinely outmuscle and strip players from the puck. Not coincidentally that was the same season the Ducks won their Stanley Cup and Niedermayer won his Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP. Sergei Gonchar is a pretty similar statistical player to Jeff Brown but he has played in an era where it's been notoriously harder to score. Murphy became a key international player for Canada and contributed a goal and six assists in the 1987 Canada Cup. He also finished fourth in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy (regular-season most valuable player). His 396 goals were the second-most ever in a defensemans regular season career. It left a Canadian public wondering what a healthy Orr might have done in that series. Eddie had a will to play and a knowledge of the game that made him a great if eccentric teacher of hockey skills years after he stopped playing. Suter was an incredibly strong skater throughout his career. Hi there! He is the WHA career leader in playoff points. 4. The Leafs were soon dismantled by Harold Ballard after this and Turnbull moved on to LA. Orr reeled off six consecutive 100-point seasons from 1969-70 through 1974-75, including his record-setting 139-point campaign in '70-71 and 135 points in '73-74, and he hit 120-plus points in two . He took home the Hart, Norris, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe Trophies and his first Stanley Cup. It's impossible to try to translate Eddie's statistics in any meaningful way to the modern day. Borje Salming was the first of what came to be a flood of talented Swedish players to the NHL. He destroyed all of the conventional wisdom about playing defence. Despite all that Howe played in the NHL, mostly as a defenseman for 15 seasons. Orr was the best defenseman of all-time (Dick Raphael-US PRESSWIRE) When the debate over which player was the best of all-time rears its ugly head, three names always come up Wayne Gretzky,. Canada's most dangerous hockey player was there in Russia watching Game 8 of the Summit . Chelios had 72 and 73 point seasons with the Blackhawks. Orr picked up the loose puck, skated it to the red line and dumped it back into St. Louis zone. Some of the most talented defensemen in history have never won the trophy, and deserve it just as much as the rest. He won the James Norris trophy with 16 goals and 49 points in 62 games in 1953-54 the first time it was given out. Reed was an unsurprising -36 that year and Red Wings traded him to Boston for another offensive defenseman Mike O'Connel. 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. That same year, Orr had his No. Murphy was a three quarters of a point a game man throughout his long NHL career. he became the Jets best player leading the team in scoring from the back end three years in a row. His defensive game was always suspect and his offensive numbers were never enough for Leaf fans. Punch Imlach started Kelly at center, ostensibly to check the rival Canadiens star center Jean Beliveau. Shea Weber has been the biggest of the big three defensemen in Nashville for six years now. His first game back he looked like he was playing on one leg. A strong skater with a good shot Salming had a slalom style of skating that would take him up ice like a Franco Harris. Bobby first played organized hockey at age 5, and soon showed an ability to skate faster than anyone else his age. Robinson won two James Norris trophies. Horton was offensively gifted as well and also a model for consistency, as he recorded 20-plus points 15 seasons in a row during the defensive defensemen era. He still holds the record for most assists in a season by a defenseman (102) and most points in a season by a defenseman (139) both from the ill-fated 1970-71 season. Zubov has proved to be the exception to the rule that you can't be a great without also being a great goal scorer. 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 . His career pinnacle came in 1981-82 when he won the James Norris trophy, had 85 points and scored an amazing 39 goals. Just like the citys hero, hockey itself took flight in Boston. At 31, he was the youngest former player living at the time of his induction. He left with 19 goals and 51 points in 72 games 14 years later. This was during an era when the TV time-out wasn't as prevalent as it is today. 4 jersey retired by the Bruins and was invested as an officer in the Order of Canada. He was known for his offense and defense in Montreal. Park was chosen MVP of the last and deciding game, Game 8. He had 31 points in 33 games during his next season in Vancouver. These are all factors that are keeping Housley out of the Hall of Fame for now. He wanted them involved. Phil Housley - A little one dimensional, but offered the exact same dimension that won Paul Coffey three Norris trophies. Available for both RF and RM licensing. 1968 O-Pee-Chee. Often a top 5 dman, but never top 1 or even top 2. Ray Bourque would be next with five wins. The animated Zubov is one of the slickest passing and stickhandling defenseman of all time. I looked back, and I saw it go in, so I jumped.. He suffered a nasty injury from a collision with a net the next year that degraded his offensive ability. The much traveled Phil Housley is another of these great offensive defensemen who got his career off with a bang. 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.
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