He then helped the Leafs beat the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs and then extend the eventual Stanley Cup losing Philadelphia Flyers to seven games in the second round. Cale Makar Quickly Gaining Reputation as Great Defenseman. 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. Only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky have ever had better assist totals in a season. 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. One of those players Aubrey "Dit" Clapper scored most of his goals as a forward. Then, in Orrs own words, Derek gave me a great pass and when I got the pass I was moving across. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. During Games 1 and 2 in St. Louis, Boston outscored their opponent 12-3. His career stats are stunning. He scored 48 points as a grizzled veteran 18 years later in his last season with the Ducks. He just wasn't one of the great defensemen of all time. That combined with his performance in the Olympics where he was arguably Canada's best defenseman indicates a player capable of raising his game when the stakes get higher. Helping lead Canada to the title with seven assists in two goals in seven games earned Orr tournament MVP honors. Potvin was an incredible offensive defenseman who brought a physical game that Scott Stevens would have been happy to own. I'd like to see him get a chance to do it. Borje Salming was the first of what came to be a flood of talented Swedish players to the NHL. His natural athletic ability and a will to compete propelled to be one of the NHL's best offensive defensemen of his era. Orrs regular season totals rest at 270 goals and 645 assists (915 points) in just 657 games. 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. Lightboxes. Orr was an unrivalled skater. They lost just two games both to the New York Rangers during the first round in Games 4 and 5 before winning 10 straight en route to the championship. Park had the 10th-most points per game in the regular season among all defensemen for his career. Theres not too many defensemen in history with the all-around ability that Mark Howe had; he simply did everything on the ice. He had enough offensive skills though to see him picked for both the 1981 and 1987 Canada Cup Canadian teams. In between he managed to play almost 80 games a season every year. He was famous for his ability to steal the puck from attacking forwards. The greatest era in Bruins history was about to begin. "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. Weber has a good shot and is a great puck mover. Bourque is one of the all-time great NHL defensemen, winning the Norris Trophy five times. His career pinnacle came in 1981-82 when he won the James Norris trophy, had 85 points and scored an amazing 39 goals. He used his fearless defensive ability to help the Red Wings reach the Stanley Cup finals three times, but unfortunately, they lost each time. 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. But even in defeat, he remained humble and heroic. 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. The most productive years of his career were overshadowed by . His .605 points per game added up over 19 seasons. 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. 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. The talented Leetch is one of the all-time great offensive defensemen. Meanwhile, Rick Smith, Esposito, and John Bucyk netted three goals for Boston in order to send the game into overtime. While offensively brilliant, Housley was average to mediocre in his own end, as he has a career plus/minus rating of minus-53. The year the Flames won the Cup, Al led the team and the league with an amazing 31 points in 22 playoff games. A student of the game he was hard to rattle on the point, invariably making the right play when called upon. Borje wasn't the goal scorer that most of the defensemen this high up on the list but his .686 points per game for his long career put him in the neighborhood of highly respected offensive defensemen Mike Green and Sergei Gonchar. Here are 21 reasons why Orr is hockey's GOAT. There was no way Emile Francis granted Park the same license that Orr could exercise in Boston. It was a huge first season for Orr, leaving him with a Calder trophy and ever-growing fame. This is the only recognized rookie card of hockey's most legendary defenseman. Chambers: Wayne Gretzky is right about Cale Makar. 5 Orr's vs. 5 Howe's, like that could happen. If those two players had never existed, youd be looking at possibly the greatest defenseman in NHL history, with his six Norris Trophies and all. Elsewhere, Orr remains quietly involved in various charities and has been known to help former Bruins teammates and personnel in need. Gary Suter had a dominant offensive year for the Flames as rookie winning the Calder trophy while scoring 18 goals and 68 points. The crowd in the background, most of whom had their arms in the air like the legend, were just beginning to fill the stadium with a roar that lasted until the Stanley Cup was skated off the ice. Opinion. Niedermayer also won three Cups with New Jersey. Most of the players on this list come from 1967 on. His 46 goals stood as a record for a defenseman until Paul Coffey scored 48 in 1985-86. During his Boston years, Esposito led the league in goals six times and in scoring five times. THATS the kind of teammate you want??? There is obviously no argument that Lidstrom is the best defenseman in the history of the Red Wings. The record held until Chicago Blackhawk star Pierre Pilote broke it with 59 points in 68 games in the 1964-65 season. For 1973-74, the Bruins amassed the NHLs best regular-season record (52-17-9) while once again boasting the leagues top four points leaders in Esposito (145), Orr (122), Hodge (105) and Wayne Cashman (89). I looked back, and I saw it go in, so I jumped.. Dave Babych was a big point man in Hartford, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Robinson won two James Norris trophies. Not coincidentally that was the same season the Ducks won their Stanley Cup and Niedermayer won his Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP. Hockey Player #22. The speed he plays at, and the skill he shows at speed, lends Mike Green's game a Paul Coffey quality. Poor Reed though was gone. Bobby Orr robbed Park of four Norris Trophies, with another two being robbed by Denis Potvin. Bobby grew up in the small town of Parry Sound on Georgian. During those first thirteen seasons he was part of four Stanley Cup winning teams. He spent a lot of his two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks injured, but when he did play for them he was phenomenal. Throw in the fact that the slap shot wasn't popularized until Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion had success with it in the early 1950's and it's easy to see why the offensive contribution from defensmen in those era's was often minimal. Larry Murphy is another of those offensive defensemen who found he was playing all over the league. He wanted them involved. BU's Thomas Whalen celebrates hockey great and the Big Bad Bruins of 1970 in new book. He scored more than 20 goals three times in the NHL though that first season he was mostly a winger. He was seventh in the league in assists that year. Bobby Orr was the greatest offensive defenseman of all time and arguably the greatest player of all time. Nicklas Lidstrom is the best defenseman of his generation and one of the best of all time. He returned at the start of 1978-79, but lasted only six games. 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. Orr's peak from 1968-74 was tremendous. 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. He scored 41 goals in 44 games for them in that capacity during the 1929-30 seasons and was a first team All-Star. He had 12 points in 20 games the next year when they fell short. His playoff totals admittedly only cover 71 games. He is a creative offensive force on the point for the Canadiens. Leetch had four game-winning goals on his way to a Conn Smythe win. But wait they did. He destroyed all of the conventional wisdom about playing defence. The only NHL season that Ray Bourque scored fewer than 10 goals in a season was his last in Colorado. Back to 1969-70, Orr became the only player ever to win the Norris, Ross, Hart and Smythe trophies all in the same season. Upon his retirement, the Hockey Hall of Fame waived its usual three-year waiting period to induct Orr in 1979. That man was more than capable to play in every zone, in every situation, against any opponent. 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. Carlyle scored an impressive 647 points in 1,055 regular season games. 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. After collecting the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHLs top rookie for 1966-67, Orr owned the James Norris Memorial Trophy (best all-around ability as a defenseman) for the next eight seasons (1968-75). His next year, 1993-94, he had an incredible 89 points in 78 games. He had the skills to rush from end to end and the desire to do it. Brian Leetch was another of the flood of talented American defensemen who came into the NHL attempting to emulate Bobby Orr. 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. He's ninth in career points by a defenseman. Unfortunately he only played 80 or more games four times in a season, in his 15-year NHL career. SEATTLE The Seattle Kraken acquired defenseman Jaycob Megna from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round draft pick. The 1966 Topps #35 Bobby Orr rookie hockey card is his only rookie card and one of the most recognizable in the hobby. Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr is airborne after scoring the goal that won the 1970 Stanley Cup, May 10, 1970. His skills and size on the back end helped them win the cup in 1938-39. Potvin broke into the league with 17 goals and 54 points in 77 games to win the Calder trophy. Bourque was Boston's other great defenseman, a magisterial, super smooth stalwart who nonetheless has always been cloaked in a touch of shadow. His skill as a defenseman let him become the first NHLer to have a 20-year career in the league, all with the Bruins. Orr also earned his final All-Star selection. Zubov moved on to Dallas to be the power play quarterback there and help them win a Cup in 1999. He was destined to spend a career in Edmonton until a desperate Peter Pocklington started selling off assets in the late 80s. 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