Bobby Orr sets standards for hockey players

Bobby Orr is known to be the ultimate defenseman in the history of hockey. Starting from the time he was recruited by the Boston Bruins when he was only 18 years old, Bobby Orr revolutionized hockey. Before that, defensemen limited themselves to only playing defense during the game, and the front liners took care of scoring. But Orr made a different move. Instead of just clearing the puck, he kept it in his possession and would usually cross the blue lines to join in the offense. He broke the defensemen records and was the highest scorer in the NHL for two seasons.

A Classy Man

In a time where hockey players had the reputation of being carouse, Orr was famous for his class. Wally Harris, a former referee of Orr, accounted how Orr called if he came back okay even though he already rejected him from the game. Don Cherry, his coach in the mid-1970's, recounted how Orr made an extra effort not to humiliate any losing opponent. He shared how Orr usually bowed down and felt embarrassed for the other team if his team scored.

But Orr had his own share of problems, too. He was usually involved in brawls on the ice. As a result, he spent a lot of time in the penalty box. Still, Orr showed restraint when he was dealing with his opponents.

The Legacy Of Bobby Orr

Even though Bobby Orr had already retired for more than 20 years, he has still a lingering influence in the world of hockey. Up to this day, he is the only known defenseman to lead in the offense more than a couple of times. The idea of defensemen taking offense is now very common in the NHL, which can be mainly credited to Orr. His legendary moves, including his 360-degree evasive spin trademark, still inspire players. Another memorable move of Bobby Orr is his penalty-killing moves. A lot of hockey players tried to level with Orr, but no one really succeeded. His record of defensive and offensive proficiency has never been broken up to this days. Understandably, players that had longer careers than he did broke his score records. Still, throughout his entire career, Orr gained an impressive 1.39 points average per game in a regular season and another 1.24 average in playoffs. This has been the standard for most defense hockey players in the past and coming years.