Settling In Parry Sound
It was back in the early 1900's, when a man by the name of Robert Orr moved his family to Parry Sound, Ontario, a small town located on the eastern shoreline of Georgian Bay.  Robert's son, Doug, had proven himself as an exceptional athlete, excelling in track and hockey. Doug Orr had demonstrated he had what it takes to possibly make it to the NHL, but duty called and he joined the Navy. Doug married Arva Steele and the couple settled in Parry Sound after World War II. 

Doug and Arva lived in a modest home on Great North Road.  Their first born was a girl, Pat.  She was followed by Ron, and then on March 20th, 1948, Robert Gordon Orr came into the world.   He was named after his paternal grandfather who was also athletically inclined having played professional soccer in Ireland before coming to Canada.  The younger Robert would be come known far and wide and Bobby!  Bobby's birth was a difficult one with a degree of risk that had his parents worried he would not survive.  Bobby was followed by two more children, Penny and Doug Jr.

Lacing up for the First Time
Bobby was four years of age when he began skating.  He acquired his first pair of skates given to him by a friend of his father, Gene Fernier.  The Seguin River became Bobby's rink of choice where he'd spend hour after hour practicing his skating and stick handling playing Shinny.  If that was not enough, he would spend another hour nightly practicing that lethal shot in his garage.

Bobby began playing organized hockey at age five, but he leapfrogged through the levels and by the age of twelve was playing against young adults 4 years his elder. Bobby's role model was Montreal Canadien defenseman Terry Harper. It is said, Bobby liked to watch a defenseman who was an offensive threat.  While Bobby was in kindergarten, he began playing in the Parry Sound Minor Squirt Hockey League. By 9 he had won the MVP in the Pee-Wee Division. He may have been smaller than the other boys, but not in heart and he knew he would have to develop a strong body to keep up with the bigger kids.

A Defenseman is Born
Coaching Bobby Orr in his Pee Wee and Bantam Hockey days was Bucko McDonald, an all-star NHL defenseman in the 1940's.  Although Doug Orr wasn't initially convinced Bobby should play defense, Bucko insisted.  Doug, who had been a speedy player and gifted scorer in his own right wanted Bobby, still small for his age but also enormously talented, to play forward.  This would allow the future star to take advantage of his speed and puck handling abilities.  Despite Doug's judgment call, Bucko said Bobby was born to play defense.  He taught Bobby the ins and outs of the position and encouraged him to use his offensive skills as well.

The Blond Little Kid Gets Noticed
It was in an Ontario town called Gananoque on the Saint Lawrence Seaway, in the spring of 1962, where an Ontario final hockey game pitted the Gananoque bantam team and a Parry Sound team against each other.  Playing for Ganonoque was a promising young man, Rick Eaton.  Boston Bruins minor league executive Wren Blair and His GM, Lynn Patrick decided to go and see Eaton in action. Although they were impressed with Eaton, they soon found they were fixated on a player at the far end making some astonishingly brilliant moves.  They didn't know this other player's name, but referred to him as the little blond kid.  The management team wasted no time.  With other scouts sitting in the stands, the race to sign the "wonder Boy" had just begun.  

Wren Blair, Oshawa Coach and future mentor to Bobby Orr, spent many days in Parry Sound building up a rapport with the Orr family.  When Bobby's mother felt he was too young to be away from home, Blair offered to let Bobby commute 150 miles three times a week.  

At thirteen, Bobby signed a Junior A contract with Boston, and he began playing with the Oshawa Generals.  This, while still attending elementary school.  At 14 he was playing against 19 and 20 year old men, but age did not matter.  Bobby owned the ice. Orr went on to enjoy four all-star seasons in Oshawa.  In the early 1960's Bobby Orr was regarded as the hottest property in amateur hockey.  There was much anticipation and speculation within Boston media and the hockey world, that Bobby Orr was going to be the best prospect for the perennial last place Boston Bruins.  Orr played well in his first season of "A" hockey, then was described in his second year as positively phenomenal.  Still just 15 years old he was the unanimous choice for first string All-Star defenseman in the strong Ontario Junior A League. He played 50 or more minutes a game and was the reason the Generals started to rise from the basement.  He was regarded as unquestionably the outstanding defenseman in the league but he was also one of the most dangerous scorers.  Little wonder that the Bruins were waiting with anticipation for Orr's 18th birthday so they could elevate him to the big club. 

Here comes the NHL
So, at the age of 18, Bobby Orr joined the NHL signing with the Boston Bruins.  Bobby was the first NHL player to hire a lawyer to negotiate a contract. Orr got $50,000 for two years and a $25,000 signing bonus. Today's standards suggest this is not significant, but at the time, that deal changed the NHL pay structure forever.

Orr was originally assigned #27 when he first signed with Boston, but he quickly switched to the legendary #4. His talent, grace, durability and skills took him through nine full seasons before retiring due to knee problems.

Bobby Orr was winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's leading rookie and named to the Second All-Star Team in his first year in the NHL, he went on to win the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's premier defenseman and was named to the NHL First All-Star Team for eight consecutive seasons from 1968 to 1975.

Bobby Orr won the Hart MVP Trophy three times in a row, and the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the playoffs twice. He was the first defenseman ever to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring leader, which he did twice, and he helped the Boston Bruins win two Stanley Cups. He set many NHL records and received other honours, such as the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top male athlete and the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contribution to hockey in the United States.

Dream Comes True
On May 10th, 1970 (Mother's Day) Bobby led the Boston Bruins to their first Stanley Cup in 29 years. The famous picture of him soaring through the air is considered by most people to be the single most defining image in NHL history. "The Goal" occurred in overtime of the fourth game of a sweep of the expansion St. Louis Blues.

In 1971-72 after a six game series with the N.Y. Rangers, Lord Stanley's Cup returned to Boston. Orr signed a contract that guaranteed him $200,000 per season over five years. It was the first $1 million deal in hockey and Orr's agent, Alan Eagleson, suggested that Orr would some day be part owner of the team.  In fact Bobby was offered a piece of the pie when negotiation for a contract prior to the 1976-77 season took place, but Eagleson never informed him.  In the meantime, Orr had been struggling with his left knee and played only 10 games in 1975-76.   Orr felt that Boston no longer wanted him and so in 1976 he signed with Chicago for 3 million dollars over 5 years.  It is reported that Derek Sanderson asked Bobby why he never took the Boston deal and only then did he realize the gross injustice committed against him by his agent.

Orr won his second Conn Smythe Trophy and appropriately had scored his second Stanley Cup clinching goal. The rest of the NHL concluded that the only way to stop Orr was to try and punish his weak knee. Many teams began running people at him and these hits started to take their toll. 

Canada Cup Series
Orr took advantage of a chance to play in a major international competition - the 1976 Canada Cup - when Chicago management gave him permission to play. Having missed all of the Summit Series, the Canada Cup proved to be Orr's only major appearance in a competition against the best the world had to offer. He was outstanding in the Canadian team's run to the championship. He was co-leader of the team in scoring, finishing the seven games tied with another great defender, the New York Islanders' Denis Potvin, with nine points. Orr was selected to the tournament All-Star team and capped the experience with the most valuable player award.  Despite not being able to practice and having to wear six and seven ice packs after each game, Orr drew upon his immense courage and played through extreme pain to lead his country to victory. 

Orr's performance at the Canada Cup had the Chicago faithful energized for his first appearance in colours other than Bruins black and gold. But Orr's left knee would once again impede his career. He played 20 games of his first season in Chicago weakened by his sixth operation on the knee in April 1976. He spent the entire 1977-78 season recuperating, trying to revive his battered knee, which doctors described as nothing but bone rubbing bone after so many operations and injuries.

He made a valiant attempt to return, playing six games at the start of the 1978-79 season. Though Orr didn't feel incredible amounts of pain, he was limited in his movements and unable to practise much with the team. In one game against the Detroit Red Wings, he was on the ice for four Detroit goals and described his play as "terrible." At the age of 30, he decided he was only hindering his Chicago squad.

A time to Say Goodbye
Bobby played only 26 games for the Blackhawks. Another display of his character was the fact that Orr returned the few paychecks he received from Chicago, saying that he hadn't earned them. Orr has said that he needed to go to Chicago to prove to himself that he could still play. After two injury filled years he knew that his knees could no longer take it. At a tearful news conference on November 8th, 1978, the greatest hockey player of all-time hung up his skates. 

Giving it Back to Bobby
On January 9, 1979 the Boston Bruins held, "Bobby Orr Night". When Bobby was finally introduced, the Garden crowd stood and cheered for eleven minutes and would not let Mr. Orr speak. Finally the noise subsided and the #4 was raised to the rafters while Bobby and his family looked on.  Bobby's acceptance speech was very simple, he expressed his love for the city of Boston, the fans of Boston, and concluded with a very emotional "Thank you".  

In 1979 the inevitable happened, and the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Bobby. While his induction is not surprising, even in retirement, Bobby was setting records. At age 31, Bobby is the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.   Bobby was, and still is, the youngest player ever to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was 31 years old.

Simply put, what Bobby did was change the face of hockey forever. Defensemen were "Stay at Home" types. Never daring to charge the net, they knew their place was at "the point". But not Bobby... he set the tone for today's great defensemen, the likes of Ray Bourque, Chris Pronger, and Paul Coffey. But no one has ever done it quite like Robert Gordon Orr

Today Bobby works frequently with charities and maintains close connections with the game.  He has also become an agent, helping young players benefit by sharing his difficult early experiences through the business side of the sport.

See also...
Career Statistics  |  The Goal (Photo & Story)  |  Bobby Orr Photo Gallery
Bobby Orr Literature & Video