How Good Was Bobby Orr Really?

[@AlbertCrabbe-h6i]

Best ever and if he was in today's game still the best.most powerful skater I have ever seen

[@SteveJones-g9n]

Not a chance, he would get wrecked in today's game, the game was slow as molasses back then hahaha. They all had part time jobs in the summer, it was a beer league back then.

[@robertmessina6962]

BEST of ANY era

[@georgeknoblach7116]

Had 11 Surgery's on one knee. Did everything and feared NO ONE! Can only imagine what Orr would have accomplished if he did not sustain his knee injuries? Simply, THE BEST! Period!

[@DianeFosberg]

What Bobby Orr could have accomplished without those major knee injuries would have been astounding .He was in his own league during his playing days. I used to go to the old Boston Garden back in 1970-1975 , it was amazing to see how strong a skater he was, very solid on his feet . He could dish out some solid hits and take them as well. He seemed to take over the game whenever he felt he needed to. Greatest of all time !

[@berryscott3590]

Finally, somebody under sixty, gets it... Greatest player to ever lace them up. AINIC... Kudos Whippersnapper... Good Job...

[@enriqueleon1169]

I'm a Habs fan who has celebrated every Stanley Cup win since 1965. I've seen all the players of the modern era. Bobby Orr was the absolute best, no question.

[@Kevin-xk8bs]

two art ross trophies playing a position that right up till today precludes a player from winning the scoring championship. This is the greatest feat in the history of team sports.

[@Mike-l7y5y]

Keep dreaming. Wayne Gretzky was better. Maybe the goals, assists and Cups don't matter at all. But they do and Gretzky had more of everything. Here is something that does REALLY matter though: Gretzky, as a forward, dodged more bodychecks and played more games as a brittle 170 pound forward. I guess that doesn't ring a bell for you Bruin homers. I mean Orr had so many injuries, so the "would of, could of and should of" idea had he played more games, won more Cups, is JUST that: a fantasy. Get real, Boston, Gretzky has it all.

[@SteveJones-g9n]

Like gretzky, it was given to him, the game needed a superstar, they let these guys do what they did out there it's a joke really

[@SteveJones-g9n]

@@Mike-l7y5y wayne was a joke, he would get wrecked in todays game

[@Mike-l7y5y]

@@SteveJones-g9n LOL nothing is given. You have to earn it. You must be an employee at Wal-Mart. Works his butt off for 2 bucks an hour.

[@jamesBELL-d4w]

He was awesome....puck handling was crazy good. Imagine shooting that hard with that lumber.

[@jasonmelendez5216]

"That lumber" 🪵

[@andrewcarroll7641]

This man's skill set + determination set him apart. There's a lot of hockey fans in the US cause of #4. I couldn't imagine doing what he did with skates with ZERO to NO ankle support, a wood twig + gloves up to his elbows.... and on one knee. Bobby Clark said it best; there should be one more league higher for players like Orr. No better way of saying you have my undying respect. If I'm up by a goal, give me Orr. If I'm down by 2 goals.... give me Orr.

[@berryscott3590]

Yes and No... I remember the quote... But, If I recall correctly, Clarke didn't say guys LIKE Orr... He said something like, 'Geez it looked like that bugger should be one league higher... Orr was so special'; that he was... There wasn't, and still to this day hasn't been, anyone that compares with Bobby Orr. Orr should have been one league higher... Trouble is, he was in a league all by himself. You get guys, in the know, who'll argue who was the 2nd best D man all time, but no one who should be taken seriously, would ever argue who was number one; that's strictly reserved for number 4, Bobby Orr FULL STOP... For me personally, I'd probably say Denis Potvin was the second best D-man I ever saw play. Bossy scored 50 or more goals for 9 straight season, Trottier, a great 2 way center, was a hall of famer thru and thru. Billy Smith was a loose cannon, who'd crack the back of guys ankles if they even thought about entering his crease, plus was scary good... BUT BUT BUT The Islanders won something like 19 playoff series in a row, and you better believe it, Denis Potvin was the BIGGEST REASON... But Potvin, great as he was, wasn't in Orr's League AINIC... xxx Paul Coffey was an offensively gifted, great skating D-man... He had that glide, the greatest glide the hockey world has ever seen, he could glide right past guys... BUT BUT BUT... You cannot compare Paul Coffey's skating to Orr's... No, it's not even close here either... Coffey couldn't move laterally in either direction, effortlessly and with the Orr-esque wow factor... Orr would get guys moving in the wrong direction with a subtle shake of the hips and a quick side steps... Then, forgetaboutit... There he was, GONE... You never saw guys circle back with the puck before Orr... And we've never seen guys Post Orr try it either... Only Orr could do that... He'd rag the puck for a goodly share of the pp, then he'd friggen score a SHG, adding insult to injury... That's the Orr WOW factor... Cale Makar is the best skating D-man nowadays... and, arguably, the NHL's best skater period... BUT BUT BUT... He's NOT the Second Coming of Orr... Not Even Close... xxx I lived in Oshawa for a time as a kid, and I saw Orr play even as a junior, suiting up with the Generals... Whippersnappers say, oh yeah every guy picks the best guy from their era as the greatest all time... WRONG When Orr arrived in the NHL, all the old timers , of that era, were saying... Man, this kid is the best we've ever seen... PEACE OUT

[@JohnShields-xx1yk]

In 1970 I was a 10 year old peewee hockey player in Boston, the bruins were my heros, especially Bobby, but Phil and Cheevers in net, they won the cup, so every street hockey game we'd say, Save, Cheevers, or we'd try the Orr dive, it was great, Orr skated more like today's players, he was a great handler of the biscuit and his stride was flawless and quick, offensive defence men can create goals like they do today, but pinching in can cost you goals as well 🇺🇸🏒🇨🇦

[@RaymondRichards-f5q]

Orr made the game exciting with his amazing skills, you could not take your eyes off him or you might miss his magic.

[@LenSwartz-x1v]

The BEST!!!!

[@christopherneyfeldt4587]

Greatest all around player I’ve seen play in 54 years of watching hockey.

[@marisalombardi385]

The one and ONLY Orr❤

[@philr182]

Hockey fans know he did most of this on "one leg", and have all wondered 'what might have been', had he been healthy and played for 19 or 20 years. One thing that's really never mentioned is, he was dominating the league, and winning all of these awards in his early 20's. During that record breaking 69-70 season, he was 21/22 years old, and had already had a couple of the many knee surgeries. Today, most guys aren't even in the league until 22 or 23. By that age Orr was already a bonified super star.

[@MikeSmith-vo2yt]

Pretty good player agent as well 🍺

[@Kevin-xk8bs]

Players were allowed to hit Orr full out; Gretzky--I saw Scott Stevens pull up on Gretzky. Gretzky was strangely "protected" I believe.

[@andygrenn680]

Don’t buy this another era comparison. That Orr couldn’t make it in today’s NHL. Orr would do just fine today…With today’s medical advances and equipment upgrades Orr’s talent would come through…If anything I believe Orr would rise to the challenge at hand today and excel…I wish Orr could play in today’s NHL…

[@jakebishop7822]

The era argument I think is generally dumb, but in the case of Orr, it is even more ridiculous than usual, because if he played now, he would have modern knee surgery, and would just be the best player ever.

[@andygrenn680]

@@jakebishop7822 Pure raw talent to play the game at Bobby Orr’s level with his compete is an inter generational component. Orr would transfer nicely. Today’s 2024 NHL needs a defence man winning a regular season scoring race. Not once but twice. Give today’s Hockey talking heads something significant to wag their tongues about. #4ever.

[@jaredabbate2402]

Orr > Gretzky / Lemieux

[@patbrennan6572]

Imagine if Orr had played 20 healthy seasons.

[@jasonmello2356]

You can't compare generational sports.

[@ramjet358]

Orr was amazing and the best defenceman of all time, but Paul Coffey has the record for most points in a season (and career).

[@JustBreath123]

Ya Ya Ya...Orr was likely the greatest ever!!!....B U T....I question his intelligence when you support tRump

[@LenSwartz-x1v]

Trump can finish a sentence coherently! And without getting lost on a stage!!!! Just saying!!!

[@davidd5407]

Seeing as how u had to make it political: It was Winston Churchill who said, 'If u r young and not liberal, u don't have a heart. If u r old and not conservative, you don't have a brain.'

[@davidd5407]

@JustBreath123 haters gotta hate. While smart folks vote w their heads, not their hearts.

[@gerardduguay1767]

Politics, c'mon. Bobby was simply the best ever to play the game. On and off the ice.

[@davidd5407]

​@@JustBreath123aforementioned i*iot speaking loudly. Does not get much more unintelligent than that

[@RonaldSaylor]

Sorry, Bobby Orr doesn't measure up to the modern game. The increased speed and accuracy of the modern game is astounding. It has advanced more than any other sport, probably due to the international nature of the modern NHL. Back then it was basically Canadians and Americans that played in the NHL. Now many of the stars come from Europe, especially eastern Europe. Bobby Orr was great in his day. I admit that I loved to see him play. But on this one I have to call 'foul'. Orr couldn't keep up with the modern skaters.

[@dewman7477]

But Bobby Orr didn’t have same medical and technological advancements that modern players get access to today. Imagine Bobby Orr with that access? It’s completely different player

[@davidd5407]

What a dumb argument from an allegedly smart hockey fan who saw Orr play. Want to know why? You won't like the answer, but it will be accurate

[@davidd5407]

FYI: I saw Orr play too. Multiple times.

[@gerardduguay1767]

Sorry, just the best ever.

[@AlbertCrabbe-h6i]

Best ever and if he was playing today he would still be the best