Debatable. Today's average NHL player is bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone Orr ever played against. As skilled as he was, that skill was relative to that of the men he was playing against.
@@davidbroughall3782 If he were young today he would also have the advantages of better training techniques and his knee surgeries would have been less invasive... a scope instead of a knife. Orr also had to fight to protect himself... as did other stars in the old days such as Gordie Howe, Rocket Richard and Bobby Hull. Players were tough as nails in the late Sixties early Seventies.
@@davidbroughall3782Serge Savard, Bobby Clarke, Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Bobby Hull, Scotty Bowman etc etc all beg to differ🎉
@@davidbroughall3782 Give a modern day player a wooden stick and 1970s skates and see how good they would be. Plus the big curves on stick were illegal then. Which makes it easier to control the puck on a forehand shot (but worse on the backhand).
While there may have been some serious questions as to how negotiations between the Bruins and Eagleson were handled, the bottom line is that Orr retired because his onee could not handle the rigors of playing pro hockey. He loved the game way too much to walk away at 30 unless he was physically unable to play. As for Fischler, disregard anything he says or writes. Check out his first Hockey Top 100 list, where he ranks Orr number 13 all-time, plus some of his rankings involving Rangers players. Art Coulter ahead of Guy Lafleur?
Your right on Stan Fischler what he knows about hockey couldn't fill an 8 ounce cup. Orr is my number 1 all time and I am a 67 year old life long Leaf fan.
I once sent him a letter disagreeing with something he wrote about a local hockey player. He responded with a two page letter full of insults and unhinged claims about his greatness. I mean who goes off on anonymous fan in a letter? Had he stayed around until twitter he would have gotten himself fired.
Perhaps Fischler has been trolling us all these years, just to get under our collective skins so that we respond the way we do. Or perhaps I'm giving him too much credit. Go with the latter.
Bobby Orr gave me his autograph in London Ontario at the London Gardens during their pre season, Thanks again Mr Orr, for a kid that was a wowza moment ☘️
@@Joeblow12349 That’s what went down in Boston. On top of that Orr retired owing more than he had earned…that’s right broke! Physically and financially…
He did say that .... but hey... what is #99 supposed to say? Should he say, "I am the greatest of all time and Orr is #2"?" Gretz is far too classy for that.
Stan Fischler is wrong. 1967-1967 was not a weak period for the NHL. It was a strong period. The original 6 era had mediocre players, as well. I should know - I was there. In fact, some of the original 6 players would not have made some NHL teams in the 1967-1977 era. I'll stand by that. Some couldn't skate, stick handle or shoot as well as the 67-77 players. Again, I was there.
The league was definitely watered down when it doubled in size with expansion....it took 4 years before an expansion team won a single playoff game against the original six (North Stars vs Canadiens in April 1971).
I completely agree. Some of those players in the original 6 era couldn't skate backwards. Lateral movement, not all. Nostalgia is one thing, facts are another.
@@ticats2009 did you ever hear Jacques Plante explain why he wondered outside his crease. One guy couldn't skate backwards. One guy couldn't move to one side. A lot has been said about some of those pros back in the day. This isn't a revelation. Go Ticats.
@canadianroot you know what's even worse? As a Canadian, I have come to the realization that hockey now is an American sport where Canadians go to play. I used to think Vancouver could never win a Cup; but now it's spread to the whole country. McDavid will have to leave Edmonton for an American franchise if he wants a ring. Bedard will win a Stanley Cup with Chicago before Edmonton even makes the finals again. Petterson probably doesn't care about a Stanley Cup since he can milk the Canucks for a mansion (not in Vancouver of course, that would require a billionaire). I miss the days of Gretzky and Lemieux. I miss watching my idol, and infinitely more important: Mario's idol: Guy Lafleur and the Habs capturing Cup after Cup.
@@fredbmurphy Same with me. I'm probably older by a bit, but I remember watching the Leafs win the cup in 67. I was just 7 years old, but the sport was probably 95% Canadian at the time. And yeah, it seems like Gary has it in for the Canadian teams, for some reason. The glory days are gone, my friend.
I didn't hear anything that came close to a "scary truth" I didn't even hear anything new. I wonder what Orr's career would have looked like if he had available to him the surgical skills of today along with updated knowledge and tech?
The only thing said that I didn't know was about the offer for him to own part of the Bruins. Too bad he didn't get that. It would now be worth many millions of dollars for his percentage.
Gee, no mention of Allan Eagleson's corruption charges. He is the real villain in the Bobby Orr story. I have no doubt in my mind that the Bruins history would be VERY different had Bobby Orr had a stake in owning the team. Had he known the offer I believe he would have stayed a Bruin for his whole career. "Could have been" can sure hurt.
I Beleive that the Skates they use today . Mainly the Blades are less likely to injure your Knees than the Older Blades . If Skates were like they are now . Orr would have played 20 yrs + Easy . I Would still Say . Doug Harvey and Bobby Orr are the 2 Best in my Lifetime . The rest are 3s and 4s .
Not just skates. I had that old time knee surgery, a scar from my ankle almost to my hip. Now they mostly just scope you and it's straight to rehab. 30 years later I had a serious brain aneurysm, it was done with a scope and I was home the next morning.
Bobby Orr was more than a Hockey player. Orr was a revolutionizing concept which changed the position of defense 4ever. NHL had never seen a player with this skill up until then. The great rushing defense men that have played after Orr are from his Hockey DNA. On a subtle note Orr skated his NHL career barefoot with no sock in his skates. Orr said the feel made him grip the ice better…Who is to argue…#4Forever.
@@jz5005 Coffey earns honourable mention compared to Number 4. Coffey is the closest descendant to Bobby Orr. In another Hockey galaxy Coffey and Orr together. Well…the game would need two pucks!
@@drumagus2258 please…Go find me a defender who has won two regular season scoring titles. You’ll get tired of looking to be sure. Orr’s feat may never happen again..
@jz5005 I think Ray Bourque was every bit as good as Paul Coffee. You have to remember that Coffee was surrounded by amazing teammates throughout most of his career. Bourque spent many years carrying the Bruins and still put up amazing numbers.
Bobby Orr said it himself: he could no longer play hockey. All the business arrangements are far less important. In his final years he played very few games and did not, as you say, retire at the peak of his career. His peak was far behind and I have read his book, where he speaks honestly.
Well if he got the 6 million of the guaranteed contract, when he was almost finished physically, a good payday, but you dont talk about his infamous crooked agent, Alan Eagleson, that is as big a story as Bobby Orr. Fischler was wrong about Bobby Orr, the greatest defenceman ever. He changed the game on a par with Wayne Gretzky, they would be one two on the list if he had played as many games and maybe even Orr on top.
When we moved I mentioned at a family dinner the local prison is where that a-hole Eagleson did his time. My sister went nuts waving her arms around, apparently my wiener brother in law is buddies with him.
Gretzky NEVER changed the way the game was played. Bobby Orr did. When Orr jumped into the high slot to bury the first pass from "The Chief", the game was stopped, because in league history, that play had never been done before. The on-ice officials had to check the Rule Book to see if the goal should count
I've read a few of Fischler's books and feel they do contain a certain amount of sentiment getting in the way of facts. He was a fan too. We all have our biases.
What Eagleson did to Bobby Orr and Orr’s family is probably the worst crime in hockey history. The Bruins offered Bobby Orr the most lucrative contract ever in hockey AND an ownership stake in the Bruins. This would have absolutely, 100% guaranteed generational wealth FOREVER for the Orr family. Instead, Eagleson told Orr that Boston considered him washed up and wanted him out of Boston. Had he known the actual deal being offered, there is no way that he would have ever turned it down. Yes, his knees were in rough shape but if the team limited him to the power play, pivotal game situations, and kept him under ten minutes per game, they could have most likely got 5 or more years out of Bobby Orr.
The book '67 made me aware that Orr could have EASILY ended up with the Leafs. Just one more historic blunder by the Leafs. They could have had Brad Park too and possibly Ken Dryden.
Don Cherry mentioned that the Blackhawks overplayed Orr. He said he wouldn't have had him out on the ice as much. PK, PP, etc. He would have cut down Orr's ice time. Not sure if that would have also continued in the playoffs.
It was Orr's skating style that did him in. He was a lighting fast skater and his blades bit into the ice heavy those first 3 steps. On gimpy knees you can't do that without more damage and pain. Too many surgeries & too much meniscus gone leaving bone-on-bone...... I hope they take some of Orr's DNA and clone him with the tech they have today. Likewise, Lemieux, Bossy, etc. Now those players would make a league so elite
It would have been neat to see how Orr would have looked wearing modern equipment and skates. He could sure skate and those skates and shin pads were awful back then.
That team (early 70s Bruins) should have won at least five Stanley Cups. They victims of poor ownership, useless expansion, the World Hockey Association and, of course, Ken Dryden.
Bobby was the greatest as far as Red Fisher was concerned, and I think Dick Irvin said similar. Those guys saw Rocket and Believau in their prime so that is high praise
Agree on the first three. I can’t think of anyone else in their stratosphere. Howe was great, but not 50% better than anyone else on the ice of their era. He had longevity though.
@@oasisbeyond Gretzky changed nothing. His career took place on a team made up of HOFers. Most of #99's points came from assists feeding a goal scoring machine. The Oilers are the only team to ever score 400 goals or more in a season. They did that 5 times. Orr won 2 scoring championship trophies as a defenseman. Orr won the Norris trophy a record number of consecutive times. How many Norris trophies did Gretzky win......NONE. Lemieux & Bossy were better goal scorers than Gretzky Orr has a better +/- rating than Gretzky playing half of the games Wayne played. Only someone who never saw Orr play would make your statement. Gretzky never won another Stanley Cup after leaving Edmonton but Messier won 2 Cups without Gretzky.
Stan Fischler is not very knowledgeable about hockey. He has written many books about the sport but he was never a fan of the Boston Bruins. Bobby Orrs knees gave out after many surgeries. Also Eagleson ripped Orr and other NHL players off fact did not have anything to do with Bobby Orr retiring from the game.
How many players of the original 6 era couldnt skate backwards? Did expansion really water down the skill level? Perhaps, but dont make it sound like pre expansion era was the gold standard of hockey excellence.
The post 1967 NHL era had talent sitting in the AHL that easily could make an NHL team but there were few spots open. When expansion happened there was a small uptick in goal scoring, but nothing like the uptick that happened post 1979 when a deluge of defensemen & goaltenders retired after long careers in the NHL. Orr played in a violent league where anything went to stop goal scoring. When Gretzky came in he played against really green defensemen & goaltenders which bears out in # of goals scored by both teams during the inflation 1980's,
@@appletile2887 Gretzky also had his own personal body guard on the ice (Dave Semenko). So, no one dared touch him. Look at the hits on McDavid and other top players today. Gretzky got hit hard once, that I can remember (against Toronto). And that was a big deal then.
If Stan Fischler was right about Orr there would have been a few more players at the same time that were just as good - but there wasn't. To me he was and still is the best to have ever played hockey. Can any hockey fan name another player who skated better than Orr?
There are hundreds today that are better ,not taking anything away from Orr I seen him live twice and he could move ,big time ,but that was then and ive seen allot of the greats from the last 40 years and there are many that could out skate him. Even him in his prime I seen him in 74 twice and he was awesome and I seen mcdavid in march of this year and I don't think it would be much of a challenge , Connor can fly and he can move like nothing ive ever seen and I seen a lot of the big boys from the 90s and 2000s ,Pavel Bure would be the closest I think to Mc David , .But the moves that Connor has are incredible,. Same as for Orr no one ever seen anything like him in the 60s and 70s he was the new superstar and he was awesome . Like everything the game has evolved and is so much quicker and the tech and the training of today has made players faster different styles of skating. There are so many players now that would out skate him I believe and the list would be long .but in the late 60s and early 70s no one ,absolutely no one could even come close to him. Thats what makes hockey great ,there is always going to be someone that is faster and better at the game .
Everyone has an opinion on who is the greatest of all time. There have been greats throughout the history of the game and there always will be. Only a few achieve the status of elite. In that I see them as equal. Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, and Howe are members of that club. Many others can be considered on the cusp of belonging to this group. More will follow.
The only others that I would put in that exclusive elite group for now with Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, and Howe would be The Rocket and Bobby Hull. They dominated the game in their era and were so much better than everyone else that they were held to a higher standard and are still seen that way today.
@@salianni16 I agree with you about Bobby Hull. When you factor in his WHA years he was truly an elite. I always found Richard to be an enigma. A truly great player, but he only captured the Hart trophy once and never won the Art Ross; he only led the Canadiens in scoring 5 times. No question he was the face and the heart of the franchise his entire career. I believe Crosby is on the cusp and when he retires could be considered for this group. McDavid; 12 years from now maybe.
There is one and only one thing I will agree with Cherry on -- Orr is the GOAT. And I am a hardcore Bruins hater. Oh, that and the old icing rule was stupid and dangerous. Goodbye and good riddance Donald S.
He took advantage of a weaker offense happy league too. But Gretzky said Orr changed the game more than he did. Maybe this is Gretzky just being modest but Orr says Gretzky changed the game and then when asked who the greatest was they say Howe
@@marklittle8805 Tells a lot about their character. In reality you could argue Orr was the first great offense defenseman. Gretzky was the greatest offense foward. And Howe the greatest two way player.
@@rman52 If Lemieux was on that Oiler team from the start of his career with a bodyguard....you would be saying Gretzky who. Mario was bigger and had many more tools than Gretzky as a center iceman
@@appletile2887 If I had wheels on my ass I would be a bus. If Lindros didn't get concussed as often as McDavid makes highlight of the day, he could have been the goat. And I guess if Mario had 300 more goals and 1000 more assists he would at least be tied with the goat Gretzky. That being said, Mario was a phenomenal player and a class act.
To me and all my childhood friends, Orr was a hockey hero, standing up against the hated Canadiens. But you don't stay a child forever, and as you grow up, you realize that your heroes are human beings that can make some really bad choices. It was only quite recently that I was disappointed to learn that Orr was a great supporter of Donald Trump. I can't tell you how dismayed I was to hear that. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, with Orr being such great pals with that blowhard Don Cherry.
That was absolutely painful. Orr & his wife took out a full page ad in the local paper urging people to vote for carrot-head. TSN called it "Old white man privilege". Also Janet's gambling ring the NHL doesn't seem to recall.
Regardless of his politics doesn't change who he was as a hockey player. As a Canadian, I can tell you Biden and Trump are idiots. I however don't hold ones political beliefs to who they are ..grow up
@@marklittle8805 I'm Canadian too, but clearly paying more attention than you. You seem to think Biden and Trump are the same. They're the same like poached chicken and fried dog s*** are the same. And as for growing up, I'd venture to say that there isn't anyone alive who calls himself a sports fan, you included, that hasn't had a hero they later became disappointed in, for whatever reason, be it politics or worse. Would tell fans disappointed in the fact that OJ Simpson was a murderer to grow up?
@marklittle8805 Did I say or imply in any way his political beliefs should put an asterisk beside his name? *What you do in life DOES define who you are* This isn't a one time thing like getting drunk & dancing on the table. People still adore Ray Rice who continually beat his fiancée, Michael Vick who ran a dog fighting ring and of course Orenthal who sawed his wife's head off. It's when you support a racist politician who openly declares he'll be a dictator but "just for one day" that your character comes into question. Aside from Orr the list includes Jack Nicklaus, Tom Brady, Bobby Knight, NASCAR's France family, Paul O’Neill, Mike Ditka etc. *There's a common thread here, they're all old rich white guys out of touch with reality* I'm not the best judge of character and I've done some truly stupid things in life but have never shot my mouth off because of who I used to be. I'm 67, should I still "grow up" or just keep denying reality?
Orr played in the days players would gain 30 pounds in the off season drinking beer and eating fast food....he would be just another average player by today's standards.
That says a lot more about you than Bobby Orr, just shows you're a hateful bigot. Must love the suffering going on in Ukraine and the middle east. God bless Bobby Orr and Donald Trump.
Спорт
Orr would dominate in any era
Debatable. Today's average NHL player is bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone Orr ever played against. As skilled as he was, that skill was relative to that of the men he was playing against.
@@davidbroughall3782 If he were young today he would also have the advantages of better training techniques and his knee surgeries would have been less invasive... a scope instead of a knife. Orr also had to fight to protect himself... as did other stars in the old days such as Gordie Howe, Rocket Richard and Bobby Hull. Players were tough as nails in the late Sixties early Seventies.
@@davidbroughall3782Serge Savard, Bobby Clarke, Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Bobby Hull, Scotty Bowman etc etc all beg to differ🎉
@@davidbroughall3782 Give a modern day player a wooden stick and 1970s skates and see how good they would be. Plus the big curves on stick were illegal then. Which makes it easier to control the puck on a forehand shot (but worse on the backhand).
While there may have been some serious questions as to how negotiations between the Bruins and Eagleson were handled, the bottom line is that Orr retired because his onee could not handle the rigors of playing pro hockey. He loved the game way too much to walk away at 30 unless he was physically unable to play. As for Fischler, disregard anything he says or writes. Check out his first Hockey Top 100 list, where he ranks Orr number 13 all-time, plus some of his rankings involving Rangers players. Art Coulter ahead of Guy Lafleur?
Fischler is a self-appointed hockey "expert", doesn't know sh*t from shinola.
13th??? Report to drug testing…
Your right on Stan Fischler what he knows about hockey couldn't fill an 8 ounce cup. Orr is my number 1 all time and I am a 67 year old life long Leaf fan.
I once sent him a letter disagreeing with something he wrote about a local hockey player. He responded with a two page letter full of insults and unhinged claims about his greatness. I mean who goes off on anonymous fan in a letter? Had he stayed around until twitter he would have gotten himself fired.
Perhaps Fischler has been trolling us all these years, just to get under our collective skins so that we respond the way we do. Or perhaps I'm giving him too much credit. Go with the latter.
Bobby Orr gave me his autograph in London Ontario at the London Gardens during their pre season, Thanks again Mr Orr, for a kid that was a wowza moment ☘️
Actually it is known why he left Boston. Allan Eagleson never informed him that Boston offered him an ownership stake in the Boston Bruins
Did you actually watch the whole thing?
@@Joeblow12349 That’s what went down in Boston. On top of that Orr retired owing more than he had earned…that’s right broke! Physically and financially…
Eagleson was scum
His agent was a crook!
@@glennball4036 Absolutely. Bobby retired broke owing more money than he had earned…
Bobby Orr was my first NHL hero
Same
Mine too.
Gretzky himself has said, Orr changed the game more than any player ever did.
He did say that .... but hey... what is #99 supposed to say? Should he say, "I am the greatest of all time and Orr is #2"?" Gretz is far too classy for that.
Stan Fischler is wrong. 1967-1967 was not a weak period for the NHL. It was a strong period. The original 6 era had mediocre players, as well. I should know - I was there. In fact, some of the original 6 players would not have made some NHL teams in the 1967-1977 era. I'll stand by that. Some couldn't skate, stick handle or shoot as well as the 67-77 players. Again, I was there.
The league was definitely watered down when it doubled in size with expansion....it took 4 years before an expansion team won a single playoff game against the original six (North Stars vs Canadiens in April 1971).
I completely agree. Some of those players in the original 6 era couldn't skate backwards. Lateral movement, not all. Nostalgia is one thing, facts are another.
I agree.
@@republica7337get lost
@@ticats2009 did you ever hear Jacques Plante explain why he wondered outside his crease. One guy couldn't skate backwards. One guy couldn't move to one side. A lot has been said about some of those pros back in the day. This isn't a revelation. Go Ticats.
Having to retire at 30, with his exceptional skill: what a travesty to hockey. Still on the hockey Mt Rushmore.
Too bad this horribly edited video barely included any decent clips of that exceptional skill.
@canadianroot you know what's even worse? As a Canadian, I have come to the realization that hockey now is an American sport where Canadians go to play.
I used to think Vancouver could never win a Cup; but now it's spread to the whole country.
McDavid will have to leave Edmonton for an American franchise if he wants a ring. Bedard will win a Stanley Cup with Chicago before Edmonton even makes the finals again.
Petterson probably doesn't care about a Stanley Cup since he can milk the Canucks for a mansion (not in Vancouver of course, that would require a billionaire).
I miss the days of Gretzky and Lemieux. I miss watching my idol, and infinitely more important: Mario's idol: Guy Lafleur and the Habs capturing Cup after Cup.
@@fredbmurphy Same with me. I'm probably older by a bit, but I remember watching the Leafs win the cup in 67. I was just 7 years old, but the sport was probably 95% Canadian at the time. And yeah, it seems like Gary has it in for the Canadian teams, for some reason. The glory days are gone, my friend.
Bobby Orr and Bobby Clark, two NHL players I remember and admire most from my teen years.
and the other Bobby, Bobby Hull.
The winning goal you showed was VS the Blues.
I didn't hear anything that came close to a "scary truth" I didn't even hear anything new. I wonder what Orr's career would have looked like if he had available to him the surgical skills of today along with updated knowledge and tech?
The only thing said that I didn't know was about the offer for him to own part of the Bruins. Too bad he didn't get that. It would now be worth many millions of dollars for his percentage.
@@my3dviewsthe bruins were going to offer Orr 18% ownership.
@@Dennis-m3k Yes, that was mentioned in the video.
@@my3dviews I have a suspicion he would have acquired more.
Gee, no mention of Allan Eagleson's corruption charges. He is the real villain in the Bobby Orr story. I have no doubt in my mind that the Bruins history would be VERY different had Bobby Orr had a stake in owning the team. Had he known the offer I believe he would have stayed a Bruin for his whole career. "Could have been" can sure hurt.
The GOAT.
The Vice GOAT
I Beleive that the Skates they use today . Mainly the Blades are less likely to injure your Knees than the Older Blades . If Skates were like they are now . Orr would have played 20 yrs + Easy . I Would still Say . Doug Harvey and Bobby Orr are the 2 Best in my Lifetime . The rest are 3s and 4s .
Not just skates. I had that old time knee surgery, a scar from my ankle almost to my hip. Now they mostly just scope you and it's straight to rehab. 30 years later I had a serious brain aneurysm, it was done with a scope and I was home the next morning.
Bobby Orr was more than a Hockey player. Orr was a revolutionizing concept which changed the position of defense 4ever. NHL had never seen a player with this skill up until then. The great rushing defense men that have played after Orr are from his Hockey DNA. On a subtle note Orr skated his NHL career barefoot with no sock in his skates. Orr said the feel made him grip the ice better…Who is to argue…#4Forever.
I agree except I can’t think of any such D worth mentioning in the same sentence as Orr, other than Coffey.
@@jz5005 Coffey earns honourable mention compared to Number 4. Coffey is the closest descendant to Bobby Orr. In another Hockey galaxy Coffey and Orr together. Well…the game would need two pucks!
yeah plus he invented diving.
@@drumagus2258 please…Go find me a defender who has won two regular season scoring titles. You’ll get tired of looking to be sure. Orr’s feat may never happen again..
@jz5005 I think Ray Bourque was every bit as good as Paul Coffee. You have to remember that Coffee was surrounded by amazing teammates throughout most of his career. Bourque spent many years carrying the Bruins and still put up amazing numbers.
Bobby Orr said it himself: he could no longer play hockey. All the business arrangements are far less important. In his final years he played very few games and did not, as you say, retire at the peak of his career. His peak was far behind and I have read his book, where he speaks honestly.
"Solid gold puck" ✨️ nice to have 1 of these ...lock it up, in Canada 🇨🇦 😅
Hope that firend got $$$ for buying him skates at 4 lol. You need more commercials my dude to make this video almost unwatchable.
Orr vs. Park at MSG. Those were the days
The clip at 2:25 is mirrored, it makes Orr look like a right handed shot.
Well if he got the 6 million of the guaranteed contract, when he was almost finished physically, a good payday, but you dont talk about his infamous crooked agent, Alan Eagleson, that is as big a story as Bobby Orr. Fischler was wrong about Bobby Orr, the greatest defenceman ever. He changed the game on a par with Wayne Gretzky, they would be one two on the list if he had played as many games and maybe even Orr on top.
When we moved I mentioned at a family dinner the local prison is where that a-hole Eagleson did his time. My sister went nuts waving her arms around, apparently my wiener brother in law is buddies with him.
Gretzky NEVER changed the way the game was played. Bobby Orr did.
When Orr jumped into the high slot to bury the first pass from "The Chief", the game was stopped, because in league history, that play had never been done before. The on-ice officials had to check the Rule Book to see if the goal should count
Awesome ambassador for hockey I seen him in St.Lawrence Newfoundland in the 80s
Wayne played at a time when a lot of players had medium puck handling skills. Now they seem to all be much better.
I've read a few of Fischler's books and feel they do contain a certain amount of sentiment getting in the way of facts. He was a fan too. We all have our biases.
What Eagleson did to Bobby Orr and Orr’s family is probably the worst crime in hockey history. The Bruins offered Bobby Orr the most lucrative contract ever in hockey AND an ownership stake in the Bruins. This would have absolutely, 100% guaranteed generational wealth FOREVER for the Orr family.
Instead, Eagleson told Orr that Boston considered him washed up and wanted him out of Boston. Had he known the actual deal being offered, there is no way that he would have ever turned it down. Yes, his knees were in rough shape but if the team limited him to the power play, pivotal game situations, and kept him under ten minutes per game, they could have most likely got 5 or more years out of Bobby Orr.
The book '67 made me aware that Orr could have EASILY ended up with the Leafs. Just one more historic blunder by the Leafs. They could have had Brad Park too and possibly Ken Dryden.
How can anybody notice anything about the guy , He’s been outta the NHL for 50 years !!
Damn it. Now you made me feel old. ☹
@@my3dviews lol I’m right there being old with you 👊🏻
@@kmike58 Hard to believe that the 70s are 50 years ago (1974 anyway). We need to invent some device to slow time down before it's too late. 😂
@@my3dviews absolutely 👍
Don Cherry mentioned that the Blackhawks overplayed Orr. He said he wouldn't have had him out on the ice as much. PK, PP, etc. He would have cut down Orr's ice time.
Not sure if that would have also continued in the playoffs.
It was Orr's skating style that did him in. He was a lighting fast skater and his blades bit into the ice heavy those first 3 steps. On gimpy knees you can't do that without more damage and pain.
Too many surgeries & too much meniscus gone leaving bone-on-bone......
I hope they take some of Orr's DNA and clone him with the tech they have today.
Likewise, Lemieux, Bossy, etc.
Now those players would make a league so elite
It would have been neat to see how Orr would have looked wearing modern equipment and skates. He could sure skate and those skates and shin pads were awful back then.
SCARY how you edited out the actual shot and goal that won the Cup
Lol
When he was 13 he signed a jr. Contract with the Bruins
That team (early 70s Bruins) should have won at least five Stanley Cups. They victims of poor ownership, useless expansion, the World Hockey Association and, of course, Ken Dryden.
Orr #1 all time, slightly ahead of Gretzky & Lemieux, then Howe. And this from a diehard, lifelong, Montreal Canadiens fan
Bobby was the greatest as far as Red Fisher was concerned, and I think Dick Irvin said similar. Those guys saw Rocket and Believau in their prime so that is high praise
Agree on the first three. I can’t think of anyone else in their stratosphere. Howe was great, but not 50% better than anyone else on the ice of their era. He had longevity though.
Naw, Gretzky is the great one, changed hockey forever.
@@oasisbeyond Gretzky changed nothing. His career took place on a team made up of HOFers. Most of #99's points came from assists feeding a goal scoring machine. The Oilers are the only team to ever score 400 goals or more in a season. They did that 5 times.
Orr won 2 scoring championship trophies as a defenseman. Orr won the Norris trophy a record number of consecutive times. How many Norris trophies did Gretzky win......NONE.
Lemieux & Bossy were better goal scorers than Gretzky
Orr has a better +/- rating than Gretzky playing half of the games Wayne played.
Only someone who never saw Orr play would make your statement.
Gretzky never won another Stanley Cup after leaving Edmonton but Messier won 2 Cups without Gretzky.
@@marklittle8805 Beliveau also stated that Orr was the best he ever saw
Only player I ever saw the top Russians in AWE of!!
TRES Cool
Brian Burke suppiertes Al Eagleson in this book because the were pals. I appreciate supported any pal.
Even The Eagle. A KJ pigeon
Stan Fischler is not very knowledgeable about hockey. He has written many books about the sport but he was never a fan of the Boston Bruins. Bobby Orrs knees gave out after many surgeries. Also Eagleson ripped Orr and other NHL players off fact did not have anything to do with Bobby Orr retiring from the game.
How many players of the original 6 era couldnt skate backwards? Did expansion really water down the skill level? Perhaps, but dont make it sound like pre expansion era was the gold standard of hockey excellence.
The post 1967 NHL era had talent sitting in the AHL that easily could make an NHL team but there were few spots open. When expansion happened there was a small uptick in goal scoring, but nothing like the uptick that happened post 1979 when a deluge of defensemen & goaltenders retired after long careers in the NHL.
Orr played in a violent league where anything went to stop goal scoring.
When Gretzky came in he played against really green defensemen & goaltenders which bears out in # of goals scored by both teams during the inflation 1980's,
@@appletile2887 thanks for sharing. Something to think about.
@@appletile2887 Gretzky also had his own personal body guard on the ice (Dave Semenko). So, no one dared touch him. Look at the hits on McDavid and other top players today. Gretzky got hit hard once, that I can remember (against Toronto). And that was a big deal then.
Nobody BETTER!
If Stan Fischler was right about Orr there would have been a few more players at the same time that were just as good - but there wasn't. To me he was and still is the best to have ever played hockey. Can any hockey fan name another player who skated better than Orr?
Connor McDavid
There are hundreds today that are better ,not taking anything away from Orr I seen him live twice and he could move ,big time ,but that was then and ive seen allot of the greats from the last 40 years and there are many that could out skate him. Even him in his prime I seen him in 74 twice and he was awesome and I seen mcdavid in march of this year and I don't think it would be much of a challenge , Connor can fly and he can move like nothing ive ever seen and I seen a lot of the big boys from the 90s and 2000s ,Pavel Bure would be the closest I think to Mc David , .But the moves that Connor has are incredible,. Same as for Orr no one ever seen anything like him in the 60s and 70s he was the new superstar and he was awesome . Like everything the game has evolved and is so much quicker and the tech and the training of today has made players faster different styles of skating. There are so many players now that would out skate him I believe and the list would be long .but in the late 60s and early 70s no one ,absolutely no one could even come close to him. Thats what makes hockey great ,there is always going to be someone that is faster and better at the game .
Everyone has an opinion on who is the greatest of all time. There have been greats throughout the history of the game and there always will be. Only a few achieve the status of elite. In that I see them as equal. Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, and Howe are members of that club. Many others can be considered on the cusp of belonging to this group. More will follow.
The only others that I would put in that exclusive elite group for now with Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, and Howe would be The Rocket and Bobby Hull. They dominated the game in their era and were so much better than everyone else that they were held to a higher standard and are still seen that way today.
@@salianni16 I agree with you about Bobby Hull. When you factor in his WHA years he was truly an elite. I always found Richard to be an enigma. A truly great player, but he only captured the Hart trophy once and never won the Art Ross; he only led the Canadiens in scoring 5 times. No question he was the face and the heart of the franchise his entire career. I believe Crosby is on the cusp and when he retires could be considered for this group. McDavid; 12 years from now maybe.
@@user-we2yt5on9b If you want to include Crosby, that's fine, but you would also need to have Ovechkin right there alongside him.
@@salianni16 not sure yet about Crosby yet, but you are right about the player who will be the all-time goal scoring leader.
Best NHL defenceman LARRY ROBINSON. Check the plus minus stats. He's still number one 😊😊
There is one and only one thing I will agree with Cherry on -- Orr is the GOAT. And I am a hardcore Bruins hater.
Oh, that and the old icing rule was stupid and dangerous. Goodbye and good riddance Donald S.
Until Gretzky pulverised all records...
Can't compare a defenseman to a foward. Like comparing MJ to Jabar.
He took advantage of a weaker offense happy league too. But Gretzky said Orr changed the game more than he did. Maybe this is Gretzky just being modest but Orr says Gretzky changed the game and then when asked who the greatest was they say Howe
@@marklittle8805 Tells a lot about their character. In reality you could argue Orr was the first great offense defenseman. Gretzky was the greatest offense foward. And Howe the greatest two way player.
@@rman52 If Lemieux was on that Oiler team from the start of his career with a bodyguard....you would be saying Gretzky who. Mario was bigger and had many more tools than Gretzky as a center iceman
@@appletile2887 If I had wheels on my ass I would be a bus. If Lindros didn't get concussed as often as McDavid makes highlight of the day, he could have been the goat. And I guess if Mario had 300 more goals and 1000 more assists he would at least be tied with the goat Gretzky. That being said, Mario was a phenomenal player and a class act.
this was shoddy and clickbaity.
Except you
One of the best players on the Boston Team? He was the hands down top player in the NHL Have you seen him play?
2nd BEST BEHIND GORDIE HOWE. CHANGED THE POSITION OF DEFENSE MAN TO WHAT IT IS TODAY
I watched both Howe & Orr play during their prime and say Orr was better. He controlled the game like no other player has.
Orr actually 9nly played a handful of games after he was 27 he played less than 50 games after he was26
To me and all my childhood friends, Orr was a hockey hero, standing up against the hated Canadiens. But you don't stay a child forever, and as you grow up, you realize that your heroes are human beings that can make some really bad choices. It was only quite recently that I was disappointed to learn that Orr was a great supporter of Donald Trump. I can't tell you how dismayed I was to hear that. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, with Orr being such great pals with that blowhard Don Cherry.
That was absolutely painful. Orr & his wife took out a full page ad in the local paper urging people to vote for carrot-head. TSN called it "Old white man privilege". Also Janet's gambling ring the NHL doesn't seem to recall.
Regardless of his politics doesn't change who he was as a hockey player. As a Canadian, I can tell you Biden and Trump are idiots. I however don't hold ones political beliefs to who they are ..grow up
@@marklittle8805 I'm Canadian too, but clearly paying more attention than you. You seem to think Biden and Trump are the same. They're the same like poached chicken and fried dog s*** are the same. And as for growing up, I'd venture to say that there isn't anyone alive who calls himself a sports fan, you included, that hasn't had a hero they later became disappointed in, for whatever reason, be it politics or worse. Would tell fans disappointed in the fact that OJ Simpson was a murderer to grow up?
@@dicksonfranssenJanet's gambling? Are you thinking of Janet Gretzky?
@marklittle8805 Did I say or imply in any way his political beliefs should put an asterisk beside his name? *What you do in life DOES define who you are* This isn't a one time thing like getting drunk & dancing on the table. People still adore Ray Rice who continually beat his fiancée, Michael Vick who ran a dog fighting ring and of course Orenthal who sawed his wife's head off. It's when you support a racist politician who openly declares he'll be a dictator but "just for one day" that your character comes into question. Aside from Orr the list includes Jack Nicklaus, Tom Brady, Bobby Knight, NASCAR's France family, Paul O’Neill, Mike Ditka etc. *There's a common thread here, they're all old rich white guys out of touch with reality* I'm not the best judge of character and I've done some truly stupid things in life but have never shot my mouth off because of who I used to be. I'm 67, should I still "grow up" or just keep denying reality?
Orr played in the days players would gain 30 pounds in the off season drinking beer and eating fast food....he would be just another average player by today's standards.
lost respect for Mr Orr when he came out of the closet and declared to be a Maga man supporting Chump
there are no words to describe u, mr andiman....
@@jvcelt Try harder then..
That says a lot more about you than Bobby Orr, just shows you're a hateful bigot. Must love the suffering going on in Ukraine and the middle east. God bless Bobby Orr and Donald Trump.
@@juryklymko703 Suffering going on in Ukraine is somehow related to Bobby Orr?! Does the name Vladimir Putin ring a bell?
The scary truth about Orr nobody is noticing is that he supports trump...HERO TO ZERO!!!
Never a Zero🤬
@@johnwillimott8122 Yup #4 is a Zero
Hero to zero? You must be talking about yourself..... as usual.
@@juryklymko703 YES hero to zero....anyone with such little intelligence to support a moron like trump cannot be that bright
That still stings