Memory Lane-Bobby Orr

Mid-Summer may seem an odd time to think about hockey, but I saw this iconic photo of Bobby Orr the other day and I've thought about him several times since then.

I remember watching this game on TV, an overtime contest to settle the 1970 Stanley Cup, Bruins against the St. Louis Blues. I remember seeing Orr score this goal and then fly through the air--he was tripped as he made the shot. Having the photo in black and white is perfect, because we had a B&W TV in those days, too, so this is what I saw. Note in the background that the puck is already back on the ice, and the goaltender is still in mid-reaction. The shot, from very close in and with the wrists only, was blindingly quick.

This game and this goal were the highpoint of the great Bruins years of Orr and Esposito. Ben may not remember this, but the first person he could identify on TV was Bobby Orr. Of course, usually in a Bruins game he was the one with the puck. He was forced to retire from hockey at age 31 due to very bad knees. His last three years he was with the Chicago Black Hawks, but he never cashed any of their checks--he said he couldn't because he wasn't playing.

What I remember, though, are those years with the Bruins. He could handle the puck like no one else. When the B's were short-handed for a penalty, he could, when he got the puck, skate in circles at center ice "ragging the puck" while the opponents flailed at him ineffectually. If one of them over-committed, he could dart into the offensive end with a burst of speed and make a great offensive charge in what should have been a strictly defensive situation. When the Bruins were at even numbers, his offensive rushes were even more frequent. He'd get the puck at the Bruins end of the ice and lead the Bruins charge, even though he was a defenseman. His passing was crisp and incredibly accurate--he was Larry Bird or Magic Johnson on ice. As a defenseman, he set a record for assists in a season, 102 (not for a defenseman, for anybody), and though that's been broken by Gretzky and Lemieux, it is still the record for a defenseman. How iconic is he in Boston? In a vote in the Boston Globe, Orr was named the greatest Boston sports figure ever, over Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Carl Yastrzemski and Bob Cousy.

Hockey has not been the same without him. I count watching Bobby Orr at his peak, along with being able to see Ken Griffey, Jr rise and play at his peak, as the two most fortunate things in my life as a sports fan.