Reply #6: I'm crashing this poll! [View All]

[Forkboy]

I'm not Canadien (I wish I was often,though).

I voted Orr.While both Gretzky and Lemiuex were two of the most exciting and talented players ever,neither one changed the game the way Orr did.Before Orr defensemen rarely even thought "offense".There were a few exceptions (the great Bobby Hull for one),but it was a rarity to see a defensemen venture far into the offensive zone.Defensemen would rarely even carry the puck past thier OWN blueline,let alone past the opponents.Now it's not just commonplace but expected.Everyone wants that defensemen that can carry the puck cleanly out of thier zone and through center ice.That was nearly unheard of before Orr.


He lead the league in scoring twice-no defensemen has ever topped that (I believe Paul Coffey missed Orrs single season record of 139 points by just a single point in the Oilers heydays).

He won 8 (EIGHT!!) straight Norris Tropheys as the best defensemen.

In the 70-71 season his plus/minus rating was a whopping +124!

I'm in no way trying to claim that Gretzky and Lemieux aren't two of the greatest players ever.Like you,I've seen both make plays that seem beyond us mere mortals.But Orr changed the game in a way those two legends didn't.

On top of that,having spoken to him on occasion I can say he's also one the true class acts in all of sports.Humble,soft spoken.

Here's a couple of quotes from one of my many hockey books;

Milt Schmidt said it best, "If there is ever another as great as Bobby Orr, I hope the good Lord sees fit to keep me on this earth, because he will be something special."


"I've been gifted. The world is full of people who not only haven't been gifted, but have had some thing taken away from them. All I have to do is see one of them, some little girl who can't walk, and then I don't think I'm such a hero anymore. I think that compared to them, I'm a very small article."