Editing Bobby Orr (section)

===Bruins career===

====1966–67====
Orr joined the Bruins for the [[1966–67 NHL season|1966–67 season]], his first as a professional. The Bruins were not convinced Orr belonged on defence, trying him out at centre first.{{sfn |McKenzie |2000 |p=10}} Through the pre-season, Orr was given jersey number 27. With Orr's junior number (2) retired in honour of Eddie Shore, the Bruins offered him jersey number 5, that of past Bruins star [[Dit Clapper]], prior to the regular season, but Orr instead chose jersey number 4,{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=119}} which had been vacated by veteran defenceman [[Albert Langlois]]. Orr made his NHL regular-season debut on October 19, 1966, against the Detroit Red Wings, getting one assist. On October 22, he scored his first NHL [[goal (ice hockey)|goal]] against the Montreal Canadiens. It was a [[slap shot]] past [[Gump Worsley]] and the [[Boston Garden]] crowd gave Orr a standing ovation.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=120}}

In that first season, Orr was challenged by the veterans, and he earned respect by defeating Montreal tough guy [[Ted Harris (ice hockey)|Ted Harris]] in his first NHL fight. On December 4, 1966, Toronto Maple Leafs' defenceman [[Marcel Pronovost]] checked him into the boards, injuring Orr's knees for the first time in the NHL. He would miss nine games and the Bruins would lose six of them. The team finished with a 17–43–10 record, leaving the Bruins in last place. However, attendance at Boston Garden increased by forty-one thousand fans.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |pp=121–122}}

For the season, Orr scored 13 goals and 28 [[assist (ice hockey)|assists]], one of the best rookie seasons in NHL history to that point by a defenceman.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=124}} Orr won the [[Calder Memorial Trophy]] as the league's outstanding rookie and was named to the NHL's [[NHL All-Star team|Second All-Star team]].{{sfn|MacInnis|1999|p=48}} [[New York Rangers]] defenceman [[Harry Howell (ice hockey)|Harry Howell]] won the [[Norris Trophy]] as the league's best defenceman that year. In accepting the award, Howell said he was glad to win when he did, predicting "Orr will own this trophy from now on."{{sfn|Dryden|2000|pp=26–32}} Orr was runner-up in voting.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=125}}

====1967–68====
In [[1967–68 NHL season|1967–68]], his second season, injuries limited Orr to just 46 games in which he scored 11 goals and had 20 assists. Prior to the season, Orr had injured his right knee during a charity game in [[Winnipeg]] during the summer requiring five weeks in a cast. In December, a [[Frank Mahovlich]] [[check (ice hockey)|check]] caused a fracture of Orr's [[collar bone]] and a [[shoulder separation]]. Orr returned in January in time to play in the [[21st National Hockey League All-Star Game|NHL All-Star Game]], his first of eight appearances overall. Orr had to sit out five games afterwards due to soreness in his left knee. In February, he had to leave a game against Detroit after his left knee went stiff. He would receive the first of his many operations on the knee, repairing [[ligament]] and removing [[cartilage]].{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |pp=142–146}} Orr did return to finish the season, but required an operation during the off-season to remove a [[bone chip]].{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=157}} Despite the injuries, Orr won the first of a record eight consecutive Norris trophies and was named to the NHL's first All-Star team and finished fourth in the voting for the Hart Trophy.

After finishing last in 1966–67, the Bruins qualified for the [[1968 Stanley Cup playoffs|1968 playoffs]], their first appearance in the playoffs since the [[1958–59 NHL season|1958–59]] season.{{sfn|MacInnis|1999|p=45}} In the pre-season, the Bruins added [[Phil Esposito]], [[Fred Stanfield]] and [[Ken Hodge]] from the [[Chicago Black Hawks]] in one of the most famous deals ever. The Bruins also added rookies [[Glen Sather]] and [[Derek Sanderson]], developing a more aggressive image that led to the nickname of the 'Big Bad Bruins.'{{sfn|MacInnis|1999|pp=48–49}} The Bruins, happy to make the playoffs, were swept by eventual champion Montreal in the first round.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=154}}

====1968–69====
In [[1968–69 NHL season|1968–69]], Orr skipped the pre-season to rest the knee but was in uniform for the season's start. He required an ice pack on the knee after every game and missed nine games after he caught a skate in a crack in the ice, twisting his knee. He returned to the line-up and finished the season playing through the pain, sometimes struggling to get up to speed and relying on teammates instead of making the plays himself.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=161}} In other games, Orr was outstanding, scoring his first career NHL [[hat trick]] on December 14 against Chicago, adding two assists for a five-point night. He scored 21 goals on the season, breaking the goal-scoring record for a defenceman, and totalled 64 points to set a new point-scoring record for one season for a defenceman.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=162}} He again won the Norris Trophy while nabbing a First-Team All-Star selection and finishing third in the Hart Trophy balloting.

Orr feuded with Toronto rookie defenceman [[Pat Quinn (ice hockey)|Pat Quinn]] that season. In a late-season game, Orr attempted to knock the puck loose from Maple Leafs goaltender [[Bruce Gamble]] and Quinn cross-checked Orr to the ice. Orr kicked Quinn and Quinn kicked Orr. On-ice officials broke it up, but the feud continued into the [[1969 Stanley Cup playoffs|1969 playoffs]]. The Bruins finished second in the NHL's [[East Division (NHL)|East Division]] and drew the Maple Leafs in the first round. In the first game, in Boston, Quinn caught Orr with his head down during a rush, and caught him with an open-ice hit, knocking Orr unconscious. Quinn, assessed five minutes for elbowing, was attacked in the penalty box by a fan and Quinn swung at the fan with his stick, breaking the glass. When Quinn returned, the Boston fans showered garbage onto the ice. Orr was carried out on a stretcher to the dressing room where he revived after the concussion.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |pp=164–166}} According to a Boston police officer at the scene, "The fans here don't like anybody to touch Orr. He's their [[Frank Merriwell]] and [[Jack Armstrong (baseball)|Jack Armstrong]] rolled into one. To my thinking, it looked like a clean check."{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=166}} The game degenerated into a brawl after the score reached 10–0 for the Bruins. The Bruins went on to sweep the Maple Leafs before losing in six games to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round. Orr returned for the third game against Toronto, getting two assists as the Bruins won their first games in Toronto since 1965.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=167}}

====1969–70: Overtime winner, first cup====
[[File:Orr Trip.jpg|thumb|Orr as he scored "The Goal," during the [[1970 Stanley Cup Finals]]]]
In [[1969–70 NHL season|1969–70]], Orr almost doubled his scoring total from the previous season, to 120 points, six shy of the league record (which had been set by his teammate Phil Esposito the previous season), leading the league in scoring. Orr is still the only defenceman in history to win the [[Art Ross Trophy]] as the league's leading scorer, which he also achieved a second time, in 1974–75. In addition to the Norris and the Art Ross, Orr captured the first of three consecutive [[Hart Memorial Trophy|Hart Trophies]] as regular-season MVP and later won the [[Conn Smythe Trophy]] for his playoff performance, becoming the only player in history to win four major NHL awards in one season.{{sfn |Dryden |2000 |p=72}}{{sfn|Podnieks|2003|p=33}}

Orr went on to lead the Bruins in a march through the [[1970 Stanley Cup playoffs|1970 playoffs]] scoring nine goals and 11 assists.  The march culminated on May 10, 1970, when he scored one of the most famous goals in hockey history and one that gave Boston its first [[Stanley Cup]] since 1941.{{sfn|Podnieks|2003|p=33}} The goal came off a [[give-and-go]] pass with teammate [[Derek Sanderson]] at the 40-second mark of the first overtime period in the fourth game, helping to complete a sweep of the [[St. Louis Blues]]. According to Orr:{{sfn|Podnieks|2003|p=33}}

<blockquote>If it had gone by me, it's a two-on-one, so I got a little lucky there, but Derek gave me a great pass and when I got the pass I was moving across. As I skated across, Glenn had to move across the crease and had to open his pads a little. I was really trying to get the puck on net, and I did. As I went across, Glenn's legs opened. I looked back, and I saw it go in, so I jumped.</blockquote>
[[File:orr.jpg|thumb|left|Orr, tripped after scoring "The Goal", goes flying across the ice. |alt=Group of hockey players. A hockey player in black is raised a few feet off the ice with his hands raised in excitement.]]
The subsequent photograph by Ray Lussier{{sfn|Podnieks|2003|p=15}} of a horizontal Orr flying through the air, his arms raised in victory – he had been tripped by Blues' defenceman [[Noel Picard]] after scoring the goal – has become one of the most famous and recognized hockey images of all time—and today is highlighted in the opening sequence of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]'s ''Hockey Night in Canada'' telecasts.{{sfn |Simpson |2008 |p=54}}{{sfn|Podnieks|2003|p=15}}

====1970–71====
The following [[1970–71 NHL season|season]], the powerhouse Bruins shattered dozens of league offensive records. Orr himself finished second in league scoring with 139 points (37 goals and 102 assists), thirteen points behind Esposito, while setting records that still stand for points in a season by a defenceman and for [[Plus-minus (ice hockey)|plus-minus]] (+124) by any position player. Orr's 102 assists set a league record that would not be broken until Wayne Gretzky totalled 109 in 1980–81. Orr's Bruins were heavy favourites to repeat as Cup champions, but were upset by the Montreal Canadiens and their rookie goaltender [[Ken Dryden]], at one time Bruins' property, in the first round of the [[1971 Stanley Cup playoffs|1971 playoffs]].{{sfn|Dryden|2000|p=73}}

For the season, the Bruins gave Orr a solid gold puck, one of four they gave out to Bruins players – to each of the four Bruins who scored over 100 points that season – Esposito, Orr, [[Johnny Bucyk]] and [[Ken Hodge]]. Orr later gave his puck to Alan Eagleson. In 2007, Eagleson sold the puck in an auction of memorabilia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=55590450-2ecb-4f51-9656-d6406dd33251&k=2108 |publisher=Canada.com |title=Sold! to the highest bidder |date=February 24, 2007 |access-date=October 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215011100/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=55590450-2ecb-4f51-9656-d6406dd33251&k=2108 |archive-date=February 15, 2012 }}</ref> for {{CAD|16,500}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.classicauctions.net/Default.aspx?tabid=263&auctionid=36&lotid=98 |publisher=Classic Auctions |title=Bobby Orr's Gold Boston Bruins Puck Given to Alan Eagleson in the 1970s |access-date=October 26, 2010 |archive-date=August 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804174310/http://www.classicauctions.net/Default.aspx?tabid=263&auctionid=36&lotid=98 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====1971–72: Second and final cup====
Orr signed a new five-year contract on August 26, 1971, for US$200,000 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|200000|1971}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) per season – the NHL's first million dollar contract.{{sfn|Dryden|2000|p=74}} In the following [[1971–72 NHL season|1971–72 season]], Orr was again second in the scoring race to Esposito, this time with 117 points, as his goal total matched his previous years total of 37, but his assists dropped to 80. He again won the Hart and Norris trophies, helping the Bruins to a first-place finish in the East. In the [[1972 Stanley Cup playoffs|1972 playoffs]], Orr again led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup, leading the scoring in the playoffs (24 points with 19 assists) and scoring the championship-winning goal against New York. For his performance in the playoffs, he received his second Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, making him the award's first two-time winner. Rangers forward [[Vic Hadfield]] commented "We played them pretty even, but they had Bobby Orr and we didn't."{{sfn|Dryden|2000|p=74}} By this time, Orr knew his left knee was deteriorating and he would not have many seasons left.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=261}} Orr also won the MVP award at the [[25th National Hockey League All-Star Game|1972 NHL All-Star Game]] to win four MVP awards in one season.{{sfn|Podnieks|2000|p=123}} Since then only [[Nicklas Lidström]] (2002) and [[Cale Makar]] (2022) have won the Norris and Conn Smythe trophies in the same season.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://coloradohockeynow.com/2022/06/27/cale-makar-congratulated-by-bobby-orr/ | title=Bobby Orr Tweets Congrats to Cale Makar | date=June 27, 2022 | access-date=June 27, 2022 | archive-date=June 27, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627172457/https://coloradohockeynow.com/2022/06/27/cale-makar-congratulated-by-bobby-orr/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

====1972–73====
The [[1972–73 NHL season|1972–73]] saw upheaval at the Bruins. Former head coach Sinden returned to the club as the general manager. Bruins players [[Gerry Cheevers]], [[Derek Sanderson]] and [[Johnny McKenzie]] joined the upstart [[World Hockey Association]].{{sfn|Dryden|2000|p=75}} Coach [[Tom Johnson (ice hockey)|Tom Johnson]] was fired fifty-two games into the season, replaced by [[Bep Guidolin]], who had once coached Orr. The Adams family, which had owned the team since its founding in the 1920s, sold it to Storer Broadcasting. The Bruins' season came to a premature end in a first-round loss in the [[1973 Stanley Cup playoffs|1973 playoffs]], losing Esposito to injury in that first round.{{sfn|Brunt|2006|pp=53–254}} Orr amassed 101 points during the regular season (he only played 63 games due to injury,) but had only two points in the playoff loss.{{sfn|McKenzie|2000|p=12}}

====1973–74====
In [[1973–74 NHL season|1973–74]], Orr led the Bruins to another first-place finish in the regular season. His point total rebounded to 122 with 32 goals and 90 assists. That season, Orr set the record (since surpassed) for the most points in a game by a defenceman, scoring 3 goals and 4 assists in a November 15, 1973 game against the New York Rangers.{{sfn|Dinger|2010|p=171}} One goal, a shot from the [[blue line (ice hockey)|blue line]], broke Rangers' defenceman [[Rod Seiling]]'s stick.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Globe and Mail |date=November 16, 1973 |title=Orr scores three goals, assists on four in Bruins' lopsided win |page=35}}</ref>

The Bruins made it to the [[1974 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]], but lost this time to the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] in six games. In game one, late in the third period tied at 2–2, Orr blocked the open Boston net with his leg to keep out a Flyers' shot on goal, then took the puck up the ice and scored on a slapshot past goaltender [[Bernie Parent]] with a little over a minute remaining in regulation time to propel the Bruins to a 3–2 win. In game five, Orr assisted on Boston's first goal with shorthanded rush, and scored the next two goals himself as the Bruins won 5–1. In the deciding game six, Orr was in the penalty box after a scuffle with the Flyers' [[Bobby Clarke]] and during the ensuing power play the Flyers scored (which turned out to be the Cup-winning goal), but with 4 seconds left and the Bruins trailing 1-0 Orr took a face-off and sent a desperation length of the ice shot that went just wide of the Flyers' net (goaltender Parent admitted "If his shot is on net, it's a goal").<ref name="phillymag.com" />

====1974–75====
In the [[1974–75 NHL season|1974–75 season]], Orr broke his own previous record for goals by a defenceman, scoring 46 goals to go with 89 assists for his sixth straight 100-point season. His record for goals by a defenceman stood until Paul Coffey totalled 48 in 1985–86. He won the league scoring title and the Art Ross Trophy for the second time.{{sfn| Brunt| 2006 |p=260}} 1974–75 was his last full season and his last season playing with Esposito.{{sfn|Dryden|2000|p=77}} The Bruins placed second in the Adams Division, and lost to the Chicago Black Hawks in the first round of the [[1975 Stanley Cup playoffs|1975 playoffs]], losing the best-of-three series, two games to one. With this season, he had tallied 100 points in six straight seasons, a record for any player of any position, forward, or defencemen (since broken), although his teammate Esposito that season also achieved his sixth (and last) 100-point season, although only five of those were consecutive. In fact, there are only nine other seasons in history of defencemen scoring 100 points or more (Paul Coffey with five, Denis Potvin, Al MacInnis, Brian Leetch, and Erik Karlsson with one each).

====1975–76====
The [[1975–76 NHL season|1975–76 season]] was Orr's final season with the Bruins and it was tumultuous. Orr's contract was ending after the season, potentially making him a free agent. The Bruins were sold by Storer Broadcasting in August 1975 and the new Jacobs ownership group had to promise to keep Orr as a condition of the purchase.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |pp=261–262}} The Bruins and Orr reached a verbal agreement with the Jacobs during the summer of 1975, including a controversial agreement for Orr to take an 18.5% share of the Bruins after his playing days were over. The agreement was to be checked out as to whether it would be legal for tax reasons and whether or not the league would approve it.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |p=262}}

Before the season started, however, Orr underwent another surgical procedure on September 20, 1975. The Bruins' contract talks with Orr and Eagleson became difficult. The Bruins' insurer would not insure a contract with Orr and doctors advised the Bruins that Orr would not be able to play much longer. Orr returned to the line-up on November 8, 1975, the day after the Bruins traded Esposito to the New York Rangers. Orr was able to play the next ten games for the team but had to stop on November 28 due to pain in his knee. The next day, he underwent another surgical procedure on his knee. Originally expected to only be out for seven to eight weeks, his knee did not respond to therapy and he returned home to Parry Sound. His season was over after ten games and he would not play again for the Bruins. His impending free agency led to speculation that the Bruins would trade him, but despite his injury, they were negotiating to keep him until the end.{{sfn |Brunt |2006 |pp=262–265}}

During his Bruins career, Orr was often the player the press wanted for a post-game interview. Orr instead would hide in the trainer's room. Teammate [[Terry O'Reilly]] described him as a "very private, very shy guy, who just happened to be the best hockey player in the world."{{sfn |Simpson |2008 |p=61}} According to the Bruins public relations director Nate Greenberg "one of my toughest jobs in the day was trying to get Orr to come out of the trainer's room to talk to the press. The reason he wouldn't or didn't all the time was that he really wanted his teammates to get proper accolades, while everybody, all the time wanted him." Orr did not authorize a biography of himself until 2013, preferring not to be the centre of attention.{{sfn |Simpson |2008 |pp=59–60}}