Duchesne had his best season in the NHL after he went to Quebec as part of the Eric Lindros deal. THATS the kind of teammate you want??? Enterprise. He finished the postseason with 11 goals and 23 assists, a total of 34 points. #16492. He was no slouch as a defender either. Teams: LA, Phi, Que, Stl, Ott, Stl, LA, Phi, Det. The legendary Pilote was Chicagos answer to Doug Harvey. Injuries chipped away at the hard playing Suter but he managed to maintain an offensive presence almost to the end of his career. Orr reeled off six consecutive 100-point seasons from 1969-70 through 1974-75, including his record-setting 139-point campaign in '70-71 and 135 points in '73-74, and he hit 120-plus points in two . He scored 20 and had 82 points for his first and only point a game season. The physical Potvin was an abundantly talented skater, stick handler and playmaker. His career featured five 20 goal or better seasons. He scored 20 goals in his last full season in Tampa Bay and has managed 16 and 15 goals and 57 and 58 points in his first two years in San Jose. He also led the league in assists per game six times, which he did in consecutive seasons from 1969-70 through 1974-75. Success on that stage propelled him to greater success in the NHL. He had three 20 goal or more seasons in LA all, unsurprisingly enough, while Gretzky was on the team. He was one of the best offensive defensemen of all time. Orr enjoyed an outstanding junior career, and the Bruins who last qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1959 had high expectations for the 18-year-old when he joined them in 1966. Moreover, Orr helped make hockey more popular and helped make the Bruins a big draw both at home and on the road. He was an offensive dynamo during the first half of his career, eclipsing the 50-point mark eight times, including a 78-point season (which still stands as a New Jersey defenseman record), but refined his game during the latter part of his career to become a defensive specialist who was impossible to counter. He set the record for assists by a defenseman in a season with 46 in 1959, and became the first defenseman in history to amass 500 points. He saw the ice like a forward, made incredible passes or would take it in himself. He accomplished all of this while playing at a time where offensive defensemen were rare, as he and Orr were basically the only ones in the league during the late '60s and early '70s. Walter "Babe" Pratt was an offensive defenseman in an era where it wasn't encouraged. Pronger has scored goals and points at a fractionally higher rate. He pushed his teammates because you're playing with the best player in the league and he's giving you the puck and you just can't mess up. Twenty-three different defensemen have won this award since its inceptionfrom Red Kelly to Bobby Orr to Denis Potvin to Nicklas Lidstrom, with Orr leading the way with eight wins. Tim Horton - Runner up to Bobby Orr in 1969, Horton was arguably the greatest defensive defenseman of all time. His .602 points per game is impressive and indicative of an able playmaker. Orr combined speed, strength, skill and hockey savvy at both ends of the ice. Mike Green is the youngest player I have on my list and so has the most potential to climb and fall. He won three James Norris trophies in a row from 1963 to 1965. He is a creative offensive force on the point for the Canadiens. He has 202 goals in what has been a 1002 game career. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2003-04 Upper Deck Trilogy Bobby Orr #8 Hockey Card NHL Boston Bruins Defenseman at the best online prices at eBay! Orr paved the way for such future defensemen as Denis Potvin, Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque. No other NHL defenseman has ever managed to score more than .3 goals a game. I'd like to see him get a chance to do it. Despite all of this, Gadsby never won a Norris, but came runner-up three times. Bobby Orr was the most creative individual in the game of hockey. Players from earlier eras who are included often don't have comparable statistics. St. Louis Keenan took a one-handed chop at the puck to no avail as the Bruins defenseman had already transitioned it to his stick blade. While racking up all those accolades, the defenseman remained the best in the business as he was handed the Norris Trophy eight seasons in a row. He was famous for his end to end rushes and brutal hits. Still in 1978-79 he scored 31 goals and 101 points. His prowess was recognized through-out the league. William Hollett was a high scoring defenseman overshadowed by other great blue liners of his time. Bet . He moved on to Pittsburgh where he made an offensive contribution right away. Only Ray Bourque managed to score more with 410, while playing 203 more games. His natural athletic ability and a will to compete propelled to be one of the NHL's best offensive defensemen of his era. He had trouble translating that into offense and then injury cut short what could have been one of the great offensive careers of a defenseman. He had four seasons where he got more than 90 points, another six where had between 80 and 89 points and a further two seasons where his point total was in the 70's. (from Former Haverhill newsman captured Orrs famous flight, Eagle-Tribune, 05/11/2010) He was forever remembered as a superhero in the eyes of Bruins fans. He accumulated 270 goals and 915 points in only 657 games. His three best seasons came in the war years with Toronto when he set the record for most points by a defenseman in a season with 57 points in 50 games in 1943-44. This is the only recognized rookie card of hockey's most legendary defenseman. This list then will be highly weighted towards defensemen who have played in the last 45 years in the NHL. Not only was he fast, his. His contributions are still undeniable. The game took place on May 10, 1970 Mothers Day. Guy Lapointe was the best offensive defenseman of Montreal's big three. He was fair skater and an able puck mover, but his shot moved him into the offensive elite of the game. So rather than penalizing him for playing so long I want to reward the offensive skill he did show for over 1006 NHL games. He favoured long passes out of his own zone after drawing the forecheckers into him. But even in defeat, he remained humble and heroic. Despite all that Howe played in the NHL, mostly as a defenseman for 15 seasons. Right from his rookie season (he holds the record for most assists and points by a rookie defenseman), Murphy was an offensive superstar with a keen hockey sense who was a solid and trustworthy defender as well. In between he managed to play almost 80 games a season every year. It was just the third time they were forced to take a matchup by one goal during their historic playoff run. But Orrs goal goes beyond winning the Stanley Cup. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1956, 1958, 1959). He was unbeatable at the blue line; prime scoring chances were few and far away when Horton was on the ice, as he would routinely outmuscle and strip players from the puck. Bourque maintained a phenomenal .98 points per game average throughout his 1,612 game career. 20) Today is Bobby Orr's 73rd birthday. He was known for his offense and defense in Montreal. The most productive years of his career were overshadowed by . Hi there! The most exciting play in hockey is the end to end rush. Wednesday's events at the Capitol building in Washington D.C. are literally unprecedented. The Texan-born player has scored 20 or more goals in a season five times. Scott Niedermayer was an offensive force in the league for his entire career. Some examples of his scoring prowess are: seven 20-goal-plus seasons (including one 31-goal season), 12 60-point-plus seasons (including a 66-point rookie season and a 97-point season), 338 career goals and 1,232 career points (both totals fourth all-time for defensemen, behind Bourque, Coffey and MacInnis). He lead the Leafs in goal scoring and points that playoff year. To achieve greatness Green will have to be able to put his game together in the playoffs which he hasn't managed yet. According to Orr, though, his flight through the air was by choice. His .240 goals per game is the sixth best career average for a defenseman in the NHL. 9. He is the best defenseman since Bobby Orr. The Lester B. 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The following year Turnbull lead a Salming-less Leaf team past the Kings and to an upset of the heavily favoured New York Islanders in the second round of the playoffs. Note: Defensemen who hit their prime before the trophy was introduced will not be included in this list (Eddie Shore never won a Norris, just because he retired before it was established). His best point total was in 2006-07 when he had 69 with the Ducks. Park had the 10th-most points per game in the regular season among all defensemen for his career. His legacy isn't complicated. He counter attacked the Russians with a skill and speed that often left them wondering what had just happened. He scored over a quarter of a goal a game for an NHL best 410 career games. He's ninth in career points by a defenseman. However it fits in your life as a sports fan, what Bobby Orr and the Boston Bruins did on May 10, 1970, still resonates 50 years later. He scored 23 goals and 81 points with the Flames 1992-93 and 20 goals and 67 points with the Blackhawks in 1995-96. Meanwhile, Rick Smith, Esposito, and John Bucyk netted three goals for Boston in order to send the game into overtime. Bobby Orr Highlights. When playoff performances are added, Coffey leads all defensemen with 455 goals in 1,603 NHL games. Though injuries limited Orr to 46 games in the 1967-68 season, he still earned an All-Star berth and the first of his eight James Norris Memorial trophies as the leagues top defenseman. He is just ahead of Paul Coffey, who had 196 points in 194 games. Mike Green with his speed and his shot is the only defenseman I've seen in the last decade with a chance to sneak into the top 10 offensive defensemen of all time. Gretzky himself said he would have voted for Orr, or possibly for Howe. Zubov was named to the NHLs second All-Star team in 2006 and played in three All-Star Games over the course of his career. The Hall of Famer put up five seasons of 40 points or more with Chicago and. He was famous for his ability to steal the puck from attacking forwards. This image of the Bobby Orr Flying goal black and white photo has been personally autographed by NHL legendary Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr. Both teams fought for possession along the left boards before the puck squeaked out and a streaking Sanderson took a shot from the left face-off circle which also missed the cage. Leetch broke into the league with 23 goals, 71 points and a Calder Trophy in 1989. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. If it had gone by me, its a two-on-one, said Orr. He quarterbacked one of the greatest power-plays of all time in Montreal, featuring himself and Geoffrion on the points and Beliveau, the Rocket and Bert Olmstead. Bobby first played organized hockey at age 5, and soon showed an ability to skate faster than anyone else his age. Playing in an era where defensemen usually didn't contribute offensively, "The Great" Gadsby was far ahead of his time. It's impossible to try to translate Eddie's statistics in any meaningful way to the modern day. Hockey. Despite a much different ending, the 2019 Stanley Cup Final between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins could only bring to mind that only other finals meeting between the teams 49 years earlier. The young defenseman was already turning heads with his ability to score goals and win fights. Orr was the best defenseman of all-time (Dick Raphael-US PRESSWIRE) When the debate over which player was the best of all-time rears its ugly head, three names always come up Wayne Gretzky,. Despite playing to an age when every NHL player but Gordie Howe was busy relaxing in a hot tub, and probably 10 years past the time he was capable of making any significant offensive contribution Chris Chelios still has managed to maintain an impressive .574 points per game average for his entire career. Wednesdays events at the Capitol building in Washington D.C. are literally unprecedented. Is a two-time first-team All-Star, five-time Stanley Cup champion and finished runner-up to Doug Harvey in Norris voting in 1961. He was eighth in league scoring that year and finished only behind the legendary Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull on his own team. It's one of the great moments in sports history: Bobby Orr, celebrating the overtime goal that, in 1970, brought the Stanley Cup to Boston for the first time in 29 years. His hockey hero is widely regarded as the greatest blueliner ever, Bobby Orr. His record for most goals in a season by a defenseman (46) was broken by Paul Coffey, who had 48 during the 1985-1986 season. Known as a devastating hitter, shutdown defenseman and long-time Devils captain, Stevens memorable and iconic career spanned 22 seasons and 1,635 games, and it's hard to believe that in that much time, he never won a Norris Trophy. Park was chosen MVP of the last and deciding game, Game 8. He's 34 now and will need a strong end to his career to improve his standing among the great offensive defensemen of all time. Sign up for our regular 'Bruins Newsletter' for all the latest. The animated Zubov is one of the slickest passing and stickhandling defenseman of all time. Whether shooting or passing off the point of the power play, he's always a threat to create a goal. He finally matured enough to become the force he had been projected to be managing to score more than 20 goals three times in his NHL career. He just wasn't one of the great defensemen of all time. Both of these things make Howe and his career as an offensive defenseman harder to evaluate. His point totals weren't quite as glowing and so he ends up here on the list of top offensive defensemen. Youve probably heard of Bobby Orr. A second team all-star as a rookie in 1967, Orr was selected to the first team in each of the next eight seasons. Brad Park suffered from but also benefited from being the second-best defenseman in the league during the Bobby Orr era. Lapointe was named to the NHLs first All-Star team once and the second All-Star team three times. Orr could lead every rush and still come back in time to play defense. Pratt won the Hart trophy as the most valuable player in the league the same year he set the record. An extra 20 years has got to mean a lot! Associated With. Orr, widely regarded as the greatest defenseman to ever play, agreed. That same year, Zubov scored five goals and assisted on 14 others in the postseason to help the Rangers win their first Stanley Cup in 54 years (he won another Cup with Dallas in 1999). Perhaps Orr simply wanted to avoid embarrassing a fellow defenseman. Detroit had their best playoff run in two decades making it to the conference final the next year. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. After a devastating shoulder injury in the 1987-88 season, he still managed to come back and score 23 goals and 73 points in 70 games for Chicago in 1989-90. I expect him to move up on this list as his career progresses. When the Bruins won the Cup in 1970, nearly every kid in the area wanted to lace them up wearing No. He followed this up with a 15 point in 16 game playoff performance as the Flames swept Chicago and beat Philadelphia in seven games before losing to the North Stars in their first playoff year in Calgary. He was skilled with the puck and mobile for a big man but it was the shot that set him apart. Thousands had to wait weeks to join up. His impressive offensive totals increase in the playoffs and he's almost twice the goal scorer in the playoffs that he is in the regular season. Republicans were speaking out against the President last night, Fraser said, and I thought, if their views can change, it made me wonder if a person like Bobby Orr was watching that and wondering to himself, Is this the type of man I still want to endorse, because it was only two months ago that I did. . Buy images; Sell images; As a sophomore he scored 18 goals and 67 points in the regular season. Chris Chelios was always a good skater who could distribute the puck and had a reasonable shot. Nobody who ever laced up skates played the game better than No. Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup playoffs the game headed to overtime. Weber has a good shot and is a great puck mover. He scored 20 goals or more in three different seasons. At the end of his career, he was there to mentor and play with the equally legendary Brian Leetch. That combined with the Second Six expansion that doubled the number of NHL teams from six to 12 teams for the 1967-68 season lead to an era of unrivaled offensive production, especially from defensemen. The 26-year-old stay-at-home defenseman was afraid of getting caught up ice, so he focused on his defensive responsibilities and let Orr work his magic all over the ice. Olausson did manage to win his only cup with Detroit in 2002. Available for both RF and RM licensing. If the James Norris was available, Eddie would have won four at least and probably would have equalled or surpassed Orrs eight and Harveys seven and Lidstroms six James Norris trophies if the award had been given out when he played. Carlyle scored an impressive 647 points in 1,055 regular season games. He was considered one of the sport's greatest players. Manage Settings He managed 103 points once becoming the fourth NHL defenseman ever to do that after Orr, Coffey and Potvin. Park was also named the best defenseman in the ground breaking series. He revolutionized his position and inspired generations of offensively talented defensemen who came after him. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993, Lapointe was a key part of an unstoppable Montreal defensive corps during their years of Stanley Cup dominance in the 1970s. He's one of those players who is better when the games are important. Red Kelly ran for parliament in 1962 and won all well playing with the Leafs in 1962 and winning another Stanley cup. In 1920 Conacher also became Canada's light heavyweight boxing champion. MacInnis is the third-highest scoring defenseman in NHL history. His time Green is the youngest player I have on my list so... Point totals were n't quite as glowing and so has the most valuable player the... 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