Greatest Boston athlete ever, Bobby Orr.

Sorry, it's hockey I know. So I'll just say this then, love Brady and many other Pats, but none meant to Boston/New England or their sport what Orr did. If you weren't around then, it's difficult to explain, but it was revolutionary. As great as the Pats have been, they haven't had that impact.

You won't find anyone disagreeing here in Ontario, Muz.  

In response to Muzwell's comment:

 

Greatest Boston athlete ever, Bobby Orr.

Sorry, it's hockey I know. So I'll just say this then, love Brady and many other Pats, but none meant to Boston/New England or their sport what Orr did. If you weren't around then, it's difficult to explain, but it was revolutionary. As great as the Pats have been, they haven't had that impact.

 

And, there should never be a question about "who was the greatest Hockey Player ever"? When I see  Bobby Orr skate from the back of his own net and skate up full Ice and score all by himself ....wow.   Gave his all to the Bruins and fans. At the age of only 28 just had to call it quits.

Keep up your good work ...Muzz

Love bobby Orr, but if we are talking greatest Boston sports figure ever, I lean toward bill Russell. His impact on Boston sports, creating the Boston sports legacy, and his success is unmatched in Boston sports folklore. He had an enormous effect on the area albeit a decade or two before bobby .

Here is the video, full ice from back of net ...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyp8JIhciFg

 

In response to palookaski's comment:

Sorry dude, I love Orr but to e he' not the best of all time... I'll take numerous guys over him IMO...

Lemeiux, Gretzky, Bossy to name a few....

Just my opinion..

In response to HOTBLITZ's comment:

I guess I was wrong.  At least one Ontario native who disagrees :-)

 

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In response to HOTBLITZ's comment:

That's ok boss .... those are great players too. I also enjoyed Jean Beliveau, Guy Le Fluer and a host of others. But, I'm not going to pick my nose over it :-))))) Hey, What happened to that former avatar of yours .... that was a winner.

Enjoy your comments ....

 

In response to jri37's comment:

Good list, can always argue lists. Can always disagree on who was greater than who (although if you say Mike Bossy was a better hockey player than Bobby Orr, my guess is you have some sort of agenda and I'll leave it at that; Bossy wasn't the best player on his own team).

As far as impact though, as great as Russell was with all the titles, the Celtics didn't have the same impact.  They didn't even sell out in those years. When Orr played in the Garden, it was just different. Boston is a hockey town at its core.  The number of kids who started playing hockey when Orr was playing, the number of rinks that were built in New England, there's nothing that has happened in Boston before or since that compares.

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In response to Muzwell's comment:

     Agreed. I had the pleasure of watching #4 in his prime, as a kid. They don't make superstars like this guy anymore. A class act, both on and off the ice. Happy birthday, Bobby! I'll never forget that 69-70 Stanley Cup Championship team. Boy, were they fun to watch!

Bobby scores the game winning goal in OT, to complete a sweep of the St. Louis Blues, in the '69-70 Stanley Cup finals.

 

 

In response to RidingWithTheKingII's comment:

Orr was the Babe Ruth of hockey. 

     Let's not forget the great Gordie Howe, either. He was the Babe Ruth of Hockey, if you substitute goals scored for homeruns. But, Bobby Orr was the greatest player I've ever seen, and that includes Gretzky and Howe.

 

 

Bobby Orr was the best player period. I can't believe someone said Mike Bossy was better, he was widely considered the 3rd best player on his team behind Potvin and Trottier. 

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Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr imo..Gretzky by far #1

Best line from a documentary on hockey a few years back was a writer from Toronto who referred to Howe, Gretzky and Orr as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Lots of greats before and since Orr, and equal number of opinions, it's all good. I don't feel qualified to talk about Howe since I really only saw the last part of his career, but he was a feared guy and a skilled player, legendarily tough. Gretzky was the polar opposite of that, pure skill, almost frail in comparison to Howe though. Apples and oranges.

Orr was a mix of those guys. Fearless, skilled, tough, better skater than anybody. Thing is, he did what he did from the backline. Led the league in scoring as a defenseman, twice, and those weren't even his best years. Who else in history did that? Don't bother looking it up. Scored 46 goals on one leg. 

If I'm picking first and it's one game winner take all, everyone in their prime, I'm taking Orr.

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In response to Muzwell's comment:

 

Best line from a documentary on hockey a few years back was a writer from Toronto who referred to Howe, Gretzky and Orr as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Lots of greats before and since Orr, and equal number of opinions, it's all good. I don't feel qualified to talk about Howe since I really only saw the last part of his career, but he was a feared guy and a skilled player, legendarily tough. Gretzky was the polar opposite of that, pure skill, almost frail in comparison to Howe though. Apples and oranges.

Orr was a mix of those guys. Fearless, skilled, tough, better skater than anybody. Thing is, he did what he did from the backline. Led the league in scoring as a defenseman, twice, and those weren't even his best years. Who else in history did that? Don't bother looking it up. Scored 46 goals on one leg. 

If I'm picking first and it's one game winner take all, everyone in their prime, I'm taking Orr.

 

No disrespect to any of the old-timers from me but I was an 80's kid and grew up watching Gretzky and Lemieux dismantle the rest of the NHL.

I've seen enough highlights of Bobby to know that he was an incredible once in a lifetime talent though (especially as a blue-liner). I haven't seen much footage of Howe so I can't really comment on him but his longevity in the league was pretty dam impressive!

The thing I loved about Gretzky and Lemieux is how much better they made some of their average teammates look (Kevin Stevens putting up 100+ points a few years in a row and then disappearing when he left Pittsburgh).

Thats what I love about watching Sidney Crosby. That sixth sense to just know where his teammates are is really fun to watch.

 

Your thread started off with greatest Boston athlete ever.  Orr belongs on the short list. My top 4 list as follows;

1. Bill Russell (number 1 without a doubt)

2. Larry Bird 

3. Bobby Orr

4. Tom Brady

 

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