Bobby Orr Single Season Assists

Lore & Background

Orr started in organized hockey at age eight, first as a forward before moving to defence. He joined the Oshawa Generals at age fourteen and was an all-star for three of his four seasons there. In 1966, he joined the Boston Bruins, a team that had not won a Stanley Cup since 1941 and had not made the playoffs since 1959. With Orr, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1970 and 1972. Both times, Orr scored the clinching goal and was named playoff MVP. In the final achievement of his career, he was the MVP of the 1976 Canada Cup. Orr left Boston as a free agent in 1976 to join the Chicago Black Hawks, but repeated injuries had effectively destroyed his left knee, and he retired in 1978 at age 30.

In Their Own Story

The ice at the Boston Garden crackled under the roar of a sold-out crowd on a cold January night in 1976. Bobby Orr, wearing his iconic #4 jersey, dropped back to receive a pass near his own blue line. In one fluid motion, he turned up the ice, stickhandling past two opposing defenders who dared not check him for fear of his speed. As he approached the center red line, he spotted Ken Hodge making a subtle cut toward the slot. With a snap of his wrist that seemed effortless, Orr launched a laser-beam pass across the ice. The puck arrived before Hodge could even react, finding the back of the net with ease. That was just one of 102 such moments in a season that would etch his name into history books.

Reader's Guide

Orr's first professional contract was one of the first in professional hockey to be negotiated by an agent and made him the highest-paid player in NHL history as a rookie. His second contract was the first million-dollar contract in the NHL. After retirement, Orr learned he was deeply in debt and had to sell off most of what he owned. He broke with his agent Alan Eagleson and sued the Black Hawks to settle his contract. Orr returned to Boston, went into business to rebuild his finances, and aided investigations that led to Eagleson's fraud convictions and disbarment. Orr also supported a lawsuit that challenged the NHL over its control of its pension plan. After hockey, he became a scout for several professional teams, entered the player agent business in 1996, and was president of the Orr Hockey Group agency until its acquisition in 2018. He is active in charitable works and television commercials, and since 1996 has coached a team of junior hockey players in the annual CHL Top Prospects Game.

Did You Know?

• Orr remains the only defenceman to have won the league scoring title with two Art Ross Trophies.
• Orr holds the record for most points and assists in a single season by a defenceman.
• Orr won a record eight consecutive Norris Trophies as the NHL's best defenceman.
• Orr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979 at age 31, the youngest to be inducted at that time.
• Orr's second contract was the first million-dollar contract in the NHL.