On This Date in Sports January 18, 1970: Bobby Orr Shattering Records
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins continues his historic season, scoring his 65th point of the season in a 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens at the Boston Garden. The 65 points is a new record for points in a season by a defenseman, breaking the record Orr himself set a year earlier. It just Boston’s 42nd game, he would go on finish the season with 120 points. The Bruins would go on to post a record of 40-17-19 on the way to winning the Stanley Cup.
Most NHL experts believe the greatest player of all-time is one of the league’s super scorers Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, or Gordie Howe. Fans in New England, believe that honor belonged to blueliner Bobby Orr, who shattered many records in his brief career. Orr was born on March 20, 194, in Parry Sound, Ontario. After playing with the Oshawa Generals, Orr signed a record rookie deal with the Boston Bruins in 1966. Orr would show right away that he was worthy of that deal, winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie with 13 goals and 28 assists. Two years later, Bobby Orr set a record for most points in a season for a defenseman with 21 goals and 43 assists.
After setting the scoring record for defensemen in the 1968/69 season, Bobby Orr embarked on his greatest season. A season that has been called the most significant individual season in NHL history. That year would see Orr become the first defenseman to win the Art Ross trophy as the league’s leading scorer as the Bruins won their first Stanley Cup since 1941. On January 15, 1970, he notched his 51st assist, setting a new single-season record in a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Three nights later, he set the record for points in a season by a defenseman.
Bobby Orr would finish the 33 goals and 87 assists to win the scoring title and set the record for most points in a season a defenseman at 120. A record that would be topped in 1971 as Orr had 37 goals and 102 assists in raising the record to 139 points, which remains the record for points by a defender in the NHL. Bobby possesses three of the top five offensive seasons for a blueline, adding a 135-point season in 1975. Injuries would cut short, Bobby Orr’s career, as his 915 points by a defenseman has been topped by Paul Coffey and Raymond Bourque.