On This Date in Sports January 18, 1970: Bobby Orr Shattering Records

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 was just Boston’s 42nd game; he would go on to 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.

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 for 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 have been topped by Paul Coffey and Raymond Bourque.