Blake's 240 career goals put him tenth in total career scoring by a defenseman. Since Oct. 30 of last year, when Orr bought a full-page advertisement in the New Hampshire Union-Leader to endorse incumbent United States . Paul Coffey's game had defensive holes in it. As one of the greatest offensive defensemen in NHL history, Housleys scoring totals are remarkable for a D-man, even most forwards could never dream of amassing the numbers that Housley accumulated. His shot from the point was also a feature on the power play. 4 earned the 1966-67 Calder Trophy, three Hart Trophies, two Art Ross Trophies, two Conn Smythe Trophies and was named to nine all-star teams. He was long overshadowed on a team full of future Hall of Famers. 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 . For his career, Orrs nine regular-season hat tricks remain a record for NHL defensemen. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Al MacInnis was renowned for having the hardest shot in hockey, ever. He was a defenceman who played with skill in every part of the rink. 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. His .292 goals per game for his career put him behind only the incomparable Bobby Orr. Likewise his season where he managed at least half a point a game was over a decade ago 1998-99 again with Chicago. "Gordie in my mind is the best that ever played the game. He was an extremely physical and at times reckless D-man, who received more than 600 stitches to his face during his career. Orrs regular season totals rest at 270 goals and 645 assists (915 points) in just 657 games. Ultimately, he wound up playing in seven NHL All-Star Games. His last three seasons he scored 56, 73 and 76 points. He finished the postseason with 11 goals and 23 assists, a total of 34 points. Douglas Orr, the father of hockey great Bobby Orr, has died. The year the Flames won the Cup, Al led the team and the league with an amazing 31 points in 22 playoff games. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. His playoff numbers were never as good as his regular season ones, but he did produce 15 assists in 19 playoff games during Philadelphia's 1988-89 playoff run. Even though many of the greats have been honored with this trophy, there are some who have not been so lucky and have been on the outside looking in. Halifax Mooseheads. During those first thirteen seasons he was part of four Stanley Cup winning teams. When playoff performances are added, Coffey leads all defensemen with 455 goals in 1,603 NHL games. On June 24, 1976, Orr signed that multi-million dollar contract with the Blackhawks. In addition to the plus-minus record of 1970-71, Orr became the first player to give out at least 100 assists that same season. He took home the Hart, Norris, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe Trophies and his first Stanley Cup. Bobby Orr - The man many consider the greatest hockey player ever - and certainly the greatest defenseman in NHL history - Orr played his first two seasons with the Boston Bruins, winning eight straight Norris Trophies, three Hart Trophies, two Conn Smythe Trophies, and a pair of Art Ross Trophies as the only defenseman ever to lead the . He broke in with the Rangers scoring 31 points in 49 games as rookie. Sergei Zubov - Underrated. He then circled behind the net and stood patiently to theright of the goal. He managed 103 points once becoming the fourth NHL defenseman ever to do that after Orr, Coffey and Potvin. He was famous for his end to end rushes and brutal hits. With what has transpired over the past months (not to mention what the President has done over the course of his life) and especially what took place at the Capitol on Wednesday, fans of the great player, including former NHLer Matt Fraser are demanding that Orr repudiates his endorsement to Trump. 4. Still not convinced Bobby Orr is the greatest hockey player of all time? That's what made him so different. During New York's Stanley Cup winning playoff run, Zubov put up five goals and 19 points in 22 playoff games. 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. I looked back, and I saw it go in, so I jumped.. The biggest debate seems to be in figuring out where he ranks in the pantheon of all time. He played in the AHL for a time, but finished his career with the St. Louis Blues at the age of 44. Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup playoffs the game headed to overtime. So rather than penalizing him for playing so long I want to reward the offensive skill he did show for over 1006 NHL games. During Games 1 and 2 in St. Louis, Boston outscored their opponent 12-3. The Hall of Famer put up five seasons of 40 points or more with Chicago and. Teams: Edm, Pit, LA, Det, Har, Phi, Chi, Car, Bos. He was a strong skater with a great point shot and nose for the net. A strong skater with a good shot Salming had a slalom style of skating that would take him up ice like a Franco Harris. In this list, I will recognize the 10 greatest players who were never able to take home the defenseman holy grail. Paul "Rhino" Reinhart was an Atlanta Flame rookie who made the jump with the organization to Calgary. He scored over a quarter of a goal a game for an NHL best 410 career games. Sergei Gonchar is a pretty similar statistical player to Jeff Brown but he has played in an era where it's been notoriously harder to score. Not only was he one of the best at reading plays, he was also more than capable of contributing offensively. His daughter Patricia confirmed his death to the Canadian Press on Saturday, but would not offer any further details. Injuries ended his career with the North Stars much too early. Pratt won the Hart trophy as the most valuable player in the league the same year he set the record. He has the second-most points per game for a defenseman in the playoffs with 97 in 95 games behind only Bobby Orr, who had 92 in 74 playoff games. They increased that margin to a score of 16-4 during Game 3 as the teams headed into what would be the final matchup of the 1970 NHL Playoffs. He was drafted eighth overall by the Bruins in 1979, playing in Boston for 21 seasons. Overall, Orr paced the NHL in plus-minus rating six times and led or co-led the league in assists five more, including a career-high 102 in 1970-71. Doug Wilson is the first of the defensemen to produce more than .8 points per game for over a 1,000 game career. 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. . Pairded with Earl Seibert, Hollett . He's had more success, winning a Cup with Pittsburgh, and still has the potential to put up some good offensive numbers for a few more years. Honorable Mentions: Steve Duchesne, Sergei Gonchar, J.C. Tremblay, Eric Desjardins, Kevin Lowe, Vladimir Konstantinov, Mike Green, Allan Stanley, Dan Boyle, Fern Flaman, Brad McCrimmon, Carl Brewer, Craig Hartsburg, Kevin Hatcher, Al Iafrate, Shea Weber, Jim Neilson, Rob Ramage, Pat Stapleton, Teppo Numminen. Boston did it in impressive style, too, beating the New York Rangers in six games in the quarterfinals, then sweeping the Black Hawks and St. Louis Blues. Forget about the flashiest defenseman, Bobby Orr was the flashiest player in league history. Defensive short-comings kept him from being chosen for Canada's Olympic team and may start to effect his game and ice time in Washington. 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. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. His point totals weren't quite as glowing and so he ends up here on the list of top offensive defensemen. Hi there! 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. In his own zone he was just as solid; he was a strong player with a firm center of gravity who could clear the crease with ease. Suter had a long offensively prolific career in the NHL. Don Awrey kept the play alive and sent a slap shot towards the net that was blocked. Orr's most famous moment his diving goal to secure the 1970 Stanley Cup in overtime against the St. Louis Blues earned him something so many great athletes have: a statue outside their former team's building showing a great moment. Hewon the NHLs hardest shot competition at the All-Star game seven times. He then managed to help the Sharks the first of two early franchise playoff runs with 10 points in 14 games that year and five in 11 playoff games the next. he also had 20 points in 17 games in the Canadien's 1985-86 playoff run. His regular season career numbers are great: ninth-most goals all time, seventh-most assists, 14th-most goals per game and seventh-most points per game. In 2003 he had 18 points in 24 playoff games to lead the team, In 2000 Jersey beat Dallas and in 1995, the Devils swept the Red Wings in the Cup final, and Scott Niedermayer's 11 points and defensive play were again central to the victory. When we speak of the greats of ice hockey, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau enter into the conversation. But there is one campaign that seems to rise above the rest. Nicklas Lidstrom is the best defenseman of his generation and one of the best of all time. His stoicism was supplemented with a fitness level that allowed him to play 40 minutes a game late into his career. Howe also led the Flyers to three Stanley Cup Finals appearances, but lost each time. Closest Norris Finish: Second (1956, 1958, 1959). He was a first-team All-Star three times, a second-team All-Star three times and played in seven All-Star Games. Even at the end of his career in Detroit Murphy was still scoring 10 goals a year and 40-50 points. He and Al MacInnis became one of the best power play point combinations in hockey. "Absolutely," Orr, 68, said. Only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky have ever had better assist totals in a season. Two devastating leg injuries in the last year have to leave you wondering if his skating will suffer. First Name Bobby #14. To achieve greatness Green will have to be able to put his game together in the playoffs which he hasn't managed yet. The smallish Housley was as talented a puck moving defenseman as has ever been in this league. Orrs ability to pace the Bruins offense helped him surpass 100 points in six seasons, including league highs of 120 in 1969-70 and 135 for 1974-75. Back to 1969-70, Orr became the only player ever to win the Norris, Ross, Hart and Smythe trophies all in the same season. Success on that stage propelled him to greater success in the NHL. Duchesne had a good shot and was a puck mover and thus could always find work but like Mathieu Schneider he always seemed to be on the move. With blazing speed and tenacity, Bobby Orr always seemed to be around the puck. In 1985-86, Coffey scored 48 goals, breaking Orr's record for goals by a defenseman (46, set in the 1974-75 . 4 took his first strides in the NHL during the 1966-67 season but, it was during Orrs prime that he dominated the league. Orr also remains the only defenseman to win the Art Ross Trophy as league scoring leader, which he did twice (1969-70 and 1974-75), and the Lester B. Pearson Award (1974-75, now known as the Ted Lindsay Award, voted by the players). Orrs 102 assists is the 12th-best assist total in NHL history for any player. No other NHL defenseman has ever managed to score more than .3 goals a game. He scored 40 points in his first full season as a fresh faced rookie with New Jersey. Only Coffey's 37 points is a better postseason total among defensemen. Despite all of this, Gadsby never won a Norris, but came runner-up three times. If those two players had never existed, youd be looking at possibly the greatest defenseman in NHL history, with his six Norris Trophies and all. Ice hockey never saw a better, more complete player than Bobby Orr. Without a devastating point shot it's his mobility and playmaking that set him apart from other defensemen. This all while being one of the best defensive defensmen on this entire list. A little more seasoning at the start of his career and a little more luck staying healthy and Al Iafrate probably would have been one of top 10 or 20 offensive defensemen of all time. Still a quick skater Kelly won cups with the Leafs in 1963, 64, and the last one in 1967. Suter was an incredibly strong skater throughout his career. The hall of fame end to end rusher, was the second best offensive defenseman of his era behind only Doug Harvey. A seven-time All-Star, he remains the last defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring. But one stands above the rest. 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. Boyle blossomed almost immediately in Tampa Bay when exposed to the talent in the lineup there. Last Name Orr #1. In 22 seasons he managed to play for 10 different teams and the Montreal Canadiens twice. He was traded to the Winnipeg Jets after eight seasons in Buffalo for Winnipeg icon Dale Hawerchuk. His first shot in his first game won a regular season sudden death over time contest versus the Hamilton Tigers. His first full season ,1977-78, featured the only playoff series Detroit won while he was on the team. The talented defender was phenomenal in San Jose right from the start. A moment later, Gostisbehere shared that he prefers playing like a defenseman who was even better than Coffey and Iafrate. This slide show is designed to honour and rank those offensively skilled players who have played defense in the NHL. SEATTLE The Seattle Kraken acquired defenseman Jaycob Megna from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round draft pick. Grandfather Robert Orr, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, played professional soccer. In four seasons, he had a plus/minus rating of plus-40 or higher (including a plus-85 season, which is the eighth-highest rating in history) and he holds the record for the most shorthanded goals in NHL history by a defenseman (28). The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. He holds numerous Toronto team records including: most career regular-season assists (620), highest career plus/minus rating (plus-155) and most career regular-season goals and points by a defenseman (148 and 768). In between he managed to play almost 80 games a season every year. His contributions are still undeniable. 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