MUST-SEE: Back when Bobby Orr went flying through the air to win the Stanley Cup

On Mother’s Day 1970, Bobby Orr, considered one of the greatest of all time, scored an iconic goal. That season was special for Orr. He had entered the playoffs after scoring 120 points in the regular season. He became the first defenseman to reach 100 points in a season and had 33 goals.

The Boston Bruins were playing the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The series was in Boston’s favor, but the game was tied 3-3 after three periods.

Only 40 seconds into overtime, Orr passed the puck to Derek Sanderson behind the net and skated toward the middle. Sanderson passed it back, and Orr sent the puck past Blues goalie Glenn Hall. At the same moment, Blues defender Noel Picard’s stick caught in Orr’s skates, lifting him into the air.

That season, Orr won the Conn Smythe trophy and Hart Trophy. But for him, winning the Stanley Cup mattered more than individual awards.

“No words will ever do justice to the feeling of winning the Stanley Cup,” Orr wrote in his 2013 book ‘Orr: My Story’. “To actually do what you have dreamed of a thousand times since you were a kid is a feeling like nothing else.”

The 1969–70 Bruins were known for their toughness. They finished tied for the league’s best record and lost only twice in the playoffs. Orr’s goal that night gave Boston its first Stanley Cup in 29 years.

Orr went on to win another Cup in 1972, again scoring the clinching goal. Knee injuries forced him to retire at 30, but his impact on the game remained. He became the youngest player ever inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.

Bobby Orr changed how defensemen played back then, and it can be seen to this day. He is the only defenseman to win the Art Ross trophy twice. In the D-man category, he holds the record for most points in a season after scoring 139 in 1970-71. Orr has won eight consecutive Norris Trophy awards, and he was the first defenseman to register 100 assists in one season.

Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr show support for each other on and off the ice

On June 9, 2023, Wayne Gretzky shared a funny memory about his father, Walter, teasing him for copying Bobby Orr. Speaking on NHLonTNT, Gretzky said he once didn’t tape his stick because “Bobby Orr plays with no tape,” and Walter replied,

“You’re not Bobby Orr.”

Recently, both Gretzky and Orr faced criticism after the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Gretzky was questioned for not wearing a Canada sweater while serving as the team’s honorary captain, and Orr defended him. In February, Gretzky’s wife, Janet, thanked Orr on Instagram, saying,

“Your words mean the world to Wayne and his family.”

She said Gretzky has always been proud to be Canadian and called Orr “one of the greatest Canadian hockey players of all time.”