I still haven't seen anyone even close.

I never saw him play, but growing up in Boston, he was something like a combination of Sir Galahad , Superman, and the Norse god Baldur- I mean, unlike other Boston sports icons like Bird or Williams, you NEVER heard anyone say anything bad about Orr. The greatest Bruin in terms of looking at the prime of his career, the best player on their great early 70's team with Phil Espositio, Bucyk, etc... and a revolutionary and exciting defenseman, probably the game's biggest star in the early 1970's.

Redefined the game as far as the role of defensemen.

At his peak he was the most exciting player in the game and was a threat to score every time he touched the puck.

I have a favourite memory of him playing that goes like this:

In a tussle at centre ice, Orr loses one of his gloves, which remains palm up, just to the side of the face off circle. Play continues and Orr follows the play, leaving the glove behind. Gathering the puck deep in his own end, he begins one of the majestic rushes that he made famous. As he crosses centre, he leans down and slips his hand into the glove and continues the rush without breaking stride. The ideal conclusion to the story would be him scoring at the end of the rush, but the opposing goalie made a huge save and denied him.

+/- was +1 A GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! one season he was +124 no one comes close the next 7 best +/- years don't beat Orrs 7. HUGE 5 Orrs beat 5 Marios, or 5 Waynes ever day of the week!!! 5 Orrs would probably beat the next 5 best players in there own possitions. Hit, fight, block shots, pass, score lead. Did it all while hurt all the time. Greatest ever.

I was a 10 year old playing defense when Bobby Orr and the Bruins won their first cup. We all wanted to be Bobby Orr. An injury shortened 8 season career just wasn't enough, but I feel lucky to have been able to see it in my formative years. I had a lifesize poster of him carrying the puck around the back of the net, the opposition net not his, you could see the back of the opposing goalie in the picture. Great shot of the ultimate offensive defenceman.

Revolutionized the game from the d-spot. A genius player.

For all those that put Lemieux or Gretzky ahead of Orr don't know much about hockey if anything at all. Orr didn't play in a watered down 30 team league where there were any weak sisters like today. He had a +/- rating of 124, a record that stands today. He did all this on one knee. Orr will always be the Greatest, everyone else chasing second.

Anyone that saw Orr play was amazed. This guy was the best defensive defensemen, the best offensive player, the best passer, the best skater, the best puck handler in the league. Can any of that be said about any other player of his time? To put it simply, no. He could have played forward and set all types of records. People talk about records and acheivments in other sports that will never be broken. I have one, no defensemen will EVER lead the NHL in scoring again. All of these things, and more, make Orr the greatest player in NHL history.

Without a doubt Bobby Orr Was the greatest Defenceman of all time. He could do it all, score,pass,play D and throw a great hit. To me he was much more than Gretzki or Mario. Who else could score the winning goal and fly through the air like he did?

with out ORR no-gretsKY!

If any of you consider that just scoring goals and assists is all the game is about you are badly mistaken. The true measure of a hockey players ability is his plus/minus average. How many years did Gretzky have plus seasons, or Lemieux. Did any ever have a plus 124 and never have a minus season?!!! I don't argue the ability of Lemieux or Gretzky just that they were not the complete hockey player. Put five Orr's against five Gretzky's or Lemieux"s and the Orr's would win hands down!!!! He wouldn't even need a goalie because Orr would never let it out of the opposing end!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next to Gretzky, the greatest hockey player of all time. He redefined the defensemen position into an offensive force. In 1970, he had an obscene 102 assists. A few years later, he scored 46 goals in a season. Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque are modern-day equivalents. Orr's most famous image was him airborne as the winning goal was scored against St. Louis in the Stanley Cup. In truth, he was tripped. My only knock against Orr was that he was a Bruin. Being the Boston hater I am, I usually rooted for Brad Park (one of my all-time favorites) and the Rangers, and whooped in delight when my hometown Flyers dispatched Orr and the Brins in 1975.

Many mooes ago, the Boston Bruins signed a thirteen year old kid from Parry Sound and annointed him as the future savior of a franchise that made the '62 Mets look like contenders. What they got was a player that made the hype look like a gross understatement. Bobby Orr was the best stick handler, the fastest skater, the deadliest penalty-killer, had the the second fastest recorded slapshot, (his 104 mph was second to Bobby Hull's reported speed of 111!) and was the greatest player of all time. He not only completely revolutionized the game with his double-ended play but he provided the best defense on the home front and was grossly over-qualified compared to anyone else on the offensive end. Not only was he the greatest and most dominant hockey player of all time, he was the greatest and most dominant player of any sport ever. There is no way to exaggerate the talents of this player. To penalize him for the fact that he had a relatively short career played in an era when medical advancements were "stone-age" compared with those of today's shows a complete lack of thinking. Sandy Koufax was baseball's most dominant pitcher for just five years and no one would think of belittling his talents or accomplishments. Orr was the best of all time. Let the rest of you argue about which player was number two.

You had to see him to believe.

Anyone who would even consider disputing the FACT that Robert Gordon Orr was, and always will be, the greatest player the game has ever seen - doesn't know hockey. Period. End of story. There is no debate. It ends here. No one - not Gretzky, not Lemieux, not LaFleur or Richard was even close! Let's not forget that Orr did everything he did before he even entered into his prime, and had he not had his knee injuries, no one could ever debate that he was the greatest of all-time. He had no flaws - there was no part of the game in which he didn't excell, and had he been a forward, Gretzky et al would be chasing HIS records. Orr is the REAL "Great One".

Not only the best hockey player of all time but without a doubt, one of the best athletes in any sport ... all finished by the age of 28! He was like Michael Jordan on ice. It was like watching a man playing amongst boys ... he was that much better than anyone else ... and a great ambassador for Canada and the sport of hockey. Classy guy too.

# 4, Bobby Orr! It startles you to see old clips and Bobby skating around without a helmet.

Ahead of his time!

Who that has ever played the game of hockey, can compare with Orr? If he was playing in this era he may put up 200+ points in a season. The best; no question.

You have Orr, then you have the rest of the leauge. Orr is in a class all by himself. The greatest hockey player ever. Period. The excitement of watching his explosive speed on the end to end rushes is breathtaking. The greatest combination of speed, skating agility, talent and strength. I believe he was the ultimate in what a player can be.He may be matched someday(though I doudt it) and will never be surpassed (at least in my lifetime).When there is talk of a new kid coming up, I ask myself, could this be the next Orr? Not Gretzky,Howe or Coffey.

no doubt he was the best i ever saw.

How can anyone gives this God anything but a 5. Not only a great hockey player, but also a team player and a class act.

best single season and career +/-

It's a shame injuries cut his career short; clearly #2 behind Mario.

No doubt, the best I ever saw. Let me also say that I'm a big fan of both Gretzky and Lemieux having seen them in their prime. Having seen all of them, Orr was a better all around player. I saw one reviewer claims Gretzky was a better skater...pull that review! Moron! Gretzky was a good skater...for a forward. Lemieux was/is a better offensive player than Wayne but with a weaker supporting cast. Put Mario and Wayne on defense and they would not win a scoring title, much less two. Let me say that again...a defenseman won the scoring title...twice! And finally, Orr was a great fighter. Ever seen Gretzky or Lemieux fight? They required, protection. Without knee problems, Bruins/Orr would have won as many titles as the Oilers. In his last real competition, Orr helped his team win the 1976 Canada Cup. He didn't practice because of his knees and still won MVP of the tournament. Best player of the modern era...sad that he was basically done at age 27-28.

He changed the game; second only to Mario

best player EVER!!!!!!

Perhaps the second best player ever and obviously the greatest defenseman ever. Much like Mario, it's a shame Orr's health failed him. He changed the game, which is about the greatest compliment you can pay an athlete. I think Mario was more talented, so I give him the edge over Orr. Very close, though. Gretzky ranks third.

Simpley did what none has done before.Played both ends of the ice ,defensively in his own end (& so well at this that he was always awarded the James Norris trophy as best defenceman,)& offensively leading his team in the attack on the opposition net&( so well that he was a constant threat to lead the league in scoring).(doing it twice)All of this was accomplished playing on a very bad knee (or knees)his whole career.Can anyone imagine if he had played healthy his whole career.As it is the records he set have provided a formidable challenge to later superstars.

BEST EVER!! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?SIMPLE, HE WON THE ART ROSS TROPHY AND THE NORRIS TROPHY IN THE SAME YEAR. THIS MEANS HE WAS THE LEAGUES BEST OFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE PLAYER AT THE SAME TIME. HE DID THIS NOT ONCE BUT TWICE.I DON'T THINK GRETZKY OR LEMUIX WERE EVER CONSIDERED FOR THE SELKE.OH & BY THE WAY BOBBY WAS ALSO THE 1ST NHL'ER TO SCORE CONSECUTIVE 100 PNT SEASONS & SCORE 100 ASSISTS NOT TO SHABBY FOR A BLUE LINER (DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING HIGHER THAN 5 STARS?)

The question is, how would Orr compare today, if he were to prepare himself to play against the players of today, with the inherent skills that he had back then. Go buy the video called The Best of Bobby Orr. I believe you will see that Orr had natural abilities that were so great that he would be the best player on the ice, even if playing against Mario and Wayne. He could shoot with accuracy and power from the forehand and the backhand, was the fastest player on the ice at any time, was fearless, had tremendous vision, and was a very, very smart player. Also, the Stanley Cups that Orr won he won almost singlehandedly. IMHO, he is the best ever.

bobby orr great hockey player unfotunately cant be regarded as the best all time on speculation of what he would have done if he weren't injured, but what we did see was pretty spectacular..yzerman played with shot up legs

Bad Knee Orr DIDNT Carry Bruins. Esposito Did!!

The greatest player ever to play the game...such poise and control..such committment. a true legend among legends...

The best Hockey Player there ever was!! There will never be another player like him! He is my hero!!!

the greatest hockey player who ever lived. don't give me stats and stuff...just watch. wayne is excellent, mario, gordie, maurice, mark and the list goes on and on. bobby orr was the greatest and he didn't even hit his prime years.

Bobby Orr was without a doubt one of the true greats of the NHL. Interesting that Bruins themselves only managed to win 2 Stanley Cups during the Orr years this despite being the supposed Big Bad Bruins. Neither did they manage to get two in a row this is something that we must take into account when we talk about Orr. And his ability clearly guys like Gretzkey had the ability to take their teams beyond the limits that Orr could. The Big Bad Bruins should have easily won three or more cups during their time at the top. This is not to knock the individual skills of Orr but to say that he really didn't have the ultimate will to win.

Nice to see him on top. Certainly the greatest in modern times. No one dominated the game so completely like he did.

Anyone who seriously debates whether Lemieux or Gretzky is the greatest hockey player of all time has never seen Bobby Orr live. While both Mario and Wayne in their primes could flat out take control of a game, I once saw Orr single-handedly kill off a full two-minute penalty (50 seconds of which was played 5-on-3) by keeping possession of the puck and skating all over the ice. (Admittedly, this was against my Penguins, who were absolutely putrid at the time, but still.) Orr put up unearthly scoring numbers in an era when scoring 20 goals in a season was the mark of a good NHL-caliber scorer, and he had to share the score sheet with Phil Esposito and a bunch of other teammates. Orr was constantly able to get to loose pucks, get open for passes, weave his way through defenses, and get himself into scoring position, all without the benefit of the league putting the "untouchable--do not check" label on him...like they did with Gretzky. AND he could muck it up in the corners or mix it up in front of his net with anybody on the face of the earth. Orr revolutionized his position and the game of hockey as no one else in history. The only parallel with the way Orr dominated his sport that younger fans could understand would be the level that Tiger Woods has his game at as compared to the rest of the PGA.

Simply the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of skates gentlemen. If you don't agree; you are WRONG!

Bobby Orr ... What can anyone say in opposition towards him, who knows hockey? Orr could play forward and defense like the American fighting forces taking over Iraq. If someone were to say, a goal tender scored a hat trick in a game ... this would be too much to believe. Orr... a defense man, had won the scoring race in his premier year with the Bruins. Orr could play anywhere on the ice. Could you imagine Gretzky playing defense? Orr could play forward or back on defense. Orr's records for points by a defense men have been broken by players, who have played for years to catch him. Had he been in better health, a player playing 20 years would never come close. That my friends IS the FACTS ... bar none!!!

THE BEST EVER. THOSE THAT NEVER SAW HIM PLAY ARE AT A HANDICAP WHEN IT COMES TO VOTING FOR THE BEST PLAYER.ONCE YOU SAW HIM IN ACTION THERE WAS NO DOUBT--BOBBY ORR WAS 'THE MAN'.

I grew up in hockey-mad Boston during the 60s & 70s. Little did I know that Bobby Orr would set the standard, even to this day. Gretzky was great but Bobby Orr has/had no equals. Can you imagine the record books if his knees only held out? Untouchable!

Revolutionized the game by playing both ends of the ice. In his own end defensively & then leading the attack for his own team offensively. Orr blocked so many shots for his team that the goalie felt that he should give him half of his pay.On the attack, Orr was so dangerous that he won the scoring title twice(Art Ross Trophy) after winning the Norris trophy as the best defenceman.For a defenceman to do that has been said to be equivalent to a major league baseball pitcher winning 30 games and winning the batting championship.Yes, Orr could do it all --better than anybody else ever. Oh, bye the way --Orr won more trophies & awards in 10 years than Gretzky did in a 20 year career.

The best ever.... without a doubt. He revolutionized the game and was by far, the best player I've seen. Gretzky or Lemieux can't compare!

Was not as great a skater as Gretzky (only Mario compares), was not as fierce as Richard (among the all-time greats only Howe can be mentioned), and points wise, again, nobody is going to come close to Wayne. What makes Bobby Orr, in my opinion, the best ever was the fact that he excelled in all of it. He was complete. Tougher and more physical than Gretzky, a better skater that Richard, and racked up 915 points along with 953 pim. First all start defenseman and Norris Trophy winner 8 times, won almost every other award (obviously not the Vezina, and who wants their defenseman to win the Lady Bing?). Absolutely no disrespect to Gretzky, Howe, Richard and the other greats, but Bobby Orr was and, until someone better comes along, will be my standard as the most complete hockey player ever.

An awesome player who revolutionized his position

Bobby Orr, definetly the best player ever to put on a pair of skates. Gretzky never had a chance.

The best defenseman ever, and 2nd only to Gretsky all-time.

He is the best hockey player of all times. I am a hockey player and he is my idol. I was never around during his time, but my dad was and tells me stories all the time. I've also met him and he is one of the nicest people I've ever met. He is an example of what a great athlete should be: talented and appreciative of what he/she has.

orr had the greatest +/- rating of all time-- a tool which measures a players defensive & offensive ability. In fact it was twice as high as the next highest player--Larry Robinson.

He revolutionized the game and is the best ever at his position. Enough said.

When Orr was playing junior hockey in Oshawa his knees were shot then!! Truly a remarkable player whose talent may never be matched.

The first hockey game I ever watched was the 1970 Stanley Cup winner for Boston with Orr's famous OT winning goal. I was hooked on Orr from then on. As far as I'm concerned, he's the greatest all-around hockey player ever. Just watch film clips of his moves and end-to-end rushes and you may be a believer too. Hockey lost him too soon!

Superlative talent in EVERY aspect of the game (never in total equaled, before or after his time), the heart of a lion and the humility of a saint. If you live to see a hero of Orr's magnitude, consider yourself lucky.

If not for Allan Eagelson, this man would still be Boston Bruin, where he belongs...

Imagine Orr with two knees and ten more years in the league. Almost a thousand points playing defence with no knees. Revolutionized hockey no one can compare with Bobby Orr!

Such a shame his career was cut short. Younger fans dont think he is as good as Gretzky or Mario but I have seen all three play and Bobby is the man.

Bobby Orr was my idol when I played.

I grew up hearing about how great Bobby Orr is, so I guess that's why I think like that!