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Wednesday 27 December 2017
Orr’s 1970 Cup-winning goal and leap remains top NHL moment
By STEPHEN WHYNO In this May 10, 1970, file photo, Boston Bruins’ Bobby Orr goes into the air after scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues that won the
AP Hockey Writer Stanley Cup for the Bruins in Boston.
Growing up in Brantford,
Ontario, Wayne Gretzky al- Associated Press
ways heard his father, Wal-
ter, wax poetic about Bill voted one of the two most scored in 24 games during winning goal, it’s the whole only 10 full NHL seasons and
Barilko’s 1951 Stanley Cup- the 1970 playoffs. So why thing.” parts of two more, the Parry
winning goal for the Toron- memorable moments in has Orr’s goal become one Orr told author Andrew Sound, Ontario, native won
to Maple Leafs. of the central moments in Podnieks for “The Goal: the Norris Trophy as top de-
“We didn’t really even NHL history finishing behind hockey history? Lussier’s Bobby Orr and the Most Fa- fenseman eight times and
have TV back then and snapshot, Orr’s legendary mous Shot in Stanley Cup the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP
there was kind of clips of it, only Mario Lemieux scoring career, the advent of tele- History” that he jumped as three times.
there was kind of pictures vision and the importance soon as he saw the puck go Deputy commissioner Bill
of it — moments of it, so to goals five different ways in of the goal for the Bruins’ in to seal the Bruins’ first title Daly said a Hockey Hall of
speak,” Gretzky said. franchise all contribute. since 1941. The other five Famer and one of the best
At age 9, Gretzky watched one game in 1988. Lussier took the famous “Original Six” teams had all players of all-time scoring
in the same kind of awe as photo for the Boston Re- won the Cup at least once the goal fuels the power-
Bobby Orr scored in over- Many current fans weren’t cord American, and recre- in those 29 years. ful memories to this day.
time to win the Cup in 1970 ations of it are everywhere, “So it wasn’t like Montreal, Gretzky said Orr being “one
for the Boston Bruins. Orr even alive when Orr scored including on the wall of TD Toronto or Detroit,” Hamm of the greatest players if not
beat St. Louis Blues goal- Garden where the Bruins said. “It was some new the greatest player to ever
tender Glenn Hall, leaping the goal, let alone remem- now play. Orr saw it in the blood on the Cup.” live” makes the goal even
through the air to celebrate newspaper the next morn- It was one of just two Cup more special.
what has become the most ber it. Yet among the 17 ing in its full glory. rings for Orr, who was NHL chief content officer
iconic goal in NHL history. “That picture, it’s probably forced to retire young be- and executive vice presi-
“People from the ‘50s and Cup-winning overtime one of the top five photo- cause of knee injuries. dent Steve Mayer com-
‘60s remember the Barilko graphs in sports journalism “The only thing is I wish I pared it to Babe Ruth call-
goal and then the new goals, it sticks out as the — not just hockey,” said could’ve played longer,” ing his shot on a home run
generation of kids who got actor Jon Hamm of “Mad Orr said in 2013. “I didn’t during the 1932 World Se-
to see the goal like myself most memorable. Men” fame, a longtime play that long, so (I think ries because the picture of
could relate to what our Blues fan from St. Louis. about) the years I could Orr has been seen by sports
parents and grandpar- “There’s some moments “It’s amazing. It captures have played if I had been fans for generations.
ents were talking about,” the whole thing. It’s Bobby healthy. That’s the only re- “It’s grown over the years
Gretzky said. “Time sort in hockey that are just so Orr’s commitment. He’s gret I have.” as being just this mythical
of stopped in a moment horizontal to the ice, it’s the Even though he played goal,” Mayer said.q
that you could compare special that we’ll never be
something so unique.” “The
Great One” downplays able to ever sort of recre-
his own accomplishments
but considers Orr’s goal an ate that moment again,”
unforgettable moment in
hockey history. As the NHL Gretzky said. “And that’s
celebrates its 100th anni-
versary, Orr’s goal is so im- one of those iconic mo-
portant that it reached the
finals of the “Greatest Mo- ments that we’ll never be
ments” bracket 47 years af-
ter it happened. While Bari- able to recreate.”
lko’s goal inspired the Tragi-
cally Hip song “Fifty Mission It has become such a flash-
Cap,” Orr’s has inspired
decades of highlights and point that Orr recalled in
conversation. Almost 50
years later, the goal is still the NHL’s 100 years docu-
revered and remembered,
from Ray Lussier’s timeless mentary: “Each time I see
photo to Dan Kelly’s play-
by-play call of Orr’s give- Glenn Hall, Glenn says,
and-go with Derek Sand-
erson to complete the Bos- ‘Is that the only goal you
ton sweep. Orr’s goal was
ever scored?’” It was actu-
ally one of nine goals Orr
