Orr: My Story

Last updated
Orr: My Story
Orr, My Story.jpeg
Author Bobby Orr
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Autobiography
Publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date
2011
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages290
ISBN 978-0-399-16175-9
796.962092-dc23
LC Class GV848.5.07.A33 2013

Orr: My Story is a 2013 autobiography written by former professional hockey player Bobby Orr, [1] who played for the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League from 1966 to 1978. Orr had multiple knee surgeries and injuries that ended his career. Orr was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979 at age 31, the youngest to be inducted into the Hall at that time. [2] [3] Orr is also recognized for being one of the first major sports figures to use an agent. Unfortunately, at the end of his career, Orr discovered that his agent, Alan Eagleson, had embezzled most of his money, leaving him deeply in debt. [4]

Contents

On November 3, 2013, the book debuted at #8 on The New York Times bestseller list for nonfiction. [5] [6]

Book Summary

The book focuses on four major parts of Orr's life.

"It is tough to summarize a person like Alan Eagleson in just a few words. He appears to me to have been someone who, above all else, was driven by greed. That word greed always seems to come up in any conversation you have with people who knew the man. He always wanted more and it didn't seem to matter how he accumulated it, or at whose expense it came." [16]

Bobby Orr at the 2010 NHL Winter Classic, January 1, 2010 Bobby Orr 2010 WinterCl.jpg
Bobby Orr at the 2010 NHL Winter Classic, January 1, 2010

Reviews

Critics have faulted the book for not revealing new information and for not disparaging, with the exception of Eagleson, any former players, coaches or associates.

"Make no mistake, this is no barbed tell-all, but then that isn't Orr's style. For most fans there will be little that will surprise, but some of the details are likely to delight." [20]

"... I think most readers, and most of his fans, would find [the book] surprising and perhaps even a little disappointing. It is a book as dull as he was creative, as plodding as he was fast, as conservative as he was liberal in the way that he played the game." [21]

"This autobiography, by no means a tell-all, does nothing to disturb his gentlemanly image. The wonder here is that the famously reticent Orr has chosen to tell anything. He has harsh words only for his former agent Alan Eagleson, who bilked him of all the money he made in hockey, for out-of-control youth coaches and for pushy parents who rob children of the simple fun of playing the game. Otherwise, Orr has nothing but good to say about his parents, siblings, neighbors and coaches who taught him respect and responsibility as a youth in Canada ... Orr skips lightly over his own on-ice achievements, dwelling only on the hard work and practice it took to become Bobby Orr, his abiding passion for hockey (including some observations on the state of today’s game) and his love for the small town of his boyhood and the big city where he became a legend. Strictly for fans of the hockey great. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Bruins</span> National Hockey League team in Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making them the third-oldest active team in the NHL, and the oldest in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Orr</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1948)

Robert Gordon Orr is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time. Orr used his ice skating speed, scoring, and play-making abilities to revolutionize the position of defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 12 seasons, the first 10 with the Boston Bruins, followed by two with the Chicago Black Hawks. Orr remains the only defenceman to have won the league scoring title with two Art Ross Trophies. He holds the record for most points and assists in a single season by a defenceman. Orr won a record eight consecutive Norris Trophies as the NHL's best defenceman and three consecutive Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player (MVP). Orr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979 at age 31, the youngest to be inducted at that time. In 2017, Orr was named by the National Hockey League as one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Cherry</span> Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and commentator

Donald Stewart Cherry is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. He played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five seasons after concluding a successful playing career in the American Hockey League, leading the team to four division titles and two appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darryl Sittler</span> Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1950)

Darryl Glen Sittler is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1970 until 1985 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2016. In 2017 Sittler was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Lawrence Emmett Regan, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and hockey executive. He played for the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs after a long senior-hockey career, winning the Allan Cup in 1948. He later managed and coached the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and was president of the NHL Alumni Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Ross</span> Canadian hockey player

Arthur Howey Ross was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first to skate with the puck up the ice rather than pass it to a forward. He was on Stanley Cup championship teams twice in a playing career that lasted thirteen seasons; in January 1907 with the Kenora Thistles and 1908 with the Montreal Wanderers. Like other players of the time, Ross played for several different teams and leagues, and is most notable for his time with the Wanderers while they were members of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and its successor, the National Hockey League (NHL). In 1911 he led one of the first organized player strikes over increased pay. When the Wanderers' home arena burned down in January 1918, the team ceased operations and Ross retired as a player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Sanderson</span> Ice hockey player

Derek Michael Sanderson, nicknamed "Turk", is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and two-time Stanley Cup champion who helped transform the culture of the professional athlete in the 1970s era. The two-time Stanley Cup champion set up the epic overtime goal scored by Boston Bruins teammate Bobby Orr that clinched the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals, widely considered to be the greatest goal in National Hockey League history. Over 13 NHL seasons, he amassed 202 goals, 250 assists, 911 penalty minutes and a plus-141 rating in 598 games with five teams.

Robert Alan Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, hockey agent and promoter. Clients that he represented included superstars Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler, and he was the first executive director of the NHL Players Association (NHLPA), which was initially lauded for improving the bargaining power of National Hockey League (NHL) players. He is also well known for providing the opportunity for professional players to compete in international hockey, by promoting the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, and the Canada Cup. However, Eagleson was convicted of fraud and embezzlement and briefly imprisoned, after it was revealed that he had abused his position for many years by defrauding his clients and skimming money from tournaments. After his convictions, he was removed as a member of the Order of Canada and resigned from the Hockey Hall of Fame where he had been inducted in the builder category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Park</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1948)

Douglas Bradford "Brad" Park is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A defenceman, Park played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Considered to be one of the best defencemen of his era, he was named to an All-Star team seven times. The most productive years of his career were overshadowed by superstar Bobby Orr, with whom he played with for a brief time. Unlike Orr's, however, his teams never hoisted the Stanley Cup. Park was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2017, he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Cashman</span> Canadian ice hockey player, coach (born 1945)

Wayne Cashman is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played seventeen seasons for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) and helped them win the Stanley Cup twice, and was the last active player who started his NHL career in the Original Six era.

The 1966–67 NHL season was the 50th season of the National Hockey League. This was the last season of only six teams in the NHL, as six more teams were added for the 1967–68 season. This season saw the debut of one of the greatest players in hockey history, defenceman Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens four games to two in the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals to win their thirteenth Stanley Cup in franchise history; to date this is the Leafs' last Stanley Cup victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Middleton</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1953)

Richard David "Nifty" Middleton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League.

The GAG line, which as an acronym for Goal-A-Game, was a famous ice hockey line for the New York Rangers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as these linemates averaged over 1 goal a game while playing together. It consisted of Jean Ratelle at center, Rod Gilbert on right wing and Vic Hadfield on the left side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colton Orr</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Colton "Bobby" Douglas Orr is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Having played nearly 500 games in the NHL, Orr was known as an enforcer for his physical style of play and for regularly fighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Vadnais</span> Ice hockey player

Carol Marcel Vadnais was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1966–67 until 1982–83. Vadnais won the Stanley Cup twice during his career, in 1968 with the Montreal Canadiens and again in 1972 with the Boston Bruins.

John Augustus Ziegler Jr. was an American lawyer and ice hockey executive. Upon succeeding Clarence Campbell in 1977, he became the fourth president of the National Hockey League. Ziegler served as league president through 1992. His 15-year term was marked by the 1979 merger that integrated four teams from the rival World Hockey Association into the NHL, and by increasing labor unrest among the players. The first American to serve as chief executive of the NHL, he received the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1984 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Clarke</span> Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1949)

Robert Earle Clarke is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire 15-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team. Popularly known as Bobby Clarke during his playing career and as Bob Clarke since retiring as a player, Clarke is acknowledged by some as being one of the greatest hockey players and captains of all time. He was captain of the Flyers from 1973 to 1979, winning the Stanley Cup with them in both 1974 and 1975. He was again captain of the Flyers from 1982 to 1984 before retiring. A three-time Hart Trophy winner and 1987 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Clarke was rated number 24 on The Hockey News' list of The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time in 1998. In 2017 Clarke was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Dale R. Dunbar is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who briefly played in the National Hockey League during the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Hall</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1991)

Taylor Hall is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft selected by the Edmonton Oilers. He has previously played for the Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Walton</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Michael Robert Walton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Walton played forward in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1965 until 1979.

References

  1. Orr, Bobby (2013) Bobby Orr: My Story. New York: G.P. Putnam
  2. "NHL legend Orr honoured in hometown". CBC News. cbcnews.ca. July 18, 2003.
  3. "The Official Web Site of Bobby Orr-Biography". bobbyorr.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10.
  4. Orr, pages 189-206
  5. Cowles, Gregory (October 25, 2013) "Inside the List" The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2014
  6. "Best Sellers". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  7. Orr, page 33
  8. Orr, pages 11-90
  9. Orr, page 93-96
  10. Hackel, Stu (November 7, 2012) "Hockey's the most photogenic of sports" Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 31, 2014
  11. Brunt, Stephen (2006) Searching for Bobby Orr Toronto: Random House Canada, page 213. Retrieved March 31, 2014
  12. Orr, page 177
  13. Orr, pages 91-177
  14. Orr, page 191
  15. Orr, pages 189-202
  16. Orr, page 203
  17. Orr, pages 207-214
  18. Orr, page 227
  19. Orr, pages 243-255
  20. Littlefield, Bill (October 15, 2013) "Orr: My story by Bobby Orr" The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 22, 2014
  21. Cohen, Andrew (October 28, 2013) "The Tao of Bobby Orr" The Atlantic. Retrieved March 29, 2014
  22. "Staff writer", (October 5, 2013) "Orr: My Story" Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved March 27, 2014