NHL power rankings: Top 3 greatest defensemen of all time
1. Bobby Orr
Seeing Bobby Orr at number one on this list will come as no surprise to anyone. The former Boston Bruin is not only the best defenceman of all time, but many argue the greatest player. He transcended the game in that defencemen before him always stuck strictly to defence, whereas Orr would often jump up in the rush and blow past the opposing team’s players with his blazing speed.
Orr’s amazing offensive ability is proven by the fact he sits fourth all time in points per game with 1.393, trailing only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Mike Bossy. In fact, the second highest defenceman on the list is Coffey, who sits much further back at 28th.
Like the other two on this list, Orr won plenty of hardware in his career, including eight straight Norris Trophies from 1967-68 to 1974-75.
On top of those Norris Trophies he also won the Calder Trophy, three Hart Trophies, two Art Ross Trophies, a Lester B. Pearson Trophy, and most importantly, two Stanley Cups (1970, 1972) and two Conn Smythes.
Orr remains the only NHL defenceman to this day to win an Art Ross Trophy, the first of which came during the 1969-70 season where he put up 120 points, and the second in 1974-75 where he put up 135. On top of his illustrious career, Orr also has what is likely the most iconic hockey goal of all time, which came when he scored the Stanley Cup winning overtime goal against the St. Louis Blues.
Unfortunately, Orr battled knee injuries throughout his entire career, which eventually led to him leaving the Bruins and signing with the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent. His Blackhawks career turned out to be much shorter than expected.
During his first season with the team in 1976-77, he was limited to just 20 games. He then missed the entire next season before attempting a comeback during the 1978-79 season. However, the comeback lasted just six games before he announced he was retiring due to his ongoing knee problems.
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Though his career totals are outstanding, they are somewhat disappointing due to the fact he was only able to play in 657 regular season games. However, he posted an incredible 270 goals and 645 assists during that time. Additionally, he played in 76 playoff games where he put up 26 goals and 66 assists. He is without a doubt not only the best defenceman of all time, but one of the best players the game has ever seen.