“Orr: My Story” by Bobby Orr – The Making of a Modest Legend

If you would ask random people on the street who they believe the best hockey player in the history of the sport to be, chances are that an overwhelming majority of them would answer with the name Wayne Gretzky.

However, the man’s grandiose exploits may very well have overshadowed the accomplishments of superb players who could be equally-deserving of that title, with one of them being Bobby Orr. 

Due to the fact that he played as a defenseman, Orr never could match Gretzky in terms of sheer points, but he was, and some believe still is, head and shoulders above all other defenseman in the game’s history. 

He received countless trophies for his play and set so many records that some of them are still standing today. Even though he was a superstar, Orr never really opened up about his own person and the person behind the player, until recently that is, when he wrote the only biographical book on himself, Orr: My Story.

Naturally, much of the book touches on Orr’s success during his hockey career, how he felt during the most important seasons and moments of his career. That much should be obvious to anyone who has any idea what the book is about, so I won’t really dwell on this aspect of the book. 

The only thing I’ll say about it is that the insight Orr provides into his own career is quite interesting in the sense that it provides some context and perspective to his achievements, allowing us to understand their importance.

The more interesting part of the book, in my opinion at least, is the one in which Orr discusses his life as a human being, giving us a large glimpse into the man behind the award-winning player. We get to learn what it was like for him, a small-town kid, to make the transition into the world’s premier hockey league, how the spotlight affected him, the different sources of pressure he was subjected to, and a lot more.

We get to learn about the darker parts of his hockey life, such as when his agent betrayed him by leaving Orr virtually destitute. We are also given the opportunity to see the kind of person Orr has become today, the lessons his many experiences have imparted on him, and of course, his thoughts on today’s version of hockey.

All in all, hockey fans who were longing to get a clearer picture of the legend, Bobby Orr, will definitely want to get their hands on this book; it is written lightly with nothing but pure honesty, showing us the making of a very special man. 

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Bobby Orr Personal site Bobby Orr is known throughout the world as perhaps the greatest defenseman to ever play in the sport of hockey. Some argue that his greatness even surpasses that of Gretzky, and that’s not an empty argument considering the amount of records he broke. Recently, Orr finally decided to break his silence and write the only biography on him to date: Orr: My Story.