Orr: My Story

See this link for photo to my opening statement on this review: [...]This photo is the one photo missing from Mr. Orr’s biography. A terrific book that covers the many aspects of his life, personal, professional, and in all manners of dignity simply a decent read. I was disappointed of course there was no mention of the Vietnam Veterans in this book – but as a kid growing up in Canada I recall a CBC news article on television that showed a picture of U.S. Army Soldiers in Phu Bai South Vietnam that took a picture with the poster shown here in between all the players – one soldier was at the time also holding a poster or a flag of the Boston Bruin logo and #4 ORR sweater number. This said, the lack of inclusion of this photo and lack of even a small reference to the Vietnam Veterans of the era does not in itself take away from this book.The story is both interesting and heart felt. The final chapters of this book is where Mr. Orr opens up to his fans and public and in some ways was able to dispel and exorcise whatever small demons may have existed due to none other than the business mogul turned player criminal in both Canada and the USA in Alan Eagleson. Mr. Orr struggles a bit following his early end to the hockey he loved and the NHL that he played for – like a phoenix however he reinvents himself and today is successful on many fronts to the business aspect of hockey while attempting to care for the youth who play sport. He has some solid advice within these pages for parents, coaches, and the application of the business model. Even keel temperament and individual responsibility lay at the heart of this advice.It was quite touching to read of his respect for Mr. Hockey in Gordie Howe – this book was published when Mr. Howe was still alive. There are other hockey players he references within these pages as well such as Jean Béliveau, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyck, Serge Sevard; announcers in Foster Hewitt; fishing trips with baseball great Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox, and a deep respect for Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, and a modern day reference and respect for Tom Brady Quarterback for the New England Patriots. I enjoyed the reference to Mildt Schmidt a coach he played for in the early days of his career. Milt was known as “Uncle Milty” a reference to the “Uncle Milty” show of the 1950’s starring none other than Milton Berle – an American class act for the era that led all the way through the 1980’s. Mr. Orr is proud of his Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada roots – reading of how he played hockey as a young boy on the lakes, creeks, and other watered areas reminded me of my own humble beginnings in the sport as I was raised in London and Windsor Ontario Canada. I recall quite vividly having a hockey card after Mr. Orr was traded to Chicago – the favorite part of those old time hockey cards for me was the cartoon stick men drawn on the back the phrases that most likely would represent the player featured on the front. On the back of this card the stick man was actually two men – one of Bobby Hull and Bobby Orr both – the caption read “Just call us Bobby!” That card ended up in the spokes of my bike like most other baseball and hockey cards of the era. As a kid I simply enjoyed the flickering sound as my wheels would turn and the spokes would hit whatever card dejour would be placed there on any given day. Though I wish I had that card now among many others of the era gone by, I am equally glad I could be a simply kid at the time as well.Between Ken Dryden’s book, Gordie Howe’s book, and now Bobby Orr’s book – I would have to say that Mr. Dryden’s is still my favorite. Mr. Howe can no longer come back to update his book but I hope Mr. Mark Howe will; I also hope that Mr. Orr will come back and provide to his fans and fans of all sports the periodic update. In this book I found a new respect for Mr. Don Cherry – a guy hockey fans either love or hate. As a U.S. Marine – I simply appreciate the straight forwardness of this book – honest to a point and heartfelt to near tear. Thank you Mr. Orr.

I'm glad that Bobby Orr decided to write this book, as so many Bruin fans have been waiting for it to happen. In typical Orr fashion, there is no juicy gossip or stories of wild, late night parties. Instead, he gives readers the story of his childhood and entire hockey career. Orr's grandfather emigrated from Ireland to Ontario, and that's where Bobby's life begins. Bobby was the middle child of five children, and money was tight. The floors in their Parry Sound home were uneven, and the house was always freezing in the winter. The Orr family only gathered in the living room once a year on Christmas Day, as they couldn't afford to heat that room the rest of the year. His happiest childhood memories are of playing hockey on the frozen lake with his friends. There would often be 20 kids on the ice, and it taught them how to handle the puck well. With no adult supervision, the boys also had to learn how to get along and make their own rules. When he joined the squirt league, his coach didn't have enough kids for each position. He ended up playing Bobby in different positions, and Orr feels that this really helped him become the hockey player the world came to know. Bobby thinks that hockey for young children should not be focused on winning. The kids should go out and have fun, and each child should get a chance to play so that they can develop their skills. There are also cute stories. Bobby's mother's choice of discipline was a broom. He talks about the time that she caught him smoking under a bridge near their house, and how she dragged him home by the arm. It was not pretty! He never smoked under that bridge again. We also hear about the sacrifices that players and their families make. Bobby had to leave home as a young teenager and stay with other families, and would sometimes cry himself to sleep at night from loneliness. He kept his grades up in school okay, but did not end up finishing high school. Hockey was his life at that time. He takes us through his entire career with the Bruins, and the glory of winning the Stanley Cup. I had kind of hoped he would talk a bit about what it was like to be the most famous person in Boston at that time, and how that affected his daily life. Bobby goes into detail about what he went through with his knees. Being forced to quit hockey at age 30 was devastating. Bobby lost his health and his career, and didn't think things could get any worse. Little did he know at the time, that he lost a lot more than that. He was almost broke, which brings me to the chapter on Alan Eagleson. Orr looked on Eagleson as a brother, and would never have believed how badly this man would end up betraying him. The deal with the Bruins would have given him part ownership of the team, which would be worth millions today. Eagleson never informed him of this, and said that Chicago offered a better deal. By the time Orr ended his relationship with Eagleson, he was basically broke and owed a pile of money in taxes. Orr admits that there was a time that if he ever found himself alone in a room with Eagleson, he does not know what he would have done. He hurt Bobby and his family so badly, and the anger was eating away at him. Orr says that he has now gotten over that anger. However, his experience with Eagleson changed him as a person. Bobby is more suspicious of people than he ever was before. It's good to know that he has now recovered his losses and owns a successful business. Being a grandfather is the greatest joy of his life these days. He also had both knees replaced, and wishes he had done so sooner. This is a great book for any hockey fan, and I highly recommend it!

Great book

As a relatively new fan of ice hockey and the NHL I decided to pick this up just for something to have whilst on vacation but in the end I honestly could not put it down. This is written as not only a humble and honest account of his life to date from Bobby Orr but it also instills some rather interesting and thought provoking ideals. A fantastic read that flowed well for a self confessed poor writer and from someone who felt they had nothing of importance to say, respectfully he is wrong. A fantastic book for any Bruin or hockey fan.

Insightful and enjoyable autobiography from a true great of the NHL.If you like ice hockey, or if you are even generally interested reading about sporting figures lives, this book is a great one to add to your reading list!

Very good read, did t know much about him before reading this.

Met all my expectations and more. I think many people have been waiting 30 years or more for this book and finally it has come. Great lessons about Hockey but even more so about being a good person.