Orr - Bobby: my story in pictures

During the time in which this book was being written, our hockey family suffered a devastating loss. On April 6, 2018, events in Saskatchewan involving members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team moved an entire nation in a manner rarely witnessed.

I dedicate this book to the people of Humboldt, the Bronco players past, present and future, and all those whose lives have been so dramatically affected by those events.

VIKING

an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited

Canada USA UK Ireland Australia New Zealand India South Africa China

First published 2018

Copyright 2018 by Robert Orr

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

www.penguinrandomhouse.ca

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Orr, Bobby, 1948

Bobby : my story in pictures / Bobby Orr.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 9780735236189 (hardcover).ISBN 9780735236196 (electronic).ISBN 9780735237384 (special markets)

1. Orr, Bobby, 1948.

2. Orr, Bobby, 1948 Pictorial works.

3. Hockey playersCanadaBiographyPictorial works.

I. Title.

GV848.5.O7A3 2018796.962092C2018-900624-2

C2018-900625-0

Cover design by Five Seventeen

Ebook design adapted from printed book design by Five Seventeen

Cover images: (front) 2008 Mastercard International Incorporated; (back) courtesy of Bobby Orr

Case image: courtesy of Bobby Orr

v5.3.2

a

The first time I met Bobby Orr he was an hour early.

There is a B. Orr here to see you, the receptionist said into the phone.

Youre kidding, right was my response. For reasons that seemed very important at the time, I wanted to have packages of documents for everyone at the meeting, and I wasnt ready. I wouldnt be ready for close to an hour.

No, I am not kidding, she hissed. Bobby Orr is at reception.

I learned that day that Bobby does everything early. His friend and collaborator Vern Stenlund explained to me that I would now have to set my watch to Orr Time, a time zone in which things happen roughly one hour before theyre scheduled, and precisely when Bobby wants them to happen. You can be early to meet Bobby Orr and still be late. This has happened to me.

I didnt know any of this the first time I met him, though. I assumed I was just late. To meet the greatest hockey player who has ever lived. I felt I had to explain my failure to bring photocopies, so I was flustered and apologetic as I jogged to reception.

There was Bobby Orr, in the lobby, examining the books on display. I suppose I probably stopped in my tracks and gulped. Bobby turned and put out his hand. Bobby Orr. How are you doing?

In a few minutes, we were talking like old friends. Thats another thing I learned about Bobby that day. He sets an impossibly high standard for graciousness. He writes in his first book about meeting Gordie Howe for the first time, and how sometimes meeting someone you have admired from a distance can disappoint. He was relieved that Gordie turned out to be just as heroic in person as he had always seemed from afar. To be honest, in that moment, I wasnt judging. I was just happy to be having a conversation with Bobby Orr. But I have always found him warm and gracious, even when hes not in a particularly good mood.

One afternoon, our work crossed the line between being a job we had to get done and a tedious chore. Anyone could see it was time to pack it in. I foolishly pressed on. The warning signs grew more dire. By the time Bobby came out and told me he was done, there was a black cloud over the room. I suppose I was just trying to do my job, but I had nevertheless exasperated someone who had only ever been friendly and generous with me, someone I had admired since I was a kid. I was (belatedly) crestfallen. What he did next though made me respect him even more. He went out and brought back sandwiches for the three of us (Vern was there to witness my blunder). There is a saying that you can tell what kind of person someone is by the way they treat their waiter. I can add that you can tell a lot from the way someone treats an editor as well.

Looking through the photos in this book, it seems to me that Bobby captures perfectly what anyone would experience meeting Number Four for the first time, as I did. Readers will encounter the incomparable hockey player, who seemed to change the game without even trying. (Bobby would bristle at the idea that he wasnt tryingin his view, working hard is far more admirable than raw talent. But I dont mean that he wasnt actually trying, just that he made hockey look easy.) But they will also meet a warm, affable, unpretentious guy that any of us can relate to.

As he will tell you himself in a few pages, a career doesnt define who you are. Not for engineers, or truck drivers, or teachers, and not for hockey players either. Your real legacy is shaped by your relationships with friends and family and, of course, teammates and colleagues. Historians may care how many consecutive Norris trophies you win, or how many times you took home the Art Ross (eight and two, by the way). But that doesnt really matter around the dinner table.

Vern and I looked at many hundreds of photos as this book came together. It was Vern who noticed that Bobby is smiling in just about every one of them. Not just smilinghes usually got the biggest grin of anyone in the frame. That makes me think that the greatness and the graciousness are not unrelated. Whatever Bobby is doing, hes doing it because he enjoys it and because it means something to him. That is probably not the same as doing only things you already like, but I wont try to guess. What is obvious, though, is that what is great about Bobby Orr is not limited to the ice.