Bobby: My Story in Pictures

by Bobby Orr, Vern Stenlund

The incredible story of the life and phenomenal career of hockey's most legendary superstar, told through never-before-seen photographs.

Bobby Orr rarely speaks of his accomplishments as a hockey player. He doesn’t have to—his play did all his talking for him during his storied career. His was a style of seemingly effortless grace, a style that helped reinvent the sport of hockey.
 
Now, Bobby Orr shares his story through a personal collection of photos, inviting readers into different seasons of his life while introducing some of the people that filled these moments in time. We see him at home and in the dressing room. We are there the day the Boston Bruins first scouted him, at rinkside when he celebrated his first Stanley Cup with his father, and back in Boston the day his famous number four was retired.
 
Yet behind all the statistics, trophies, and public persona, is the man himself. There were losses to go along with the victories, disappointments alongside the accomplishments. Without the people around him, and without the many challenges he faced along the way, the triumphs would have meant much less.
 
Capturing not only a legendary career and incredible person, My Story in Pictures also brings into focus a different era. These photos chronicle not only the changing of the game, but also mark many significant milestones of his life.
 
Personal, thoughtful, and full of never-before-seen images of Bobby Orr and those close to him, Bobby shows the varied sides of a player who rewrote the record book. It is a public journey into a world of a very private man.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction, Canada, Biography, Photography

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 30, 2018

About the author

Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest hockey players 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, starting with 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. After his hockey career, he became a well-known scout for many professional teams. He also spends time talking to and mentoring young skaters.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I admit I haven't read every word in this book yet...but, hey it's mostly pictures and I have looked at them all...at least twice. This was one of my Christmas presents from my son and his partner...for me this was about my children giving me a memory from my childhood.

I grew up in a household where the favored team was the Toronto Makes Me Laughs... sorry I meant Maple Leafs...really, I did...no, not really but it's all said in fun. Like Boston, Toronto is one of the original 6 hockey teams in the NHL and they do have a respected reputation but somehow when my dad and brothers watched hockey it was only when the black & gold of Boston's Bruins was on the ice that I was interested.

I first started watching hockey because it was a way to spend time with my dad but as time passed I actually came to enjoy watching the game purely for the enjoyment of watching what was happening on the ice and without fail I remained a staunch supporter of the Boston Bruins and when they added a Canadian to their roster who turned out to be one of it not the best defense men in hockey history...well, you can be sure I paid attention even at the tender age of 7 years old...hey, I said it was part of my childhood? What you thought i was joking?

Needless to say when I unwrapped this lovely gift on Christmas day I was 7 years old again and sitting in the living room with my dad as we each cheered for our favorite team...good memories my friends...good memories.

So yes, my 5 star rating is very biased on this and I have no shame in admitting that. But for anyone else out there who shares my love of the game and while I admit I'm not as avid of a fan now as I use to be if you come to my house even now, when there's a game on...chances are you'll find me wearing my Boston jersey with it's #4 Bobby Orr on it...but it won't be Toronto that they're playing because now it's the Montreal Canadiens...and you'll find my hubby also wearing the #4 but his is the the red/white and blue of Jean Belvieau a fellow Canadian and another hockey great.

'My Story in Pictures' is a visual trip down memory lane and a chance to see the career of one of hockey's greatest defensemen from his perspective. Definitely a book worth owning if you're a fan of hockey in general and the Boston Bruins more specifically. I know this one will have a special place on my book shelves.

[Edward Fenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It’s a warm and personal scrapbook of a man I looked up to as a god when I was a kid in the early 1970s. Lots of great photos but it’s also rich with Bobby’s memories and outlook on life and living in the world of hockey. Also cool is the fact that it was edited by Nick Garrison who was none other than an instructor of mine as an undergraduate mature student at York University. Books and Bookmaking in the 21st Century, as I recall.

[Jonathan Fishbein · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first favorite hockey player. This is a nice adjunct to his autobiography a few years ago. The embodiment of an athlete with class...notoriously absent these days. This book features pictures of his life and career from his own collection, so many of them have never been seen before. The text of the book reflects Orr's integrity, his fondness for the simpler times of the '60s and '70s, especially as it relates to young athletes, and his appreciation for teammates, coaches and family throughout his life.

[David Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this isn't the book I was hoping it would be given that I waited and waited knowing it would be under the tree for me. It's not a hockey book even though Mr. Orr is on the cover surrounded by hockey gear. This is a book about The Man. It's a brief overview of his life, the parts that he is comfortable sharing with his fans, with the hockey world, with anyone who knows him or thinks he knows him. For those like me who were hoping for a stream of dazzling hockey photos from the 70s when players went without helmets, goalies went with barely any protection on their faces and every second eyebrow was split open, there really isn't much here. What you quickly find out, or are reminded of (for those who have already read the other Life of Bobby Orr book out there) is that Mr. Orr is too much of a gentleman to boast or coast. One needs only to turn to page 104 to see a fascinating angle of Glenn Hall and Noel Picard of the St. Louis Blues after Orr has just scored his famous overtime goal. There's not a Bruin in sight, let alone Mr. Orr. Instead, he pays quite tribute to a side of that moment that seems obvious but no one has ever considered before. A dejected goalie with his head hung lower than low. A tired defenceman contemplating his mistakes. Then Mr. Orr does something truly amazing. He points out several banal details that come to life when pared up with that moment in time. The the old analog clock on the wall stopped at 40 seconds. The old scoreboard stuck at 3-3. The fans sitting behind that end of the rink with their heads turned to look off-camera at something that is rendered less important by this angle. It's as if Orr has gone back and taken a second look at a world he helped shape and is here to report "It's not just about me or the goal." That gives you some idea of how Mr. Orr thinks about, and looks at, life. That page alone is worth owning this book. (How is it that this photo has never seen the light of day until now?)

As the book moves along (it moves along quickly), the hockey side of his life slips away and is rarely seen again. In the later chapters we see a side of Orr away from hockey which focuses more on who he is really is as person and those he includes in his "tribe". He seems happy and at peace with the fact that his hockey career, in spite of all that he accomplished, was only one small part of his DNA. He pays tribute to those he loves and respects and does spare his feelings of being Lucky to have had the opportunities he has had. Towards the end, there are a lot of very personal photos to consider but many are mysteriously unidentified. It's as if the deadline snuck up and snatched the book away from him. We get a lot of white space that surely must have been intended for written explanation. This comes in the last, and most heartfelt, chapter which is ironically titled "Family" yet seems the least organized.

The book has it's flaws but I don't blame Mr. Orr. He was the writer not the editor. It also demonstrates what a caring, compassionate, humble human being he is - which is not news to those of us who have paid any attention to him over the years but sets an example for those who haven't.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad got this book for Christmas, and I picked it up casually to look through the photos...and then ended up completely engrossed in Orr's thoughtful, warm writing, the stories behind the photos he shares, and his thoughts on everything from teamwork and injuries to social media and the value of handwritten letters. I learned so much about his own incredible hockey career (on and off the ice!), but what I really took away was his admirable commitment to community, both the hockey community and his own local community in Parry Sound.

He just seems like such a stand-up guy, a real humble, honest Canadian kid who had a wicked talent.

Loved this book!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bobby Orr was my biggest hockey hero. I met him signing autographs at Farrs Car Wash on Lawrence Avenue with Ted Green and Phil Esposito. One summer we snuck into his hockey camp and watched him waterskiing. I was also a left-shooting defense player on my high school girls hockey team and wished I could rush like him. Anyhow, “glory days they pass you by” and they did too soon for Bobby as a player, but not as a man. I m guessing the name and image of Alan Eagleson doesn’t appear in the book for legal reasons but I think it’s a bigger shame how Eagleson damaged Bobby than how his knees have out too soon

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became a hockey fan when I walked into the tv room to talk to my dad. We're both looking at the screen while we talked and I said to him, "Who's number 4? He's amazing." Dad said, "Some guy named Orr." Without knowing a thing about hockey, I could see that he was special. It was like watching a great ballet dancer or actor.

The nicest thing about Bobby Orr is that he certainly could have become a miserable, sour man after Alan Eagleton took advantage of him.

Is it a great sports book? I have no idea, but I love the walk with it down memory lane.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Photo books don't often have a lot of text, and this was no exception. But what text there was, was intensely interesting. From the editors note talking about Orr always being an hour early, to Orr himself talking about his values, his family, and his life on and off the ice, I was enthralled at every turn of the page.

[Dustman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a good read with Bobby Orr

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great photo-bio of a humble living legend. I want one of the pictures, of Orr and Howe, 2/3 of the Hockey Holy Trinity, on ice together, to be blown up to poster-size for my wall.

[Marlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any fan of hockey should read this book. The pictures are great. The stories are even better. Hockey players are one of a kind. And Bobby Orr def fit that description.