Starting with his jump from the Oshawa Generals to the NHL's Boston Bruins, Sports Illustrated began in-depth coverage of the career of Bobby Orr, a player who remains, over thirty years after his retirement, one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Orr completely changed the way hockey was played, taking it from a game of grinding defence to a rushing, high-scoring affair. Along the way, Orr set scoring records, won individual awards, and led his Bruins to two Stanley Cups before a bad knee began costing him games. He tried two major comebacks in the late seventies, showing a perseverance and dedication unmatched in the game, but ultimately was forced into an early retirement at the age of thirty. Number Four, Bobby Orr brings together the stories and photographs behind the career. The media-shy Orr rarely opened up to reporters, hiding his charitable works and his loyalty to his friends and teammates and letting his play speak for itself. This anthology brings together all SI's reporting on Orr, from the 1960s to his new career as a player agent in the 2000s, to form a comprehensive biography of one of the greats of the game.

Grade level: 3, 4,5 e, p, i.

Bursting upon the National Hockey League scene in the fall of 1966 amid enormous hype and expectations, Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr would go on to exceed all predictions of greatness. Displaying All-Star level ability from the start, it was his talent as a play maker and scorer that utterly revolutionized the game of hockey. At the same time, Orr helped revive a tired, long-suffering Boston Bruins team, leading them to their first Stanley Cup in twenty-nine years at the age of twenty-two. Orr and

Even hockey legends start with hand-me-downs. A beautifully illustrated true childhood story about hockey great Bobby Orr. Bobby eats, sleeps and breathes hockey. So when his birthday is coming up, he only wants one thing: new skates. He's seen the exact pair he wants in the shop window: sparkling blades, shiny leather, clean new laces tied in perfect bows. But when Bobby opens his gift, he's dismayed to find hand-me-down skates: scuffed leather, nicked blades, floppy laces. Once Bobby breaks them in, though, he and the hand-me-down skates become inseparable, and he can't imagine life without them . . . until the brand-new skates come into his life. How can he leave his hand-me-down skates behind? Log Driver's Waltz illustrator Jennifer Phelan brings this classic story to life with timeless, gorgeous art, and Kara Kootsra's words evoke the joy and dedication that Bobby Orr brought to his favorite sport. A perfect gift for readers and fans big and small, this book is destined to be a classic that is reached for time and time again.

“For everyone who loves hockey - young or old, player or spectator - I hope this book inspires you to simply pick up a stick, get together with some friends, and just have some fun playing the best game on earth.” —Hockey legend, Bobby Orr from the afterword of The Boy in Number Four Bobby Orr played in the NHL with the Boston Bruins for ten seasons leading them to two Stanley Cup victories. He also played with the Chicago Black Hawks for two more— all the while wearing jersey number 4. In the Boy in Number Four, readers will get a glimpse of this hockey legend as a boy and discover the hard work, commitment, and fun it takes to make a dream into a reality. This book also includes an afterword by Bobby Orr with an inspirational message for kids today.

One of the greatest sports figures of all time at last breaks his silence in a memoir as unique as the man himself. Number 4. It is just about the most common number in hockey, but invoke that number and you can only be talking about one player -- the man often referred to as the greatest ever to play the game: Bobby Orr. From 1966 through the mid-70s he could change a game just by stepping on the ice. Orr could do things that others simply couldn’t, and while teammates and opponents alike scrambled to keep up, at times they could do little more than stop and watch. Many of his records still stand today and he remains the gold standard by which all other players are judged. Mention his name to any hockey fan – or to anyone in New England – and a look of awe will appear.

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, Bobby: 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.