Boston Bruins Bobby Orr Wants to See Red Line Back

Apr 11, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; The logo in center ice before the championship game between the Boston University Terriers and the Providence College Friars in the Frozen Four college ice hockey tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

Boston Bruins Bobby Orr Wants to See Red Line Back

The Boston Bruins greatest player and best defenseman to lace up a pair of skates offered some words of wisdom with an eye toward player safety when he suggested the NHL and other leagues that emulate it bring the red line back.

“You look at those kids tonight coming through the middle and they’re big, they’re strong. I just think without that center line there’s so much speed, it’s dangerous,” said Bobby Orr on Sports Net after coaching Team Orr to a 3-2 victory over Team Cherry in the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game Jan. 28. “I really, truly believe that.”

The significance of the center red line was taken away with the elimination of two-line offsides as part of a series of NHL rule changes following the 2004-2005 lockout that were meant to increase goal-scoring, offense, speed and the sport’s entertainment value. Other such changes included reduction of goalie pad sizes, increased offensive zone area, implementation of obstruction penalties and shootouts, and most recently 3-on-3 overtime periods.

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid skates against the Philadelphia Flyers in Nov 3, 2015 game in Edmonton. Photo: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 3, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) skates against the Philadelphia Flyers at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports /

“We’re hungry for goals, we want more goals, they keep talking about they want more goals. I’m a believer in putting the center line back in,” Orr said. “Move the blue line back in, we added four feet to the offensive zone and a lot of guys are getting hurt because they are so spread out and they are trying to block shots.”

Orr, a breathtaking playmaker who electrified crowds with amazing end to end rushes while leading and revolutionizing the league and Boston’s offense and defense as a defenseman in the late ’60s and ’70s, says reinstalling the red line would not only help with safety but in developing young players’ skills. “Make them make plays coming out of their own end, make them pass the puck. Give and go,” he said. “But right now, they can take it in their end and shoot it up the glass and do that stretch pass. And I don’t think we can play like that, I really don’t. At least with our kids. Our parents send our kids to skill school for a lot of money and yet we play the same rules that the NHL a lot of times, the coaches and minor hockey coaches, the same ways as the NHL, ‘Shoot it out, shoot it up, don’t carry it.’ Put the center line back in and make our kids handle the puck, make them pass the puck. That’s working on their skills. I’m a big believer in putting the red line back in, especially with our kids.”

Orr has long been an advocate for good sportsmanship and player safety. In November on 60 Minutes, he spoke presciently of the excitement around 2015’s top draft pick Connor McDavid entering the NHL and how he might get targeted at times. “He’s going to be hit. I mean, I was hit,” Orr said. “We as a league have to make up our minds what do we want. Do we want a bunch of tough guys out there that don’t play that well going after Connor McDavid or going after Sidney Crosby? And if guys start doing that, I would think, hope, that the Oilers will do something about it.”

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Sure enough, McDavid suffered a broken collarbone a short time later as he was driven into the boards by a couple defenders while driving the net in a game against Philadelphia. He’s missed 37 games as a result, although is nearing a return. Orr, whose agency represents McDavid, advised him after the injury to only return when he was fully healed. “I told him that I often came back too early from injuries,” Orr said on ESPN.

Orr, who was betrayed by his agent back in his playing days and left in a precarious financial situation at the end of his career as a result, cites helping young players and promoting financial education for kids and parents as reasons for wanting to contribute with some of the things he’s learned from. He’s also often spoken of the importance of teaching kids sportsmanship from a young age, a love of the game and setting a good example.

“The love and passion I had for the game was it for me,” he told Macleans in 2013 when asked the reason for his success. “So often for players, whether it be a parent or a coach, they suck that love and passion out of the kid by being unrealistic, by humiliating the kids and so on. I couldn’t wait to get on the ice. I couldn’t wait to get to practice. As a kid I couldn’t wait to shoot pucks or play in parking lots, or play on the river or play on the bay. People would come to my father and say, ‘Your kid’s gonna play pro hockey.’ And my dad would come to me and say, ‘Look, just go and have fun, we’ll see what happens.’ Parents have to understand: 0.0057% of all kids playing hockey, that’s the number of players who play one game in the NHL. So why is your kid playing? Why are you coaching? Why are you refereeing? To help make better people. And in helping make better people, you’re going to make better players. If your kid has got it, I guarantee your kid is going to get a chance.”

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