NHL 20: Why isn’t Bobby Orr on the Boston Bruins alumni roster?

With the official release of the ‘NHL 20’ video game just days away, we’re wondering why exactly Bobby Orr isn’t on the Boston Bruins alumni roster?

You name legendary Boston Bruins players and it’s safe to say that the person at the top of that list almost every time is Bobby Orr. Given that ‘NHL 20’ is launching alumni rosters, you’d have expected him to be right up there with the likes of Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux as absolute locks to star in the game.

It’s a travesty that he won’t feature. Plain and simple.

Looking at the Boston Bruins alumni that made the cut for ‘NHL 20’, it’s fair to say the likes of Tom Fergus who featured for just four seasons shouldn’t really be on an alumni roster. Whilst all four of those seasons in Boston saw him tally decent point totals, he spent more NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs than the Bruins.

More from Bruins News

• Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
• Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
• The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
• NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
• The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci

Fergus isn’t the only inclusion that you could question though; Mike Knuble didn’t exactly do anything amazing for the Boston Bruins in his tenure with the club but has been included over the likes of Mike Milbury, Milt Schmidt and of course Bobby!

When you see Gretzky and Howe as alumni and no Orr; you can only question why not. We’re talking a player that still holds records for the most points and assists as a defenseman in one NHL season. Not to forget the most 100-point seasons by a defenseman.

On top of all of that, he scored perhaps one of the most iconic hockey goals in history; we have little doubt ‘NHL 20’ players would love to recreate that moment, hence why his omission from the game is so unfortunate.

Perhaps it’s his ties to the game as an agent that prevented him being added as a conflict of interest. Realistically though, you’d have to question where any interests become conflicted. The only conflict is among Boston Bruins fans wanting to line Bobby Orr and Raymond Bourque up as a world-beating defensive pairing.

Obviously with any release that features your likeness, you hold a certain level of control – maybe it’s this that has prevented guys like Bobby Orr, Milbury and Schmidt from being included. Perhaps they (or their families) simply didn’t want them featured in ‘NHL 20’.

Could he be added into the game at a later date? Sure.

That doesn’t change the fact that on launch day, there is a huge hole in the Boston Bruins alumni line-up. Whilst there’s every chance that ‘NHL 20’ is the best hockey game thus far, it still doesn’t change the fact that one of the greatest defensemen of all time isn’t in it.

There’s countless other players that we could argue should’ve been made available in ‘NHL 20’ as Boston Bruins alumni yet were overlooked, but it’s Bobby Orr that hurts most.