Defenceman (ice hockey)

From ArticleWorld

The position of defenceman in ice hockey has evolved in the last 25 years. From the early years of hockey in North America, the two defenders on each squad were players to be feared. These were the players charged primarily with stopping scoring attempts of the opponent. They were often tough, and sometimes big, players who were best known for their checking ability and not necessarily their stick-handling. In fact, many defencemen were the designated “goons” of their team, often dispatched to extract a price from an opponent’s leading scorer or a player who may have roughed up one of his teammates. Then came Bobby Orr. The fast-skating Boston Bruins defencemen not only rewrote the record books for scoring, but also the job description of the defender in the NHL. Instead of being a brawler or a hit man, Orr was a nimble scorer who advanced up the ice, often out-running the opposition to score. Today, defenders are as much expected to score as they are to check the opposition off the puck.

Great defencemen

There was a time in the National Hockey league that defencemen played, well, defense and only defense. But, things changed as the league grew until it was not unusual for a defenceman to carry the puck and shoot it. Among the great defenders in the NHL are:

1. Bobby Orr. This Boston Bruin single-handedly recast the image of defense in the NHL. In fact, he is the only defenceman to ever win the scoring title and won the Norris Trophy as the best defender eight times, a record. With blinding speed, Orr was as much a part of the offense as he was a tough, scrappy defender.
2. Ray Borque. Another Bruin who seemed to pick up where Orr left off, Borque was a scoring machine for 21 years in Boston.
3. Eddie Shore. This pioneering defenceman was well known and feared for punishing any opponent who came into his zone, skating in low crouch and ready to ram.
4. Tim Horton. Playing for four teams in a career that began in 1949 and ended with his tragic death in an auto accident in 1974, Horton epitomized the position as a tenacious defender.
5. Denis Potvin. Along with brother Jean, Potvin anchored the defense of the New York Islander super teams of the 1970s and ‘80s. He won the Norris Trophy four times.
6. Geraldine Haney. Irish-born, Ms. Haney played defense for numerous winning Canadian national teams in the 1990s and on into the 21st century. Often called the female Bobby Orr for her scoring ability.