DENVER — On the night the Colorado Avalanche clinched their first Stanley Cup Final berth since 2001, Wayne Gretzky showered defenseman Cale Makar with some high praise on the TNT postgame show, saying Makar is the closest player we've seen to Bobby Orr.
The former Boston Bruins defenseman is likely best known for his flying goal to clinch the 1970 Stanley Cup in overtime, but it's a perfect illustration of how impactful he was on both ends of the ice, much like Makar, the 2020 Calder Trophy winner, is today.
Rarely do we see a defenseman with that kind of offensive impact who is defensively dominant as well.