Sport: Farewell to a Golden Trio

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Enormously strong, Hull was as graceful as a figure skater, and he became the biggest attraction in hockey history. He was also one of the cleanest players in the game. In 1972 he joined the Winnipeg Jets in the new World Hockey Association and immediately became both its most solid asset and most expensive liability: his contract gave him a reported $2.75 million over a ten-year period. But age inevitably slowed his stride, and despondent over his recent divorce, he quit after 22 years in hockey. In 1,447 games, he had scored 1,012 goals (second only to Gordie Howe), drilled home 50 or more goals in nine seasons, and twice set single-season scoring records.

Hull and Orr were their sport's premier ambassadors, Hull beaming broadly as he spent tireless hours signing autographs, Orr smiling shyly as the cheers swept over him. Orr was a magician, a man who accomplished what no other defenseman had ever done—become his team's main scoring threat. Playing for the Boston Bruins, Orr changed the dimension of the game, sweeping up ice from the far end of the rink and then scoring with his short-range wrist shot. Twice he led the league in goals, an astonishing feat for a defender. For a record three straight years, he was the N.H.L.'s most valuable player.

Orr led the Bruins to two Stanley Cup titles and then, his knees already battered, went to the Black Hawks in 1976. He was still better than most, but he was not himself. His contract called for a salary of $600,000 a year, yet he had not cashed a single paycheck when he quit last week after seven operations had failed to save his knees. He refused to be paid unless he delivered, and Bobby Orr, like Tunney and Hull, always delivered the best.