Bobby Orr stood outside the Zamboni door at the TD Garden’s third floor about 20 minute before the opener  to the 2015-16 season. 

While there was not a lot of optimism this summer after losing two more core players —Milan Lucic and Doug Hamilton — for draft picks, and many people thought the team and head coach had become stale, the Greatest Hockey Player That Ever Lived disagreed.

“If the really good players play up to their abilities, this team could be very good,” said Orr. “And remember, they have Claude (Julien). He’s a great coach.”

Wow.

Is this the same Claude Julien who was left hanging in the wind for two months after last season, including a month in which Don Sweeney was hired as general manager and said he would do his “due diligence” on the coaching position?

Well, Julien has had a pretty good 10 days.

Here was his team, in the brutal part of this season’s schedule — see Chicago, Washington, Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina the and N.Y. Islanders — a part many people around here thought could spell doom to this Bruins unexpected playoff run.

Instead, the Bruins won four games and lost two in overtime, climbing to second in the Eastern Conference standings.

The cherry on top for coach Julien? A legend named Art Ross is now in second place with victories for the Bruins. Julien is No. 1 and counting.

“I don’t know why people would question Claude,” said Orr. “Look at the Bruins’ performance since he arrived. Look at the respect he gets from his players. They play hard for him. That’s how you measure a coach.

“I’m a big fan of Claude,” said Orr. “I just like his style. And he’s honest as a day is long.”

Orr said he has become friends with the Bruins coach over the last few years, oftentimes stopping by his office before games he attends.

“I didn’t really know before he came here,” said Orr. “I ended up chatting with him a few times. I like his style. His teams are very disciplined. This has been a fun year. But I’m not surprised.”

The irony is that Julien didn’t appear to be the “guy” Sweeney and Cam Neely wanted. But Julien was given a three-year extension by former Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, now doing the same job in Edmonton, that pays Julien an estimated $1.75 million through 2017-18.

The fact that the Bruins, in the thick of the playoff race, even entertained trading Loui Eriksson for draft picks, makes you wonder what their goals have been from Day 1 with this team.

Maybe Julien, who is now the longest tenured coach in the NHL with nine seasons on the Bruins bench — Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is second with eight seasons — has messed up the master plan by having another “Coach of the Year” season. 

The Greatest Player That Ever Lived doesn’t have any thoughts about the Bruins expectations this season. But he does have one about the coach.

“Claude,” said Orr, “can coach my team any time he wants.”