{"id":114938,"date":"2025-07-07T20:05:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T20:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/114938\/"},"modified":"2025-07-07T20:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T20:05:12","slug":"bobby-orr-on-balsam-life-the-goal-and-that-second-scoop-of-ice-cream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/114938\/","title":{"rendered":"Bobby Orr On Balsam Life, The Goal And That Second Scoop Of Ice Cream"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BobbyOrr2\"<\/p>\n

Bobby Orr on the driving range at Balsam Mountain Preserve<\/p>\n

Balsam Mountain Preserve<\/p>\n

After decades of summering on Cape Cod and wintering in Jupiter, Florida, hockey legend Bobby Orr felt ready for a new seasonal rhythm. He and his wife Peggy swapped New England for Western North Carolina\u2014landing at Balsam Mountain Preserve<\/a>, a 4,400-acre luxury community nestled in the Blue Ridge range, where 3,200 acres are protected in a permanent conservation trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe decided that we were going to make a change,\u201d Orr explained. \u201cDavid Southworth is the developer\u2014I\u2019ve been to Abaco<\/a>, Willowbend and many of his properties and he\u2019s a friend. So, Peggy and I were discussing a move\u2026and next thing I know, I get a call from David and he says, \u2018I just bought a property\u2019 and I said, \u2018Really?\u2019 And that was the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

It turned out a longtime friend, one of Peggy\u2019s golf buddies, already lived in Balsam. That made the decision much easier. They have one son in Vermont and another in Florida. \u201cThey come up a lot,\u201d Orr said of his family and with all their visits Balsam has started to feel like a true home base.<\/p>\n

The unspoiled nature and mountain views drew him in and between the hiking paths, equestrian trails<\/a>, an overnight camping facility and 40 miles of class A trout streams there\u2019s always something for the Orrs to get into. The fitness center and pool get plenty of play too. But beyond the amenities which also include a pair of restaurants a chip shot away from the clubhouse, what really sealed the deal were the setting and the people.<\/p>\n

Orr, who chose to build his mountain perch in the emerging village by the clubhouse so he could be close to \u201cthe action\u201d and have easy access to the driving range, serves as a Balsam community ambassador and isn\u2019t shy about sharing what he loves about the place.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty quiet, but this is what we want and on the golf course\u2014every hole is spectacular,” Orr enthused. \u201cThere are a lot of great people here. Our friends are starting to invite themselves up which we are thrilled about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Number four is already leaving his large paw prints on the menu. He kindly suggested that the warm skillet cookie at the Mine Tavern, one of two on-property restaurants, add a second scoop of ice cream on top.<\/p>\n

An aerial vantage of a green at Balsam Mountain Preserve<\/p>\n

Balsam Mountain Preserve<\/p>\n

No. 4 Loves Par 4\u2019s<\/p>\n

From the back tees on Balsam\u2019s Arnold Palmer-designed course, a periscope might come in handy\u2014especially on No. 8 a par 4 with a dramatic downslope to a tri-tiered terraced fairway. For first-time players, targeting the best landing spot off the tee is part guesswork, but that\u2019s the thrill ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cEight is a great hole, but they\u2019re all great,\u201d Orr related. \u201cSome of the views are so pretty. It amazes me how Arnold built it into the mountains and some of the roadways they had to build to do it. It\u2019s amazing what he did here.\u201d<\/p>\n

While piling up beaucoup points was Orr\u2019s calling card on the ice, the Parry Sound puckhead racked up eight straight Norris Trophies as the NHL\u2019s top defenseman, three consecutive Hart Trophies as league MVP, and twice earned the Art Ross Trophy as the league\u2019s leading scorer. If they ever chiseled a Hockey Mount Rushmore, the smiling mug of the Bruins legend would be represented. He trailblazed his position\u2019s offensive potential and remains the only defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring\u2014a feat not even Cale Makar, today’s top offensive D-man, has matched<\/p>\n

But these days, the scorecard is the last thing on Orr\u2019s mind. When he plays golf, he doesn\u2019t even keep a tally.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not into scoring anymore, I haven\u2019t played much lately. I have a good hole, I have a bad hole, I have an indifferent hole\u2014that\u2019s the way I play now,\u201d he said. \u201cBut being out there\u2014especially here\u2014it doesn\u2019t matter how you\u2019re playing. It\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Orr once dominated a sport defined by speed and instinct, golf, a sport he never came remotely close to mastering, has been just as fulfilling, reinforcing the values of patience and humility\u2014qualities he prizes more deeply with the wisdom of age.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was an athlete, and golf is the hardest game I\u2019ve ever played. That ball just sits there and doesn\u2019t move,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cIt brings you back to earth. You think you\u2019re an athlete, but\u2026\u201d he said, adding an intentional pause for dramatic effect.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s found the real reward is in the people he\u2019s met through the game\u2014whether at charity tournaments, casual rounds with friends, or watching his wife Peggy play with her regular group.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a great social\u2014I don\u2019t know what you call it\u2014get-together,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve met so many wonderful people through golf. And the game raises so much money through pro ams and all kinds of events. That\u2019s what makes it such a great game. And Peggy, my wife, she just loves the game. If she doesn\u2019t play, she has withdrawal from missing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keeping it Real<\/p>\n

\u201cGolf humbles y0u, there\u2019s no doubt about it. I\u2019ve often said, thank God I play a game where I didn\u2019t have to think. Golf, you have to think a little bit,\u201d Orr said laughing.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s played with plenty of golf greats over the years, including Jack Nicklaus<\/a>. The best tip he ever got? \u201cSlow down,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all get so fast. Slowing down is probably the best tip I\u2019ve gotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recalled a piece of advice from Nicklaus too: \u201cJack said one time, the ball setup\u2014if you don\u2019t set up [properly], you\u2019re going to get away with some shots, but you\u2019re not going to with a lot of shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether he still gets recognized much these days, Orr shrugs it off. \u201cNot really,
he says. Though if the still-athletic-looking septuagenarian were standing in front of the statue of The Goal in downtown Boston\u2014where he\u2019s immortalized soaring through the air after redirecting a pass from Derek Sanderson past Blues goalie Glenn Hall to clinch the 1970 Stanley Cup\u2014you might get a different answer. At the local Walmart, though? Not a chance.<\/p>\n

He says he loves going to America\u2019s largest big box store and weaving in and out of the aisles the way he used to glide down the ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to win an award from Walmart soon for the best cart pusher,\u201d he kidded, adding a whooshing motion with a grin. At the retail giant, no one expects to see Bobby Orr gliding past the granola bars and gallon jugs of milk\u2014and so, they simply don\u2019t. The hockey hero just blends into the blas\u00e9 retail background, totally incognito.<\/p>\n

Going unnoticed is a rare occurrence for the subject of what is widely considered one of the most iconic sports photos of the 20th century. Before it was memorialized in bronze, that airborne tableau outside TD Garden was frozen in time by Boston Record-American photographer Ray Lussier.<\/p>\n

May 10, 1970 – BOSTON, MA:- Boston Bruin Bobby Orr’s overtime goal that won the Stanley Cup, beating … More the St. Louis Blues at the Boston Garden, Boston, Ma. (Staff by Ray Lussier\/MediaNews Group\/Boston Record American via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

MediaNews Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably not much till after it was over,\u201d Orr said when asked what he remembered about the moment. \u201cIn hockey, with the speed, you react. After it went in, I knew it was for the Stanley Cup, and that was my dream as a kid growing up\u2014to be on a Stanley Cup team and in that moment it was there. I wasn\u2019t thinking about anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Blues defenseman Noel Picard certainly contributed to Bobby\u2019s post goal superman position, he insists to this day that he was not tripped by the late Blues defenseman as the image suggests.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks in the picture like he\u2019s got his stick under my leg a little bit, but I was jumping too, because I did see it go in\u2014I knew it was in,\u201d Orr said. \u201cHe helped a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then with a laugh: \u201cThe best line I know is Glenn Hall said one time, \u2018Is that the only goal you\u2019ve ever scored?\u2019<\/p>\n

Orr\u2019s own wit is as quick as the fast-twitch muscles that carried him to hockey glory, but at heart the Hall of Famer is a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. As such, his most memorable quips tend to be more grounded than grandiose.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not that deep,\u201d he deadpanned when asked if he had a guiding maxim as resonant as Gretzky\u2019s oft-quoted, boardroom-approved line about skating to where the puck is going, not where it\u2019s been.<\/p>\n

That said, he has mined a few verbal gems of his own. \u201cForget about style, worry about results,\u201d certainly comes to mind. And while he stands by the sentiment of that zinger, Orr shrugs off any attempts to elevate the primacy of the credo.<\/p>\n

What he does wholeheartedly believe is how the lessons from hockey carried through the rest of his life. \u201cI approach my business today the same way I approached my game yesterday. You are going to have teammates, you are going to make sacrifices\u2014everything I learned in sports I can apply to any kind of business,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to be disciplined, and you\u2019re going to work with others. That\u2019s how it was as an athlete, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s any different as a businessperson.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even when it comes to golf swings\u2014especially those that are rough around the edges\u2014Orr is forgiving. \u201cWell, if you\u2019ve seen my swing\u2026\u201d he cracked, before tipping his cap to today\u2019s fearless young players. \u201cThese kids stand up and there\u2019s no fear. They hit the heck out of it. My body\u2019s not letting me do that anymore, so I have to be prettier.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he tees it up, it is his father Doug\u2019s grounded wisdom that echoes back the most. Back when people told his dad that his son was destined to go pro, Orr senior always batted back to Bobby: \u201cGo have fun, we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the advice he gave me,\u201d Orr recalled, adding that the number one goal for kids playing sports should be to enjoy the journey. \u201cThe chances of them ever playing pro are slim. But if they keep playing a sport and have that love and passion for the game, they\u2019re going to get a chance\u2014only a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the kind of hard-earned wisdom that makes Orr a go-to guiding light for future generations. Success is worth chasing but the chase itself is the reward. And if it leads somewhere, even better. That\u2019s an extra scoop of ice cream on an already pretty sweet skillet cookie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bobby Orr on the driving range at Balsam Mountain Preserve Balsam Mountain Preserve After decades of summering on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":114939,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[20560,4434,5,4,20561],"class_list":{"0":"post-114938","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-balsam-mountain-preserve","9":"tag-golf","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-western-north-carolina"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/114813752064662429","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114938\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}