Today, nobody would be surprised to read about a million-dollar NHL contract. Back in 1971, though, that wasn’t the case. Athletes weren’t paid on the same scale they are today, and that’s not just due to inflation. The NHL was a different landscape, with players earning significantly less than their counterparts in other professional sports leagues. However, on August 26, 1971, the Boston Bruins changed everything with their new contract for Bobby Orr, a contract that would redefine athlete compensation in the NHL.

During the 1970-1971 hockey season, Orr made less than $40,000 and was still the highest-paid player in the NHL. However, during that same season, he also scored a record-setting 139 points and won the Norris Trophy for the fourth time in a row. He was not just famous; he was something of a household name. So the Bruins decided to bet big on him, signing him to a five-year contract and paying him $200,000 per year for $1 million, the largest contract in NHL history at the time. This was a significant leap in athlete compensation, considering the context of the era where players were not paid on the same scale as they are today.

The Bruins’ bet on Orr more than paid off. He led his team to a Stanley Cup victory in 1972 and personally scored more than 100 points in each of the first four seasons of his contract. However, a knee injury would unfortunately severely reduce his ice time in the fifth season. Despite this setback, he was the top-scoring player in the entire league in the 1974-1975 season. The Bruins’ satisfaction with their contract was evident, and it soon became the norm for NHL teams to offer million-dollar contracts to their star players.