OSHAWA, Ont., - The jersey Oshawa hockey fans have been waiting to see raised to rafters finally took its rightful place Thursday night.

The Oshawa Generals retired the No. 2 jersey worn by the legendary Bobby Orr from 1962 to 1966 in a ceremony prior to their Ontario Hockey League game against the Peterborough Petes at the General Motors Centre.

Orr's legendary hockey career, one that saw him revolutionize the way defencemen played the game, started in Oshawa as a 14-year-old. During his four-year Generals career, Orr posted eye-popping totals of 116 goals, 205 assists and 321 points, including 38 goals and 94 points in his final season in 1965-66.

"I did a lot of growing up in Oshawa from ages 14 to 18 and I'll be forever grateful for those people who helped me in that time of my life," Orr said from ice level during his thank-you speech Thursday night.

Hockey Night in Canada personality Don Cherry, who coached Orr with the Boston Bruins, was among those in attendance. Ian Young, a former teammate of Orr's in Oshawa and Wren Blair, the man who was largely responsible for getting Orr into the Bruins organization, were also there along with several of Orr's family members.

While Orr makes it back to Oshawa quite frequently, this trip was most certainly a special one.

"It's pretty nice," he said of seeing his jersey retired. "This is where my career started... and this is something I'll never forget."

His jersey became the third one to be retired by the Generals, along with the No. 9 of the late Red Tilson and the No. 88 of Eric Lindros.