The Incredible Career of Raymond Bourque

After 22 years...Raymond Bourque...is featured on Vocal!

Born on December 28, 1960, Raymond Jean Bourque's foray into hockey began in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, instantly becoming the league's top defenseman. At the age of 18, Bourque was drafted eighth overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1979 NHL Draft, though the Bruins actually had plans to draft another defenseman: Keith Brown. The Chicago Blackhawks ended up snagging Brown at 7th, so the Bruins decided to "settle" for Bourque. Boy, what a consolation prize!

Bourque's first NHL goal came in his first career game against the original Winnipeg Jets, and he would add 16 more goals and 48 assists for a grand total of 65 points, going on to win the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. The Bruins reached the playoffs that season, being ousted in the quarterfinals, and in 10 playoff games, Bourque racked up 11 points (2 G/9 A). Bourque would quickly establish himself as one of the league's top defensemen, with the 1983-84 campaign seeing Bourque rack up 96 points, which included 31 goals (both totals are career highs). Despite Bourque's efforts helping the Bruins finish first in the Adams Division, they were swept out of the first round of that year's playoffs.

The 1986-87 season saw Bourque come very close to surpassing his effort from three seasons prior. Bourque scored 23 goals and had 72 assists for 95 total points, one point shy of the 1983-84 season. The Bruins were swept out of the first round that year as well, but the season saw Bourque capture the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman. The following year saw Bourque finish with 81 points (17 G/64 A), and the Bruins went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, only to be defeated by the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers. In 23 playoff games, Bourque had 21 points (3 G/18 A), and the season ended with Bourque capturing the Norris for the second straight year. In addition, that season saw Bourque change jersey numbers, as he had been wearing #7, which was made famous by Phil Esposito. Bourque handed the #7 jersey to Esposito, while unveiling the number he would go on to wear for the rest of his career: #77.

Bourque and the Bruins would return to the Cup Final two years later in 1990, but once again, they ran into the Oilers (without Wayne Gretzky this time) and were defeated. Bourque would win his third Norris that year, and would add two more in 1991 and 1994 for a grand total of five. Only Bobby Orr (8) and Nicklas Lidstrom (7) have won the Norris more than Bourque, who continued to serve as the Bruins captain, but saw his Stanley Cup chances dwindle as the team continued to decline. The playoff appearances continued on until the 1996-97 season, which saw Boston finish in last place and end a 29-year playoff streak, the longest in North American pro sports. That would be the only time that Bourque missed the playoffs, but even so, despite being faithful to the Bruins for two decades, he knew that he would not have a chance at a Stanley Cup if he stayed in Beantown.

In the middle of the 1999-2000 season, Bourque was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, with the trade taking place on March 6, 2000. I remember this trade and being very shocked by this; not that the Avs were known for stunning big time trades, mind you. I never thought that Bourque would be on a team other than the Bruins, but in the case that it would happen, I certainly didn't expect him to be on my Avs. At the time of the trade, Bourque had 38 points (10 G/28 A) in 65 games with the Bruins. In 14 games with the Avalanche, he had 14 points. Of course, that year saw the Avs reach the Final Four for the second straight year, and it ended the same way that it did in the previous year: a seven game loss to the Dallas Stars. Bourque's attempt to tie the game late hit the post, and in spite of what happened a year later, that sound still "pings" in my memory.

The 2000-2001 season was Bourque's 22nd in the NHL, as well as his first and only full season with the Avalanche. In Year Twenty-Two, a season that saw Bourque turn 40, the legendary defenseman had 59 points (7 G/52 A). Again...40, and still getting typical defenseman numbers. It was a dream season for the Avs, setting then-franchise records in wins (52) and points (118), and were big favorites to win the whole thing. In short, this was Bourque's best chance to finally get the one thing that's eluded him, and he definitely made the most of it.

The Avs' playoff run was known as "Mission 16W," simply because it takes 16 playoff wins to capture the Stanley Cup. After sweeping the Canucks and winning a seven-game thriller over the Kings, the Avs bested the Blues to reach the Cup Final for the second time in franchis history, as well as the third time in Bourque's career. Bourque had a game-winning goal in Game Three, to put the Avs up 2-1 over the then-defending champion New Jersey Devils, but Colorado would lose the next two games to fall behind in the series. The Avs blanked the Devils in Game Six to force a seventh game, and after three goals from the Avs, and another stellar performance from Patrick Roy in net, the mission was complete.

One of the many things I remember from that Game Seven was that final stoppage. Avs were up 3-1, about 13 seconds left, and the camera quickly shifted to Bourque. You could see it in his face. Bourque could taste that Cup. He had waited 22 long seasons, and at that moment, he was just seconds away. Those final ticks ran out, and it was official, the Avalanche were Stanley Cup Champions, and for Ray Bourque, he finally took home the big one. We all remember the moment that followed right after that game ended. As we know, the team captain is always the first to celebrate and skate with the Stanley Cup, but once Joe Sakic received the Cup, he quickly handed that trophy to Bourque, who relished the moment.

Gary Thorne said it best that night: "After 22 years...Raymond Bourque!" It's fitting. Bourque's Stanley Cup after 22 years occurred 22 years ago today: June 9, 2001. And even now, 22 years to the day later, I still remember the emotion I felt as the Avs won the whole thing, and especially because Bourque finally captured the ultimate prize that had eluded him for his entire career.

Unsurprisingly, Bourque called it a career after winning the Cup; he never announced he would, but we all figured that once he won, he would retire on top. Bourque's career numbers: 410 goals, 1169 assists, 1579 points. All three numbers are NHL records for defensemen, and also unsurprisingly, Bourque was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility. The beautiful thing about hockey is that the numbers, not the rings, determine the legend. Bourque's a legend and a Hall of Famer even without that Cup, but that Cup further cemented those claims. His game remained consistent throughout his entire 22-year career with the Bruins and Avalanche, with both teams retiring his #77. We've seen a big boom in immensely talented defenseman lately--Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Cale Makar, you name it. But there's only one Raymond Bourque, that's for sure.