Raymond Bourque
From SoSH
Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960 in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada)is a member of the NHL Hall of Fame. He played for the Boston Bruins from 1979 to 2000. He was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2004.
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Overall Career
A native of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Ray Bourque became one of the premier defenseman in National Hockey League history. He started his career playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 1976 for Sorel Eperviers. After three years in the QMJHL, and two All Star selections, he was selected as the eigth overall pick in the 1979 NHL draft by the Boston Bruins.
Early Years
Bourque made his NHL debut the fall 1979. Impressively, he broke the NHL record for most points by a rookie defenseman with 65. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year as well as a selection to the NHL's First All-Star Team. He became the first non-goaltender to achieve both honors.
A Bruins Fixture
Bourque played 20 years for the Boston Bruins. During his time with the Bruins, he led the team in scoring five seasons. He became one of only three defensemen in NHL history to score 300 or more goals. During the 1997-1998 season, Bourque became only the fifth NHL player to reach 1,000 assists. Also in 1997, he became the Bruins' all-time leading scorer with his 1,340th point. He became captain of the Boston Bruins in 1988 and helped lead the team to two Stanley Cup Championship finals in 1988 and 1990. He won the NHL's Norris Trophy as Best Defenseman five times which is third most in NHL history behind Bobby Orr and Doug Harvey.
7 to 77
On "Phil Esposito Night" December 3, 1987 in Boston, Bourque gave up his number 7 to be retired with Phil Esposito. In a show of respect, Bourque skated up to Esposito and removed his number 7 jersey revealing a number 77 jersey underneath. Number 7 was then retired, and number 77 would be synonymous with Bourque the remainder of his career.
The Stanley Cup Championship & Retirement
In 2000, Bourque requested to be traded from the Boston Bruins to a playoff contender. In March, 2000, Bourque was traded to the Colorado Avalanche along with Dave Andreychuck for Brian Rolston, Martin Grenier, and Samual Pahlsson along with Colorado's 2000 or 2001 first round draft choice. In 2001, Bourque was an integral part of helping the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup Championship.
On June 26, 2001, Bourque announced his retirement from the NHL. He finished his NHL career as the all-time leading scorer for defenseman in goals (410), assists (1,169), points (1,579), and penalty minutes (1,141). Number 77 was retired for the Boston Bruins on October 4, 2001. He was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2004.
Awards
- NHL All-Star 19 consecutive years (NHL record)
- Calder Trophy in 1979
- Norris Trophy in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994
- Lester Patrick Trohpy in 2003
- King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1992
- All-Star MVP 1996
- Stanley Cup in 2001
- NHL Hall of Fame in 2004
