Ray Bourque

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Bourque was born in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, the son of Raymond Bourque Sr. and Anita Allain. Both of his parents were originally from New Brunswick, and moved to Montreal in the 1950s. His mother died from cancer when he was 12 years old, while his father died in 2009. Bourque was raised bilingual, speaking both English and French at home, though he went to a French school. He began playing hockey at the age of 5, and dropped out of school at the age of 15 to devote all his time to his junior team, the Verdun Black Hawks. Bourque was the third-round pick of the Trois-Rivières Draveurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; now known as the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League). Halfway through his rookie season, head coach and general manager (GM) Michel Bergeron traded Bourque to Sorel for high-scoring Benoît Gosselin. After a stellar junior career with Sorel and Verdun of the QMJHL, in which he was named the league's best defenceman in 1978 and 1979, Bourque was drafted eighth overall by the Bruins in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, with a first-round draft choice obtained from the Los Angeles Kings in a 1977 trade for goaltender Ron Grahame. Boston GM Harry Sinden had intended to select defenceman Keith Brown, but Brown was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks immediately prior to Boston's selection. Panicking, the Bruins settled on Bourque, allegedly against their better judgment. Bourque made an immediate impact in Boston during his rookie season of 1979–80, scoring a goal in his first game while facing the Winnipeg Jets. Bourque played all 80 games his rookie year scoring 17 goals and 48 assists and quickly asserted himself from the start as one of the best defensemen in the league, winning both the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year and a First Team All-Star selection, the first time in NHL history a rookie non-goaltender had ever achieved the distinction. His 65 points that season was a record at the time for a rookie defenseman. The following year in 1980-81 Bourque missed part of the season with broken jaw, he suffered during a Nov. 11, 1980, game at vs Detroit. He still played in 67 games scoring 27 goals and 29 assists as the Bruins lost in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the injury Bourque was named to the Second Team All-Star at the end of the season. From here, Bourque continued to shine for the Bruins, proving his rookie

In Their Own Story

In February 1990, Bourque delivered one of his most dominant individual performances against the Vancouver Canucks, scoring six points (one goal and five assists) in a 7–2 victory. That season, he helped the Bruins secure their first Presidents' Trophy with the league's best record, though they fell to Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three years. His leadership was absolute; after Rick Middleton retired in 1988, Bourque became the sole captain, surpassing Dit Clapper as the longest-tenured Bruins captain and Alex Delvecchio as the longest-serving captain in NHL history at that time. He finished second in Hart Memorial Trophy voting to Mark Messier in what was described as the closest race ever, with Messier winning by just two votes. In 1986–87, he came one point shy of his career best, recording 95 points and defeating Wayne Gretzky for the Norris Trophy while finishing runner-up to him for the Hart.

Reader's Guide

Bourque is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history. He played 21 seasons with the Boston Bruins, serving as their longest-tenured captain, and won his only Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in his final NHL game. His #77 is retired by both the Bruins and the Avalanche. He was named to 19 end-of-season All-Star teams, including a record 13 first-team selections. He won the Norris Trophy five times and finished second for the Hart Trophy twice. He also holds NHL records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenseman.

Did You Know?

• Bourque scored a goal in his first NHL game, against the Winnipeg Jets.
• He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 1979–80 and was named a First Team All-Star, the first rookie non-goaltender to achieve that.
• Bourque's 19-game point streak in 1987–88 broke Bobby Orr's Bruins record for consecutive games with a point by a defenseman.
• He recorded his only career hat trick against the Quebec Nordiques.
• Bourque finished as runner-up for the Hart Memorial Trophy twice, including once to Wayne Gretzky.