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Ray Bourque

Born:December 28, 1960Draft:1979 Bruins 8th Overall
Hometown:Saint Laurent, QuebecPosition:D
Known For:Highest Scoring Defenseman
in NHL History
Shoots:Left
National Team:Canada

Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He currently holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenseman in the NHL. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s best defensemen five times, while finishing second for that trophy a further six times. He also twice finished second in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, a rarity for a defenseman. He was named to the end-of-season All-Star teams 19 times, 13 on the first-team and six on the second-team.

Bourque was also an Olympian with Canada and became nearly synonymous with the Boston Bruins franchise, for which he played 21 seasons and became Boston’s longest-serving captain. Bourque finished his career with the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he won his only Stanley Cup in his final NHL game. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.

Ray’s sons, Chris and Ryan, both played in the NHL as well.

Ray Bourque Bruins
MONTREAL – 1980’s: Raymond Bourque #77 (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images)

Ray Bourque Statistics

Trade Tracker

DateTraded FromTraded WithTraded ToTraded For
March 6, 2000Boston BruinsDave AndreychukColorado AvalancheFirst-Round Pick
(Marcus Samuelsson)
Martin Grenier
Samuel Pahlsson
Brian Rolston

Deeper Dive

Achievements

  • All-Time NHL Records
    • Most Career Goals by a Defenseman (410)
    • Most Career Assists by a Defenseman (1,169)
    • Most Career Points by a Defenseman (1,579)
    • Most Career Shots on Goal (6,206)
    • Most Shots on Goal in One Game (19, March 21, 1991)
    • Bruins Record for Games Played (1,518)
    • Bruins Record for Career Assists (1,111)
    • Bruins Record for Career Points (1,506)
    • Bruins Record for Career Power-Play Goals (164)
    • Bruins Record for Career Shots on Goal (5,950)
    • Bruins Record for Power-Play Assists in a Single Game (4, tied with two others)
  • Additional Awards and Achievements
    • Calder Memorial Trophy — 1980
    • James Norris Memorial Trophy — 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994
    • King Clancy Memorial Trophy — 1992
    • Lester Patrick Trophy — 2003
    • NHL First All-Star Team —1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001
    • NHL Second All-Star Team — 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1999
    • NHL All-Star Game — 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
    • Won NHL All-Star Game Shooting Accuracy Competition Eight Times — 1990, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
    • Stanley Cup Champion — 2001
Ray Bourque Colorado Avalanche Joe Sakic
Ray Bourque #77 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the cup with Joe Sakic #19 after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche take the series 4-3. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)

Sources