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Bourque hangs up No. 77 after 22 stellar seasons
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Tuesday, June 26, 2001
Bourque: great hockey player, greater man
Brian Engblom |
His talent apparent from the beginning
Ray Bourque was the most complete player of his time. There was not any situation he couldn't play in. The last minute of a period or game, ahead or behind, power play or penalty kill, vs. the top line or mano-a-mano -- you name it. There was never a situation, over the course of 22 years, where his coaches thought, "We can't play Ray there. Ray's not suited for this situation." Not once was he not right for a situation. It's amazing.
With the obvious exception of the New Jersey Devils, it was extremely noticeable how pleased everyone in hockey was when Ray Bourque finally hoisted the Stanley Cup over his head earlier this month. It is talked about now as if it were a singular achievement: "Isn't it great? Ray Bourque won the Stanley Cup!" Not: "The Avs won the Stanley Cup -- whoo-hoo!!" But that's OK, especially in Denver. It's John Elway all over again. Both of them had tremendous careers but couldn't quite get to the mountaintop. When they finally did, it made the victory even sweeter.
His focus and dedication aren't talked about as often as his talent, because people assume his astounding production numbers come only from his talent. But the amazing thing about Bourque's career was his longevity. To play hockey for 22 years, you really have to love the game. His work ethic, especially in the last five years, was really incredible. Think about playing a contact sport for 17 years, which is an incredibly long career, and being dedicated enough to come back for five more.
For many different reasons, Bourque was an integral member of this Avs team, and without him, they may have not won their second Stanley Cup. His leadership cannot be underestimated. Joe Sakic, another great leader, said he was inspired to work harder just by watching Bourque in practice. And every Avs player felt the same way. The ability to come into an already very talented team that had won the Cup a few years ago and take them back to that championship level is huge. Sure, those guys wanted to win the Cup for themselves, but every one of them would tell you they wanted to win it for Ray, too.
Bourque's talent was apparent from the beginning. The Bruins who were on the 1979 team, Bourque's rookie year, say they could tell from the moment he first stepped on the ice that he was special. And he never let anybody down, not once. You could probably count the number of bad games Bourque had in his 22-year career on one hand.
But the best thing about Bourque is this: He's a great person who also happens to be a great hockey player. | |
Bill Clement |
His impact can't be measured
The end of one of the great careers in the history of hockey is finally complete, and it wouldn't have been complete had Ray Bourque not won the Stanley Cup. If anybody ever deserved to win it all, it was Ray.
It's not about the brilliance of his 22-year career that makes Bourque special; it's how he lived those 22 years as a man and what he meant as a person to the game of hockey. He is the personification of integrity, and that is what created a larger-than-life story in his quest to finish his career with a Stanley Cup.
It's not surprising he's retiring now; there truly isn't one good reason for him to come back and play. Bourque will go down as the greatest three-zone defenseman who has ever played the game, and only behind the incomparable Bobby Orr on the all-time list of greatest defensemen.
Bourque was the catalyst who pulled the Avs' mission of winning a second Stanley Cup together. He put everybody on the same page, and his teammates wanted to win for him. Captain Joe Sakic handed Bourque the Cup before he skated with it, and the first words out of Patrick Roy's mouth in his postgame press conference were, "I'm just so happy for Ray." And Bourque was much more than just the rallying cry. He played more minutes of hockey than any skater in the NHL this season. In a year's time, Bourque will go from being the No. 1 ice-time gainer to retirement. You can bet that will never happen again.
It took him 22 years, but Ray Bourque got all he set out to get. And what he gave the game of hockey and its fans can't be measured. | |
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