Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Hockey Hall of Famer who currently holds the records for most goals, assists and points by a defenseman in the National Hockey League.

Ray Bourque burst onto the NHL scene in 1979 after being drafted in the first round 8th Overall by the Boston Bruins. Bourque immediately asserted himself as one of the best defensemen in the league. He won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year for the 1979-80 season.

Bourque was a solid force for Boston for 21 seasons (1979-2000). During this period he was selected to 18 all star games. He won the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the league five times. In 1998, he represented Canada at the Winter Olympics at Nagano, Japan.

Early in 2000, Bourque requested a trade so he would have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. The Bruins facilitated a deal and on March 6, 2000, Bourque was traded to Colorado with Dave Andreychuk for Brian Rolston , Martin Grenier , Samuel Pahlsson and a first round pick.

Although Bourque played just 128 games with the Colorado Avalanche, he proved to be a force both on the ice and in the locker room. Finally, on June 9, 2001, after 22 seasons, Bourque won the Stanley Cup. He retired from the NHL on June 26, 2001. His career statistics include 410 goals and 1169 assists for 1579 points, all records for a defenseman. His number 77 has been retired by both the Bruins and the Avalanche.

Ray Bourque was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

His son, Chris Bourque , was drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2004 and has been playing for Boston University during the labor dispute of 2004-2005; he is a highly-regarded prospect.

Achievements

• Played for Team Canada in Canada Cup tournaments, 1981,1984, 1987
• Became only the sixth defenseman in NHL history to score 30 goals in a season, 1983-84
• Became the seventh defenseman in NHL history to score 200 goals in his career, 1988-89
• Became only the third defenseman in NHL history to reach the 1,000 NHL points milestone, 1991-92
• Became Boston's all-time leading goal scorer among defensemen, 1991-92
• Became Boston's all-time career assist leader, 1992-93
• Became only the second defenseman in NHL history to record 800 NHL assists, 1992-93
• Became only the third defenseman in NHL history to reach the 300 career goals milestone, 1993-94
• Became only the second defenseman and seventh player in NHL history to record 900 NHL assists. 1994-95
• Became Boston's all-time leading scorer with his 1,340th career point, 1996-97
• Moved into third place on the NHL's all-time assist list, 1998-99
• Became the Bruins' all-time leader in GP with his 1,437th game as a Bruin
• Became just the third player in NHL history to record 1,100 NHL assists, 1999-00
• Played his 1,500th NHL game Jan.19 at ATL, becoming just the fifth player in NHL history to reach that mark, 1999-00
• Played his 1,488th NHL game December 23 vs. Montreal, moving into fifth place overall on the NHL's all-time games played list, 1999-00
• Registered his 1,528th point Oct. 25 vs. Nashville, passing Paul Coffey as the NHL's all-time leader among defensemen, 2000-01
• Registered his 1,137 assist Dec. 21 vs. L.A. Kings, passing Paul Coffey for second place on the NHL's all-time assists list and first among defensemen, 2000-01
• Voted to the All-star Game for the 19th consecutive season, passing Wayne Gretzky for the league record, 2000-01
• Played in his 1,600 NHL game March 11 vs. Dallas, joining Larry Murphy, Scott Stevens, Mark Messier and Gordie Howe as the only players to reach the milestone, 2000-01

External link

• Ray Bourque statistics - at Internet Hockey Database