25 years ago today, legendary Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ray Bourque finally overcame his hardest battle: Winning the Stanley Cup.
25 year anniversary of the greatest Cup raise ever pic.twitter.com/VzoCkYEKLV
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Bourque was originally drafted eighth overall in the 1979 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins. Over the course of 21 years with the franchise, Bourque had some incredible achievements. He was named an All-Star 18 times, a five-time James Norris Memorial Trophy winner, a King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner, and a Calder Memorial Trophy winner. He also averaged a point per game while with the franchise, achieving 1,506 points in 1,518 games.
Yet throughout his time with the Bruins, Bourque never won the NHL’s greatest achievement: The Stanley Cup. The Bruins made it to the finals in 1988 and 1990, however they lost both times, with both losses against the Edmonton Oilers.
Over the next few years, the Bruins had a steady decline. The team sat at the bottom of the division in the 1999-2000 season, and eventually missed the playoffs . With the team going in the wrong direction, and his career nearing its end, Bourque requested a trade midseason. He was sent to the Avalanche with Dave Andreychuk, in exchange for Brian Rolston, Martin Grenier, Samuel Pahlsson and a first round draft pick.
Despite lasting one-and-a-half seasons in Colorado, Bourque proved to be a difference maker. For the remainder of the 1999-2000 season, Bourque helped guide the Avalanche to a conference finals appearance. The team lost to the Dallas Stars in Game 7.
At age 40, Bourque returned for the 2000-01 season and was named alternate captain. Bourque helped guide the team to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance against the New Jersey Devils. However, the Avalanche found themselves down 3-2 in the series. The team went on to win Game 6 by a score of 4-0, before clinching a 3-1 win in Denver to win the Stanley Cup.
During the ceremony, team captain Joe Sakic broke the tradition and gave the cup to Bourque so he could skate with it first. It took a total of 1,612 regular season and 214 playoff games before he won.
Three days after winning the cup, Bourque brought it back to Boston for a rally attended by over 20,000 fans. Ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals were higher in Massachusetts than every else in the country besides Denver. He later retired shortly after, putting an end to his stellar career.
On October 4, 2001, the Bruins hosted Ray Bourque night where they retired his number 77 jersey. The Avalance also retired his number on Nov. 24. He later was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
