DENVER -- For 22 seasons, Ray Bourque performed like few
others on the ice. On Tuesday, he showed he knew how to make a
grand exit, too.
|  | | Ray Bourque on Tuesday said 22 years of the NHL was enough, and it was time to devote himself to his family. |
Bourque announced his retirement 17 days after hoisting the
Stanley Cup with tears streaming down his face.
Bourque's pursuit of the elusive cup made him a sentimental
favorite in this year's playoffs.
"It took a long time, but the timing was perfect," he said.
"For me, this is a pretty neat finish. It means I retire as a
champion."
An emotional Bourque dabbed at his eyes and choked back tears
several times at a news conference.
"Many of you have asked why I am retiring at a time when I am
still playing pretty well," Bourque said.
"By far the most important factor is my desire to be around my
children," said the father of three. "Frankly, I also have had a strong commitment to myself never
to stay too long in the game. Also, we are still on cloud nine
having won the Stanley Cup and having achieved that goal kind of
rounds out my career.
"It's been a wonderful, happy, terrific 22 years."
Bourque, 40, the highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history, was
a five-time winner of the Norris Trophy as the league's best
defenseman and played in a record 19 consecutive All-Star games.
He played for 21 seasons in Boston, but requested a trade to a
contender in March 2000 in hopes of winning the Stanley Cup. He
finally got it when the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey
Devils in Game 7 on June 9.
Although Bourque's stint in Colorado lasted just 15 months, his
No. 77 jersey will be retired and will hang from the rafters of
Pepsi Center, Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix said.
"Ray's contributions to our hockey club were tremendous and
will never be forgotten," Lacroix said.
Bourque's jersey is the first to be retired in the six-year
history of the Avalanche and the fifth in the history of the
franchise, which originated as the Quebec Nordiques.
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“ |
Over 1,800 games and 22 years later, here I am
having exceeded my wildest dreams. I have been
honored to play with great players on terrific
teams. I have been very lucky along the way. I've
avoided devastating injuries. I've won a few
awards. And I've capped my career by being part
of a Stanley Cup-winning team. ” |
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— Ray Bourque, announcing his retirement |
On Tuesday night, Bruins president Harry Sinden said that the
team will also retire Bourque's number next season.
"He's a slam dunk as far as the Bruins are concerned. It's
something we've known for a number of years," Sinden told The
Associated Press. "We waited for his official retirement, and
we'll pick an appropriate game this coming season to do it."
Despite his long career in Boston, Bourque said, "I am a
Colorado Avalanche, and I am retiring as one. So it is only right
that I have returned to Denver to make this announcement."
Bourque recalled reporting to the Boston Bruins' training camp
in 1979, "hoping to make the big team. I was a shy, quiet kid from
St. Laurent, Quebec. I believed I could play in the NHL, but you
never know until you get there.
"Over 1,800 games and 22 years later, here I am having exceeded
my wildest dreams. I have been honored to play with great players
on terrific teams. I have been very lucky along the way. I've
avoided devastating injuries. I've won a few awards. And I've
capped my career by being part of a Stanley Cup-winning team."
Family matters became more important for Bourque since his trade
to the Avalanche. Bourque's wife, Christiane, and their children,
aged 17, 15 and 10, stayed in Boston after he was traded.
Other than spending more time with his family, Bourque said he
had no immediate plans for his future.
"This summer is going to be very busy, especially with a visit
from my new friend, Stanley," he said. "I've had that Cup twice
now with me, and next week it's going to Montreal with me.
"I suppose once I get to the fall, I'll be able to sit back and
think about some business options and other opportunities."
He called winning the Cup "an unbelievable feeling," but
insisted he had "absolutely no regrets" about leaving the game
now.
"To compete at the highest level of this game, you have to be
mentally prepared every night," he said. "Honestly, that gets
tougher and tougher to do after 22 seasons.
"I could have played another two or three years, but I don't
think I would have played at the same level. I've always wanted to
go out on my terms and playing at the level I've been accustomed to
playing. There are some things you can't do anymore. You make some
adjustments, but you just can't react as quick, and I knew I wasn't
going to get any quicker."
Asked what he will miss most, Bourque said, "Just messing
around with the guys, having fun playing a kid's game. I am 40
years old and go to the rink every day and play a game for a
living. It doesn't get much better than that."
Bourque said he decided last summer that the 2000-2001 season
would be his last, regardless of his team's accomplishments.
"The voice in my head kept saying the same thing. I knew I was
leaving after this year," he said. "I was just hoping it could
finish like this. This is the one thing I was chasing for so long
and hoped I was going to be able to hoist."
Asked what legacy he hoped to leave his teammates, he said, "I
think the passion and just the joy of playing the game."
With Bourque's retirement, the Avalanche save $5.5 million, the
difference between his 2001-02 salary of $6.5 million and a $1
million buyout. That should help the team pursue its marquee free
agents: Joe Sakic, Rob Blake and Patrick Roy.
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