Finally, Bourque gets Stanley Cup
DENVER — Mission accomplished.
After 22 seasons of chasing the Stanley Cup, 40-year-old defenseman Ray Bourque finally hoisted the coveted trophy Saturday night in front of his family and 18,000 others who have adopted him as a Colorado native.
Bourque, denied in 20 previous playoff appearances, could not have written a much more dramatic story line as he and the Colorado Avalanche erased a 3-2 series deficit and took the title from the defending champion New Jersey Devils with a 3-1 victory.
He took the trophy from captain Joe Sakic, raised it over his head, kissed it and skated around the ice.
“It's unbelievable,” Bourque said. “It's going to get better.”
Bourque's wife, Christiane, and his three children were an active part of the adoring crowd. Christiane was near tears in the game's final seconds, and Bourque's teammates playfully tussled his helmet.
He was mobbed by his teammates behind the net as the clock ran out. The smile on his face was in contrast to the despondent Devils who watched from the opposite end of the ice.
None of Bourque's previous eight Game 7s — he is 8-1 in deciding games — had this much emotion, this much anticipation or this much satisfaction. He was able to trade his black “Mission 16W” baseball cap for a championship crown after Colorado's 16th win of the playoffs.
In the postgame celebration, Bourque touched the cup for the first time in his life. He has long believed that only championship players should handle file cherished trophy.
Hoping to make a career-ending championship push, Bourque asked to be traded last year after more than 20 seasons with the Boston Bruins.
The Bruins obliged, sending Bourque to Colorado on March 6, 2000, and the Avs advanced to the Western Conference finals before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars for the second straight season.
Six months before his 40th birthday, Bourque signed a one-year contract last summer, a decision that prompted him to move his family to Denver. His daughter, Melissa, still attends high school in Boston while his wife and two sons live in Colorado.
“We are going to look back on it as a special time,” Bourque said on the eve of Game 7. “It has been a fun ride, and that's why we all made the move. It wasn't easy making the move, but they knew why I was making it and now they are living it”.
Avalanche fans have embraced Bourque as one of their own while Bruins fans cheer for him 2,000 miles away.
A Boston radio station purchased a Denver billboard wishing Bourque good luck in the finals, and half-Bruins, half-Avalanche jerseys have been spotted much to consternation of fashion critics everywhere.
Bourque started his own trend with his “Mission 16W” cap representing the number of victories needed to win the cup. Throughout the playoffs, win or lose, he savored every moment. He never ducked an interview, politely answering repetitive questions about his unfilled Stanley Cup dream.
Already the highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history with 410 goals and 1,169 assists, Bourque has an option to return next season. His teammates see no reason why he should retire.
“It's not his ability by any means,” defenseman Rob Blake said. “He's as on top of his game as he ever has been. It amazes me to watch him game in and game out.”
Colorado forward Dan Hinote, who finished his first full NHL season, also has treasured his time with Bourque, calling the experience “priceless.”
“Playing with him makes it a lot easier in the morning when I'm 24 years old and I'm sore and I'm tired and then I look across the locker room and he's 40, and he's all energetic and ready to go,” Hinote said. “It certainly makes it a lot easier.”
A sure Hall of Fame selection, Bourque said he will wait two or three weeks to make a decision on his fixture.
On Saturday, he was content to enjoy the best moment of his career.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS