Bruins legend Ray Bourque finally got his Stanley Cup
Twenty-one years ago today, Boston Bruins legend Ray Bourque finally won his first Stanley Cup in his 23rd and final NHL season with the Colorado Avalanche.
After making the playoffs in his first 17 seasons with Boston, and 19 of the 21 years with the Bruins, Bourque was traded to the Avalanche to chase that elusive Stanley Cup. That finally came on June 9th, 2001, when Colorado defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven for their second championship in franchise history.
The defining moment was during the post-game presentation when captain Joe Sakic broke tradition and gave the Cup to Bourque so he could skate with it first.
The call by former ESPN analyst Gary Thorne probably still gives you chills to this day:
"After 22 years, Raymond Bourque!"
Bourque was drafted eighth overall by the Bruins in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft and spent 21 seasons with the club, recording 395 goals and 1,111 assists for 1,506 points in 1,518 games. The defenseman also collected 36 goals and 125 assists in 180 postseason games with the Bs.
On June 12th, 2001, three days after the victory, Bourque brought the Stanley Cup back to Boston for an emotional rally attended by some 20,000 fans at Boston's City Hall Plaza. Bourque retired shortly thereafter, having set defensive regular-season records in goals (410) and assists (1169) for 1579 points.
