Ray Bourque

February 7 • 3:45pm • Ballroom

Ray Bourque’s attitude about hockey is carried with him on and off the ice. He was born in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada, December 28, 1960 then moved with his family to Montreal at the age of 10. Bourque was the third-round pick of the Trois-Rivières Draveurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Ray’s NHL debut came in 1979 after being drafted 8th overall by the Bruins. Playing 22 seasons in the NHL Bourque ended his career as the all-time leader of point scoring defenseman in the history of the NHL. He won the Norris Trophy for Best Defenseman a total of 5 times and played in 19 consecutive NHL All-Star Games. Bourque finally won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001, his final season.

Ray’s passion and drive is apparent in his post hockey career as well. Bourque’s annual charity event is an exclusive golf tournament, Bourque Golf, played annually to benefit Celebrities for Charity Foundation. Bourque still lives on the North Shore and owns the successful restaurant, Tresca in Boston’s North End.

In 2004 Ray was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame. In November of 2011, he will also be inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. In honor of his great contributions to hockey, both the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche retired Ray’s #77 jersey. “Hockey has given me everything I have in life. I owe hockey a lot more than it will ever owe me. Hockey has taken me to places I only dreamed of as a young boy. Hockey taught me lessons of winning and losing and it taught me to stand up for my teammates and for myself. Hockey has been my life.”

Keynote Speaker Sponsored by
Bayer Environmental Science