NEW YORK — Hall of Famer Ray Bourque was dressed in a familiar uniform on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. He was wearing the spoked Bruins "B" with the captain's "C" emblazoned on the chest, and reliable No. 77 on the back.
However, this game was slightly different than when he dominantly patrolled blue lines across North America for a combined 22 seasons. The former Bruins defenseman was skating in the inaugural "New York Rangers Alumni Classic" that pitted Boston against New York, with proceeds benefiting the Rangers Assist program and its mission to help grow youth hockey in the Tri-State area.
While the speed may have been a few notches slower than when Bourque became 2001 Stanley Cup champion with Colorado, he did score on a penalty shot and showcased the skill and finesse that earned him the 1980 Calder Trophy and five Norris Trophies as the NHL's best defenseman.
Sporting News spoke with Bourque on a range of topics, including his most memorable moments at MSG, the current Bruins and his biggest regret in the NHL.
(Editor's note: The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.)
Sporting News: What was it like skating with all the alumni?
Ray Bourque: It was great, you know, we had back to back games. Yesterday was at Bentley [Arena in Waltham, Mass.]. Very nice rink but when you get to skate in Madison Square Garden — what a feeling. And I was really surprised, it was a decent crowd and pretty lively out there and under the lights, you don't play under lights like that anymore. So it's really cool to be back here and playing against Original Six alumni, a lot of guys that I played against and faced for many, many years and many games, so it was fun and all for a great cause.
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SN: Is there any specific memory that stands out for you being here at the Garden.
RB: Well, I was part of that team that went into the stands in 1979. Dec. 23, I think that was. That was my rookie year. I was telling a few guys on the bench that, 'Hey, right down that corner that's where we went over the glass.' So, yeah, that one certainly stands out.
And I remember scoring a really nice goal against [Mike] Richter, a backhand top shelf short side here one night that was pretty cool.
SN: Talking about that game in 1979, what was going through your mind then?
RB: I climbed the glass and then [the Rangers'] Mario Marois, a guy I played against in junior hockey for two years, who played in Quebec, kind of pulled me from the glass. [He] said, 'You really don't want to go up there.' And he was right.
There were already like eight or nine guys up there so, I don't know what I would have done up there but it was pretty crazy. It happened all so fast. You know, there's a little skirmish in the corner and all of a sudden somebody grabs Stan Jonathan's stick and starts swinging into the pile and next thing you know guys are going up over the glass and chasing this guy.
SN: You're 18 years now removed from your career. Looking back, what are your thoughts on your time in the NHL and going out a Stanley Cup champ?
RB: I lived a dream . . . You hope to make the team and you hope to play 10, 12 years and then you play 22, and you have the things that I accomplished in 22 years. I could never have dreamt so big but it was so much fun.
It was a lot of hard work and I was very dedicated, very passionate about what I did. And I really never stopped to give myself credit till it was all finished with because I was always kind of looking for perfection and trying to be the best I could be on a daily basis. [I] met a lot of special people, played with a lot of great guys and teams and went to three [Stanley Cup] Finals and finally won it in the end.
But I played in an incredible city in Boston where I'm still living and will never leave. I've got three kids that just love Boston, four grandchildren that are gonna love Boston. We're in a special place. So, I'm very, very fortunate, very lucky and had a really great time doing it.
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SN: Is that you're biggest regret, not winning the Cup in Boston?
RB: Yeah, for sure. The only regret I have is not winning in Boston. You know, we went to two Finals in '88 and '90 . . . The first year we didn't really match up well at all — we had no chance. The second year, we had a very good chance. I thought we matched up really well and that was really disappointing not making it more of a series in '90 because I thought we had enough. We had a really good team and character guys and that was very disappointing and then you know not getting back there, obviously. But we had good runs in the late 80s and early 90s so that was fun and we had a nice core of guys with an incredible chemistry as a team.
But yeah, that's the one thing. I lived it as a fan in 2011 when they won. I knew when I won in 2001 in Denver [I was] always thinking about this, I said, 'Can you imagine winning this in Boston?'
And when they won 2011 it was crazy and it was so much fun to be a fan. But then in other ways, you're like man I would love to live that because everything I lived in Colorado, that was tremendous. I had an incredible time there for 15 months and winning there. But then you're like, well imagine this in Boston and it certainly was the case when they won in 2011.
SN: What are your thoughts on today's Bruins and how they're looking this season?
RB: They've got a nice team. They've done a great job. They've really been good for many years now. They went to the Finals in 2013, they went to the Finals last year — a really disappointing loss last year Game 7 in their building.
They're off to a great start [this year] but that core [of] players that they have are very special guys. We're guaranteed them being part of the mix this year so we got an exciting team to watch. It's fun, love the players that they have and I'm just a fan. I enjoy watching.
SN: Zdeno Chara is kind of following your footsteps a little bit with the number of years he's playing and being a Bruin.
RB: Oh, he's an incredible, phenomenal player and an athlete. Still doing it at the age that he is and he's really made himself into an incredible player. From the days when he started off on the Island and going to Ottawa and kind of figuring things out there and then just taking it to the next level with us here in Boston.
He's been a lot of fun to watch, a classy guy [that] does it the right way. The Bruins have a few of those guys with Big Zee and [Patrice] Bergeron. You know when your best players are your best people on a team — and they're doing it the right way in terms of how they prepare, how they go about their business — you know it's such a nice thing for the young guys to watch and to follow.
They've got incredible chemistry. I mean, they really love playing for each other and playing together and every soundtrack you hear from a lot of these young guys is how much fun it is to play with this group of guys and that's what it's all about. When you're winning you're doing well and just sticking together and you have that kind of chemistry, but it starts with those guys that really lead the way in terms of how they go about their business.
SN: Is there anybody on the Bruins defense right now among the young guys that stands out?
RB: I love Torey Krug. I love watching him, I love [Brandon] Carlo, I love [Matt] Grzelcyk. I love their D core. [Connor] Clifton came out of nowhere last year. I was like, 'OK, who is this guy?' And it's like bang, you know.
I've kind of got a relationship with Torey. He played with my son Chris at Providence [AHL] and I got to know him there and then he's just gone on to do some really nice things. We're always kind of in communication and we talk, we chat, we text. We spend Christmas together. He's always at my son's house Christmas Eve and then we had him at our house Christmas Day last year . . . I'll reach out once in a while, he'll reach out to me at different times so it's kind of cool to kind of follow his path. But their D core is very solid and very skilled and for the most part, very young.
SN: The Hockey Hall of Fame ceremony is next month. Is there anyone that's out there that you think should be in the Hall?
RB: Well, I always go back to Rick Middleton. A guy that I played with that I think should be in there. For me, that's the one guy that I wish. We tried to make a big push for him at some point and I hope that comes back on the table because he certainly deserves it.