Bruins Sweaters of the Past #5: Raymond Bourque

RAYMOND BOURQUE (#7, 77)

Defense

BORN: December 28, 1960 in Montreal, Quebec

BOSTON BRUINS 1979-80-1999-00

Games Played: 1518 Goals: 395 Assists: 1111 Points: 1506 PIM: 1089

This sweater was worn by the incomparable Raymond Bourque during the 1989-90 season when the Boston Bruins went to the Stanley Cup final series, losing to Edmonton 4 games to 1 after the B's won the President's Trophy as having the best regular season record.

Bourque was Boston's first pick, eighth overall in the greatest draft of all time: 1979. It was the first of two selections in the top-21, the second of which was another defender, Brad McCrimmon. The B's owned the early pick thanks to a trade in which they sent goalie Ron Grahame to Los Angeles for the King's first-rounder.

The rest as they say, is history. Bourque won the Calder Trophy in 1979-80 as the NHL's top rookie and spent the next 21 seasons in Boston, winning five Norris Trophies along the way, with numerous NHL All-Star accolades and becoming the team's all-time leader in games, assists and points. He also leads the team in the following playoff career categories: games, assists and points.

He retired after 22 seasons in the league, and after helping the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2001. Many Bruins fans were left wondering what might have been had he been able to do so in Boston.

This sweater has obvious game use, including stick tape marks (including one nice streak on the upper portion of the crest's 'B'), several unrepaired holes, and one small repair. There is a gold Custom Crafted stamp on the rear hem, consistent with what the North Attleboro company did to the sweaters in that 89-90 set (the previous season had highly visible black Custom Crafted stamps on them.). The 1990 Stanley Cup Finals Patch is sewn onto the right upper front, the second year that the NHL went to patches for the two teams reaching the championship series. Bourque's captain's 'C' made permanent for him in 1988 until his trade to Colorado 12 years later, is sewn onto the left breast.

This sweater is no longer in my collection, but it lives on through the photos I took of it and the memories it evoked from almost 20 years ago. It's hard to believe it has been so long since the Bruins were able to reach the final round of the playoffs.