WOLFVILLE – Hockey, and in particular playing defence, has changed since Ray Bourque last played in the NHL in 2001.
Bourque, now 54, was in Kings County June 18 as the headline guest for the annual Acadia hockey Axemen celebrity dinner.Bourqueβs only connection with professional hockey these days is through his two sons, both of whom play professionally. In terms of playing defence, βthe rules have changedβ since he played.βThe rules make it so you have to be a really good skater to get into position and stay there,β he said.
βSome of the things you could get away with when I was playing, you canβt get away with nowβ β things like subtle holds or hooks or other means of holding up or impeding an opponent.
βIβd like to be able to be playing hockey now. The game has changed, but the rules have changed, too,β and he would enjoy the challenge.
βGoing back for the puck is tougher now, because of the rules. You have to time things differently. Maybe if goalies were able to play the puck more,β or were allowed to wander further from their net, βit might compensate for that.β
Bourque says he still enjoys watching the game.
βI still think itβs great.β
Bourque was one of the top defencemen of his era, winning the Norris Trophy as the NHLβs best defenceman five times. He still holds the NHL records for career goals, assists and points by a defenceman.
Today, heβs a fan of Duncan Keith, Shea Webber and Drew Doughty.
βThey have that combination of playing good defence, being physical, but also have the skill and vision to be able to make a difference offensively,β he said.
A first-round draft choice of the Boston Bruins in 1979, Bourque played 1,612 NHL games from 1979 to 2001, all but 94 of them for the Bruins. He finished his career with 410 goals and 1, 579 points, and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche during the 1999-2000 season, and ended up winning his only Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001, after which he retired.
βFor me to leave Boston was hard. It wasnβt a good situation (at the time), but it was still a tough decision to make,β he said.
βThe 15 months I spent in Denver were great. I got to see how things were done differently somewhere else, and I got to win the Cup my last year.β
Bourque was 38 years old when he went to Colorado.
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