Ray Bourque Raymond Jean Bourque ( born December 28 , 1960 ) is a Canadian retired professional Hockey Hall of Fame r who currently holds the records for most goals , assists and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , and has become near - synonymous with the Boston Bruins franchise , for which he played 21 seasons . He also played for the Colorado Avalanche . Playing career . Bourque was the third - round pick of the Trois - Rivières Draveurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League ( QMJHL ) . Half - way through his rookie season , coach and GM Michel Bergeron traded Bourque to Sorel for high - scoring Benoit Gosselin . After a stellar junior career with Sorel and Verdun of the QMJHL , in which he was named the league ' s best defenceman in 1978 and 1979 , Ray Bourque ' s NHL debut came in 1979 after being drafted in the first round , 8th overall , by the Bruins , with a first round draft choice obtained from the Los Angeles Kings in a 1977 trade for goaltender Ron Grahame , whose son John would be a future teammate of Bourque ' s . He would make an immediate impact in Boston , scoring a goal in hi first game while facing the Winnipeg Jets . Bourque asserted himself from the start as one of the best defencemen in the league , winning both the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year and a First Team All - Star selection , the first time in NHL history a non - goaltender had ever achieved such a distinction . His 65 point that season was a record at the time for a rookie defenceman . In 1985 , upon the retirement of Bruins ' captain Terry O ' Reilly to coach the club , Bourque and veteran Rick Middleton were named as co - captains of the team , Middleton to wear the " C " during home games and Bourque for road games . Upon Middleton ' s retirement in 1988 , Bourque became the team ' s sole captain , and retained the position for the remainder of his Bruins ' tenure . In so doing , he passed Dit Clapper as the longest tenured Bruins ' captain in history , as well as passing Alex Delvecchio of the Detroit Red Wings as the longest - serving team captain in NHL history , a mark since surpassed by Steve Yzerman of the Red Wings . Bourque proved a solid force for Boston for twenty - one seasons ( 1979 – 2000 ) , famous for combining offensive prowess at a level that few defencemen in league history had ever achieved – he was a perennial shot accuracy champion at All - Star Games — and near - unparalleled defensive excellence . The Bruins ' reliance on his on - ice mastery was so total that — while Bourque was very durable throughout much of his career — the team was seen by many to flounder whenever he was out of the lineup . During Bourque ' s tenure with the Bruins , the team continued what would be a North American professional record twenty - nine consecutive seasons in the playoffs , a streak that would persist through the 1996 season . It was capped by Bourque leading the team to the Stanley Cup finals against the Edmonton Oilers in both 1988 and 1990 , and while the Bruins lost in both series , he finished second to Oiler Mark Messier in 1990 in the closest race ever for the Hart Memorial Trophy , the league ' s Most Valuable Player award . # 77 . Controversially , when Bourque started playing for the Bruins , he was assigned jersey number 7 , the uniform number of ex - Bruins ' great Phil Esposito and only briefly worn thereafter . When the Bruins elected to retire # 7 in Esposito ' s honor , Bourque approached Esposito during the on - ice ceremonies and removed his # 7 jersey to reveal a new # 77 jersey beneath , signifying that Bourque was surrendering his old number in favor of Esposito . Though many applauded Bourque for giving up his number 7 at the time , taking on an all - star number ( 77 - double digits numbers of the same numeral are common amongst elite players ) seemed something Bourque relished . International play . Bourque played for Team Canada in the Canada Cup in 1981 , 1984 and 1987 . He also played for the NHL All - Stars in Rendez - vous ' 87 against the Soviet Union , and played for the Canadian team in the 1998 Olympics , leading all defencemen in scoring . Colorado Avalanche . Early in 2000 , Bourque requested a trade from the fading Bruins so he would have a chance to win the Stanley Cup . Initially , he requested a trade to the Philadelphia Flyers , and Flyers ' general manager Bobby Clarke offered the Bruins Andy Delmore and Daymond Langkow for Bourque . In reality , Bruins general manager Harry Sinden was finalizing a trade with the Colorado Avalanche , under the conditions that it could not be leaked to the press . On March 6 , 2000 , Bourque was traded to Colorado with fellow veteran Dave Andreychuk for Brian Rolston , Martin Grenier , Samuel Påhlsson and a first round draft pick . Although Bourque played just a season and a half with the Avalanche , he proved to be a force both on the ice and in the locker room , leading Colorado defencemen in scoring , and being named an alternate captain and making the First All - Star team in his final season , finishing as runner - up to the Detroit Red Wings ' Nicklas Lidstrom for the Norris Trophy . Finally , on June 9 , 2001 , after 22 seasons , the Avalanche — and Bourque — won the Stanley Cup , in what proved to be Bourque ' s final game as a player . Bourque was the first player since the tradition was established to carry the Stanley Cup on the victory lap before the team captain and two - time Cup winner , Joe Sakic . Victorious Colorado goalie Patrick Roy , whose fourth championship had come the same day as Bourque ' s first , said of the Cup and his teammate , " A name was missing from that [ Cup ] , and today it is back to normal . " Bourque had waited longer to win his first Cup than any other Cup - winning player had in the 108 - year history of Stanley Cup , having played 1 , 826 Regular season and playoff games combined . He retired with defensive regular season records in goals ( 410 ) and assists ( 1169 ) for 1579 points . Bourque passed Paul Coffey in his final season to become the all time leader in goals , assists and points for a defenceman . Retirement . Bourque was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 , the first season he was eligible . His uniform number # 77 has been retired by both the Bruins and the Avalanche ; he is one of only six players ( Gordie Howe , Bobby Hull , Wayne Gretzky , Mark Messier , and Patrick Roy ) whose jersey has been retired by more than one club . His birthplace of Saint - Laurent named the Raymond Bourque Arena in his honour . His son , Chris Bourque , was drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2004 . The younger Bourque is a well - regarded prospect who subsequently turned professional , playing for the Hershey Bears in the 2007 season and making his NHL debut for the Capitals in 2007 . His 2nd son Ryan , is eligible for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft . Awards and achievements . Bourque ' s prowess led him to become one of the most honored players in NHL history . During his career he was selected to thirteen First Team ( the most in history ) and six Second Team All - Star squads , second in total in league history only to Gordie Howe and most amongst defencemen . He won the Norris Trophy as the top defenceman in the league five times , fourth all - time only to Doug Harvey , Bobby Orr and Nicklas Lidström . Among his numerous other records and honors are the following :