Former Bruins Is Ray Bourque a Top 10 All-Time Player?

[Boston Bruno]

He aint no Jeff Jillson thats for sure.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

In the History of Hockey forum on this sight, Bourque is ranked (last rankings in 2019) as 3rd behind Orr and Harvey. He is also ranked 10th overall. So yes, some voters probably had Bourque at 2. But most did not.

Anyway, I will concede. There are some hockey historians that would place Bourque 2nd. Though most have Harvey solidly at #2.

I would rank him 4th behind Orr, Harvey & Shore. Shore won 4 Hart trophies and was generally considered the best and most entertaining player in the game in the 1930's.



I've been there.

I'm one of the voters for those rankings.

I am curious of the requirements to be a member of this “History” Forum and how someone gets a vote.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

If Ray Bourque had played the majority of his career in Montreal, this wouldn’t even be a question across the league. It would be considered common knowledge. And if you attempted to question it, you’d get jumped on pummeled.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I am curious of the requirements to be a member of this “History” Forum and how someone gets a vote.

Send a list in to whoever is coodinating. The list we be evaluated and if its not to bad, it will be excepted. The last top 100 was done in 2018 & 2019. (its a long process)

I am curious of the requirements to be a member of this “History” Forum and how someone gets a vote.

Top-100 Hockey Players of All-Time - Round 2, Vote 1

Procedure You will be presented with 10+ players based on their ranking in the Round 1 aggregate list (10 players plus anyone with 99% of the voting points of the 10th ranked player) Players will be listed in alphabetical order to avoid creating bias You will submit ten names in a ranked order...

forums.hfboards.com

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Send a list in to whoever is coodinating. The list we be evaluated and if its not to bad, it will be excepted.

Top-100 Hockey Players of All-Time - Round 2, Vote 1

Procedure You will be presented with 10+ players based on their ranking in the Round 1 aggregate list (10 players plus anyone with 99% of the voting points of the 10th ranked player) Players will be listed in alphabetical order to avoid creating bias You will submit ten names in a ranked order...

forums.hfboards.com

So in other words. Anyone.

Great …

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

If Ray Bourque had played the majority of his career in Montreal, this wouldn’t even be a question across the league. It would be considered common knowledge. And if you attempted to question it, you’d get jumped on pummeled.

How about if he played the majority of his career with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricane?

One can only go by what actually happened, not what if.

So in other words. Anyone.

Great …

If you can send in a list of the top 100 and its reasonable, yes.

I would imgine the next top 100 (or 200) would probably be either in 2024 or 2025.

If you have the time to commit its a very good learning experience for the history of the game. Some of the participants have a lot of data, older newspaper articles and hockey stories. The discussions are really in depth.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

How about if he played the majority of his career with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricane?

One can only go by what actually happened, not what if.



If you can send in a list of the top 100 and its reasonable, yes.

I would imgine the next top 100 (or 200) would probably be either in 2024 or 2025.

My claim isn’t based on a “what if” in regard to scenario/situation. It’s not numbers I’m debating.

It’s the decibel level of the fan base associated.

Just imagine if Harvey was a Bruin and Bourque a Hab. And we tried to argue Harvey over Bourque. We’d be thrown out of the f***in building on numbers alone.

 

[jgatie]

My claim isn’t based on a “what if” in regard to scenario/situation. It’s not numbers I’m debating.

It’s the decibel level of the fan base associated.

Just imagine if Harvey was a Bruin and Bourque a Hab. And we tried to argue Harvey over Bourque. We’d be thrown out of the f***in building on numbers alone.

And those who claim to be "unbiased" Bruins fans would be the first ones to do the throwing. They'd be arguing Ray Bourque all week and twice on Sunday.

 

[Gordoff]

Bourque is on the third tier of all time great defenceman.
Orr
Shore, Harvey
Bourque, Lidstrom, Potvin

And probably between 10-20 all time.

Don't know if you ever saw Brad Park in his prime but he deserves to be up there just below Orr IMHO. Lionel Hitchman also allowed Eddie Shore to be EDDIE SHORE.

I've been watching since the 60's and I have to say No.

To this day, I still don't know how to rank Bourque/Park or Park/Bourque.

Park finished runner up in the Norris voting 8 times almost exclusively because of Bobby Orr. Had it not been for Orr, I think most people would look at Park differently.

Just saw this Dom. 1000% correct!!

 

[Gordoff]

To answer the question: Top 5-10 defenseman.

 

[Gordoff]

Much like others have said, all time players No, all time defenseman yes.

If there was a top 10 workhorse award Bourque would certainly but close to 1. He played on average teams with below average defense units. He played tons of minutes and was the target every game since no one else in the defense units were any good but him.

You didn't like good ol' Bruce Shoebottom, Mike Milbury, and the fabulous Mikey O'Connell? Harry made some sweet trades but also some disasters.
Oh, and the few games that Al Iafrate got to play with Bourque... Ray had little-no help close to elite next to him or to spell him. When Park left he was a man on an island IMO. I still dream about how the Bruins would've been if they had all 3 of Orr, Park, and Bourque but (from day one) Orr was treated like a plow horse and allowed to play on one leg until they ruined him.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

To answer the question: Top 5-10 defenseman.

Well we all can’t be right all the time

El Wrongo

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

Well we all can’t be right all the time

El Wrongo

Opinions vary as you say.

 

[22Brad Park]

All time pts leader in NHL HISTORY for D men .Why is this even a thread? Seriously ,NHL History .I watched his entire career and him carry average Bruins teams to playoffs .Nobody and I mean nobody could straddle that blue line skating backwards and get shot off like him.Anyhow his numbers speak for themselves and nobody can question those and nobody will pass him on backend.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

All time pts leader in NHL HISTORY for D men .Why is this even a thread? Seriously ,NHL History .I watched his entire career and him carry average Bruins teams to playoffs .Nobody and I mean nobody could straddle that blue line skating backwards and get shot off like him.Anyhow his numbers speak for themselves and nobody can question those and nobody will pass him on backend.

Have to consider Ray played the bulk of his career in the highest scoring era of hockey.

Points per game he ranks 5th among defensmen. 4th in the playoffs.

Third in Plus/Minus, 15th in the playoffs.

 

[PB37]

Bourque's longevity of excellence is the most impressive part of his career to me when I look at it. There's maybe less than 3 or 4 players who have played as long and have as many years of top tier play as RB77. 19 times out of his 22 years he was voted for the end of the year All Star team, 13 of those times being on the first team. 19 times he finished top 5 for the Norris, again basically his entire career and in an era of all time great defensemen. I think Ray is comfortably the 2nd best defensemen who's ever played, followed by Harvey/Shore.

 

[rocketdan9]

I don't know.... but easily a top 7 D of all time