| Justin Bourne | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1982 Kelowna, British Columbia, . [1] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2006–2009 | ||
Justin Bourne (born December 12, 1982) is a Canadian-American sportswriter. A former professional ice hockey player, he has also coached professionally, most recently as an assistant coach for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
Bourne played collegiate hockey for the University of Alaska Anchorage before ending the 2006–07 season with the ECHL's Alaska Aces. He was signed the following year by the Utah Grizzlies, going on to score 10 goals and 10 assists in a 17-game stretch, and playing in the 2008 ECHL All-Star game. [2]
Bourne's writing career began after a serious jaw injury forced him into retirement. [3] In his first year as a columnist for USA Today, his piece on stopping the use of gay slurs in sports encouraged Brendan Burke to tell his story. Most Hockey players disagreed with his take and continued to use slurs against that community. [4] Alongside USA Today, his articles have been featured across brands including Greg Wyshynski's Puck Daddy, The Hockey News , Hockey Primetime, as well as various other newspapers and websites.
Bourne eventually joined The Score as a featured writer and stats analyst, as well as a senior hockey columnist for The Athletic and Sportsnet. [5]
On November 25, 2015, Bourne left his position at The Score to become an assistant coach for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, working with the team's video coaching for two seasons. [6]
Bourne's father Bob won the Stanley Cup four times as a centre for the New York Islanders. Bourne is currently married to Brianna, daughter of former NHL all-star Clark Gillies. [7]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2001–02 | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | 60 | 26 | 29 | 55 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | 60 | 32 | 44 | 76 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | University of Alaska Anchorage | WCHA | 40 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | University of Alaska Anchorage | WCHA | 37 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | University of Alaska Anchorage | WCHA | 35 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | University of Alaska Anchorage | WCHA | 37 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Alaska Aces | ECHL | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 2007–08 | Utah Grizzlies | ECHL | 50 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 46 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Reading Royals | ECHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Idaho Steelheads | ECHL | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Honours | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| ECHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2008 | |
Roughly 20 years later, Gillies' daughter, Brianna, and Bourne's son, Justin, reunite at Bourne's induction into the Islanders Hall of Fame. They start dating, fall in love, get married and have two children.