Phil Bourque

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Phil Bourque
Phil Bourque 2010-04-08.JPG
Born (1962-06-08) June 8, 1962 (age 62)
Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position Left Wing/Defense
Shot Left
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
National teamFlag of the United States.svg  United States
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 19822000

Phillipe Richard Bourque (born June 8, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft; instead, he was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 4, 1982. He is a distant cousin to Hall of Fame defenseman Raymond Bourque.

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Playing career

Bourque joined the Penguins organization after playing two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kingston Canadians. He joined the Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate, the Baltimore Skipjacks for the 1982–83 season, and made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh in 1983–84, playing in five games.

Bourque would not become a mainstay on the Penguins roster until the 1988–89 season, during which he played in all 80 of the team's games. He would be a member of the Penguins teams which won the Stanley Cup in the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons. Mike "Doc" Emrick would recount later that Bourque, after winning the 1991-1992 Stanley Cup, had put his name inside the Cup with the many jewelers who had worked on the cup in the past. He had worked on the cup in his garage using a screwdriver to repair a loose screw at the top of the trophy. He would leave the Penguins after the 1992 Cup victory, and play sparingly with the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators. Just prior to the 1994–95 NHL lockout, Bourque was nearly killed when he took a 40-foot fall down a cliff near Arizona's Lake Powell. He suffered three broken vertebrae in his neck, a broken skull, a shattered sinus cavity, a broken cheekbone and a broken nose in the incident. [1] [2]

Bourque left the NHL after the 1995–96 season. He played with the IHL's Chicago Wolves for one season, and then spent three seasons playing in Germany before retiring following the 1999–2000 season.

Bourque works as the color commentator alongside Josh Getzof for Penguins radio broadcasts. Bourque's final segment of the Penguins pre-game broadcasts is known as "Two Minutes with the Ol' Two-Niner." in which Bourque interviews a player, coach, or personality relevant to the upcoming game.

Bourque earned a spot in the hearts of many Penguins fans when he remarked at the victory celebration of Pittsburgh's first Stanley Cup title in 1991 by saying "What do you say we take this thing out on the river and party all summer"! [3] He was referring to taking the Stanley Cup with him on any number of outdoor activities offered by Pittsburgh's three main rivers.

In his NHL career, Bourque appeared in 477 games. He scored 88 goals and added 111 assists. He also appeared in 56 playoff games, scoring 13 goals and recording 12 assists. He also represented the United States at the 1994 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.

In October 2019, Bourque released his book "If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Penguins," where he shares his stories from both his playing and broadcasting careers with the Penguins organization.

Career statistics

  Regular Season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1980–81 Kingston Canadians OHL4744846
1981–82 Kingston CanadiansOHL6711405111140000
1982–83 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL 651151693
1983–84 Baltimore SkipjacksAHL585172296
1983–84 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 501112
1984–85 Baltimore SkipjacksAHL79615211641325723
1985–86 Baltimore SkipjacksAHL7481826226
1985–86 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL40002
1986–87 Baltimore SkipjacksAHL49151631183
1986–87 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL2223532
1987–88 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL214121620
1987–88 Muskegon Lumberjacks IHL5216365266612316
1988–89 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL80172643971141566
1989–90 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL76221739108
1990–91 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL7820143410624671316
1991–92 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL58101626582134725
1992–93 New York Rangers NHL556142039
1993–94 New York RangersNHL160118
1993–94 Ottawa Senators NHL112350
1994–95 Ottawa SenatorsNHL3843720
1995–96 Ottawa SenatorsNHL1311214
1995–96 Detroit Vipers IHL3641317701013410
1996–97 Chicago Wolves IHL77714215040222
1997–98 Rosenheim Star Bulls DEL40471160
1998–99 Hamburg Crocodiles 2.GBun 358202898
1999–00Hamburg Crocodiles2.GBun3617857
NHL totals4778811119951656131225107

References

  1. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n1_v219/ai_16045693%5B%5D
  2. Lee, Amber (June 21, 2011). "Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Teams of the Early '90s: Where Are They Now?". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  3. Phil Bourque Parties with Cup. YouTube . Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.