Ray Finally Gets What He Deserves

Ray Finally Gets What He Deserves

It is a sad day for every Bostonian that cares about ice hockey. Today Raymond Bourque was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. The Captain, and "heart" of the Bruins, played for Boston for over 21 years. At first inspection, all parties involved seemed to have benefited from this trade (except, of course, the Boston fans). I was born in Boston and have rooted for them for over 20 years. This truly was a sad day for me. I’m just glad I wasn’t alive to see Babe Ruth get sold to the Yankees by the Red Sox for $120,000. That was worse. But this deal comes close. There are several reasons this trade was inevitable though.

Firstly, it is almost certain the Bruins will not make the playoffs once again this year. Since Ray is in the waning years of his career (not that it shows in his performance), he now deserves to be contending for a Stanley Cup. There are plenty of teams that need a talented veteran defenseman this time of year. It is “crunch-time” for many teams because the playoff picture is still unclear. The Avalanche are still fighting for a spot and Bourque will surely help them to solidify one.

Secondly, Ray will become a free agent after this season. He has stated over and over that he wanted to retire as a Boston Bruin, but in this day of free agency, it is almost impossible for any star to remain on any one team for 10 years, let alone 21! Furthermore, because Ray has been so loyal, he has earned the right to decide his future. And he definitely wants a final shot at the Stanley Cup after it eluded him before in two previous Stanley Cup final losses. So I wish him the best of luck.

Finally, the Boston organization is obviously in a state of disrepair. The team is not good. By trading Bourque before he is eligible to leave via free agency, Boston was in the position to try to get some good players or draft picks to build it's team of the future. However, I personally think Colorado stole Bourque in this deal. Sure the Bruins get a great player in Brian Rolston and some early round draft picks, but this is definitely not going to help to solve any of their problems come next year. Furthermore, since potential Hall of Famer Dave Andreychuck is also included in the deal, the scale is tipped in Colorado’s favor.

I must say I am happy to see Raymond Bourque get his wish to join a possible Stanley Cup contender. However, I am saddened that I will never see him dawn a Bruin’s sweater ever again. Boston hasn’t seen the likes of this caliber hockey player since Bobby Orr. Ray Bourque truly is "old-school". He is the consummate professional, leader, and all around good person. He did great charity work for the Boston community. Those qualities in a professional athlete are far and few between these days. He gave more to Boston than he ever expected to receive. Good luck, #77!

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