Winter Olympics 2018: Chris Bourque exits famous father's shadow to realize own Olympic dream
Chris Bourque got a chance to experience the Olympics as a 12-year-old, when his father, Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque, was part of the first Canadian men’s hockey team comprised of NHL players in 1998 at the Nagano Games.
Now, he gets a chance to compete on his own, and pull on a U.S. sweater as part of the first post-NHL Olympic squad in Pyeongchang, South Korea, next month.
Since being picked in the second round of the 2004 NHL Draft — the same draft where Washington took Alexander Ovechkin first overall — Bourque has become as important a player in the American Hockey League as his more famous Russian counterpart is to the NHL.
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Bourque did get a couple of call-ups to the NHL, spending 51 games with the Capitals, Penguins and Bruins, but he’s really made his mark in the AHL, currently the league’s active leading scorer with 679 points in 694 AHL games with Portland, Hershey, Providence and Hartford, winning the league’s MVP award two years ago and currently is tied for the league lead in points.
With the NHL opting not to send players to South Korea this winter, Bourque decided to put his NHL return on the back burner to sign an AHL-only deal with the Hershey Bears, with an eye on a spot on the U.S. roster.
“I heard rumblings last year when there was talk of the NHL not going, my agent had spoken to me a little bit about it, a couple of people from USA Hockey had contacted him,” Bourque told Sporting News in a recent interview. “I was a free agent last year, and I kind of decided an AHL deal would be the best fit for me going forward, for the Olympics being a huge reason for that.”
When he got the call after his strong start to the year, he was thrilled.
“It was unbelievable,” he said with a smile. “Top three calls I’ve ever gotten in my life for sure. Obviously, to find out you’re on the U.S. Olympic team is something that is such a far-fetched dream growing up, to finally get that call, it’s unbelievable.”
AHL president Dave Andrews spoke of Chris Bourque’s importance to his league.
“I’ve spoken with Chris, and I know he’s thrilled to be going and know his family are going over,” he said. "It’ll be one highlight of many highlights in his career. But I’m sure being such a special opportunity, that it’s something he’s very proud of I’m sure looking forward to.
“Chris is a really good player, and I think he had he been born 10 years later in today’s NHL, he wouldn’t be in the American League. He’s the kind of player that could stand out in today’s NHL, he was a little too ahead of his time in terms of play. At the American League, you can argue there have not been a lot of players over our 80-year history that have not had the kind of success Chris has had at the AHL level. It’s great to see him get this chance.”
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Bourque will be counted on for his offensive ability for Team USA. While he is a smaller player, he possesses a lot of skill.
San Jose Barracuda captain John McCarthy, who works out with Bourque during their summers in Massachusetts and faced him when he played out east for Worcester, talked about his scoring prowess.
“He’s got a really, really high skill ceiling, good on the power play, he’s got a great shot and he’s top five in scoring every single year in the AHL," he said. "It’s not really a mystery why. He’s a really very talented player who can put up a lot of points.”
Asked what it was like to face Bourque, McCarthy laughed.
“I was usually blocking his one-timers, so it wasn’t very much fun,” he said. “He’s definitely someone you have to be aware when he’s on the ice. You don’t want to turn the puck over or give him more space than you need to.”
Bears coach Troy Mann, who has both coached for and against Chris, talked about the quiet leadership on the ice Bourque brings to teams.
“He’s not a rah-rah type of leader,” Mann said. “He speaks his mind when he needs to, but obviously his skill level and his ability to make plays and change the game when it needs to be changed is his strength. I’ve seen that as the head coach, and the assistant, and also when I was on the bench and he was on the opposite team, because he’s got the ability, the hand-eye coordination and the vision to make a play.
“The thing about Chris and players like him is even when he’s having an off-night, they can change the momentum with one nice play or goal to give you the lead or get you back in the hockey game, because that’s what those kind of players do.”
Twenty years after his trip to Japan, Bourque recalled what it was like to experience the Olympic games as a family member.
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“I remember it was a big culture shock for me going over to Japan,” he said. “I was 12 years old, hadn’t seen much of the world at that point of my life. Going over to Japan was an experience, and you mix in the Olympics, and all that comes with that, all the different sports, the different things you can do. It was a great experience and something that is still fresh in my mind when I’m 31 years old."
The elder Bourque recalled his own Olympic experience this past weekend for reporters in Hershey.
“I experienced the Olympics in 1998 for Canada, there’s nothing better,” Ray Bourque said. “It’s phenomenal … you get play for your country, get the whole country behind you cheering you on. It’s a pretty special feeling. I’m happy for him. He gets a chance to experience it all with the Olympics. He’s excited.”
Ray even honored Chris at this past weekend’s AHL Outdoor Classic during the Alumni game, taking the ice with the Hershey Bears alumni and sporting No. 17 — Chris’ number with the Bears.
“I haven’t seen him play in a while. My kids have never seen him play. Iit’s going to be a good event for the whole family,” Chris said before the event. “That’s going to be awesome to see him wear 17, something no one has ever seen before.”
“I hope I don’t disappoint him,” Ray joked before the event with reporters. “I’ll try to make him proud."
Having spent so much time in the AHL, Bourque will see some familiar faces in Korea, both for and against Team USA.
“I played growing up with a couple of the guys, obviously played against probably 75 percent of the guys," he said. "Definitely some familiar faces there. It’s going to be good to see everyone once we get over there.”
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One of the goaltenders he may face is former Bears teammate Justin Peters, who is currently playing in the KHL and part of defending gold medalist Team Canada.
“It’s going to be awesome,” he said of possibly facing Peters. “I talked to Petey last week when the team got announced. He’s an awesome guy and one of the most competitive goalies I’ve ever played with or against. He tries to make every single save in practice, which is impossible to do. He’s definitely one of the hardest working goalies I’ve ever seen, and a great guy. It’s going to be good to see him.”
For all of his accolades — three Calder Cups, an AHL MVP and AHL playoff MVP — not to mention spending time in the NHL, Chris left no doubt about where being part of the Olympic games would rank in his hockey career, 20 years after he was brought over to Japan.
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“When I step on the ice for the first Olympic game, it’s going to be No. 1,” he said. “The best thing that’s happened to me in hockey. It’s one of the best things that will ever happen to me or my family in my lifetime.
“It’s going to be an experience that we all will remember forever. My wife’s going over with me and my two small kids, it’s going to be great to enjoy the experience with my family. It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we’re very excited.”
