Ray Borque is one of the greatest defensive players to ever play in the NHL. At his retirement, he held the records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenseman in the NHL. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defensemen five times, while finishing second for that trophy six times. He also twice finished second in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, a rarity for a defenseman. He was named to the end-of-season All-Star Teams 19 times, 13 on the first-team and six on the second-team.
Bourque was also an Olympian with Canada and became nearly synonymous with the Boston Bruins franchise, for which he played 21 seasons and became Boston's longest-serving captain. Bourque finished his career with the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he won his only Stanley Cup in his final NHL game. He was inducted inot the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.