#2- Ray Bourque finally wins the Stanley Cup

#2- Ray Bourque finally wins the Stanley Cup

For me, the greatest Hockey moment of all-time came when Ray Bourque finally got to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup over his head as a Champion, and that is why it comes in as my #2 Sports Moment.

Ray Bourque began playing in the NHL in 1979 as a Defenseman for the Boston Bruins. His final game was June 9, 2001. In the 22 seasons between, Ray Bourque became (in my book) the greatest defenseman to ever play the game. Among his many, many accomplishments are the following: NHL records for Goals (415) and Points (1579) by a Defenseman, Shots (6206), and All-Star appearances (19); Boston Bruins team records for games Played, Assists, and Points; Five-time Norris Trophy Winner (Best Defenseman). Bourque also served as Team Captain of the Boston Bruins from 1985 until his trade to the Colorado Avalanche in 2000 (he then served as an Alternate Captain until his retirement).

Ray Bourque also represented himself and his teams with class and integrity. Many people in and around sports have likened Bourque to being NFL greats Dan Marino, John Elway, and Joe Montana all wrapped into one. Yes, he is that likable. When he was drafted, the Bruins issued him jersey #7 which drew the ire of many fans because #7 had previously been worn by Phil Esposito (Most of the records Gretzky broke were previously owned by Esposito). Several years later, the Bruins honored Esposito by retiring his #7. At the retirement ceremony, Bourque skated to Esposito and in a stunning show of class and respect removed his own #7 jersey and handed it to Esposito, effectively communicating to everyone that #7 belonged to Phil Esposito. Bourque wore #77 thereafter, and his jersey has since been retired by both the Boston Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche (one of only 6 NHL players ever to have their jersey retired by more than one team).

After losing in the Stanley Cup Finals twice with the Bruins (1988 and 1990), Bourque saw his team gradually decline right out of playoff contention and in 2000 he requested a trade to a playoff contender. On deadline day he and teammate Dave Andreychuk were traded to Colorado for three players and a 1st Round Draft Pick. That season the Avalanche lost the Conference Finals in 7 games to Dallas. Bourque came back for the 2000-2001 season and the Avalanche dominated the league. The team won the President’s Trophy and finished with a record of 52-16-10-4. The Avalanche also hosted the All-Star game.

In the Playoffs, the Avs swept the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in the first round and survived the upstart LA Kings in 7 games in the second round. They routed St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Finals in 5 games with Joe Sakic scoring the series winning goal 24 seconds into OT. Throughout the playoffs, the Avalanche players carried out a campaign they called “Mission 16W” representing the 16 wins needed to win the Stanley Cup, as well as the team goal to get Ray Bourque a championship. In the Stanley Cup Finals, Bourque and the Avalanche faced the defending champion New Jersey Devils.

Going into game 5, the series was tied. Patrick Roy made a bad play which handed the Devils the game and gave them the chance to win the Cup on home ice. Roy recovered from his gaffe and shutout the Devils in Game 6. Game 7 was June 9, 2001 in Denver and the Avalanche won the game 3-1, winning the Stanley Cup and completing Mission 16W. That is when the moment happened.

After all the cheering and hugging, the handshake line, and then hugging family, the Stanley Cup was brought out. As is tradition, the Cup is presented to the Captain of the Team, in this case, Joe Sakic. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman conveyed the message everyone was thinking without saying when he said, “Joe, someone here has waited a long time for this, why don’t you go and give it to him!” The crowd exploded into applause as Sakic received the Cup and instead of being the first to hoist it over his head as was his right, he skated straight to Ray Bourque and handed it to him. Bourque, with tears streaming down his face raised the Cup over his head.

While the image of Bourque crying while hoisting the Cup is burned into my memory forever, the part that makes it even more meaningful was the picture taken from behind him. In that picture you see Bourque raising the Cup with his wife and children looking on, tears streaming down their faces too. They knew how important this accomplishment was to him.

Ray Bourque waited longer than any other player in the 116 year history of the Stanley Cup to win it. His 22-year career and NHL record streak of most games played without winning the Stanley Cup came to an end that day at 1,826 games.

#3- The Miracle on Ice

#3- The Miracle on Ice

Even though this event happened before I was even born, I can still recognize its massive significance and emotional power, especially when I get to see the replays. More than likely, many of you have seen the Disney movie “Miracle” so you know what I am talking about. Here’s a little background. In 1980, Olympic Hockey did not allow for the use of professional athletes, meaning that players had to be amateurs. The United States fielded a team entirely made up of college kids with most of them coming from the University of Minnesota (Brooks refused to even let a Michigan Wolverine be on the team). The players took a long time to learn how to get along seeing as how they were from rival schools. The USSR team, by contrast, was made up of “amateurs” who were really professionals hiding under a guise created by their country to allow them to play and dominate. Leading up to the Olympics, the Soviets repeatedly won exhibition games against NHL teams and blanked the NHL All-Stars 6-0, while the Americans struggled to beat Norway and other sub-par teams.

Team USA finally melded together using their hatred for their coach (Herb Brooks) as their motivation. Coach Brooks repeatedly admitted intentionally trying to make himself their enemy in order to get the team to bond. No one really expected them to do much in the Olympics considering they were only seeded 7th out of 12 teams. They turned heads by tying favored Sweden in their first game, and then blowing out Czechoslovakia in their second game. They went on to finish 4-0-1 in the tourney and advanced to the medal round.

That was where they met the Soviets. As improbable as it was, Team USA kept with the Soviets the entire game and took the lead 4-3 on Captain Mike Eruzione’s goal with 10 minutes to go. They held on to win the game and that is where the historical significance comes in. The 1970’s had been rough on the US, and patriotism was hurting especially with the perception that the US was losing both the Cold War and Olympic Sports to the Soviets. Team USA’s win rekindled patriotism all over the USA and some have even credited the game with turning the tide in the Cold War. Al Michaels’ call of the game, “Do you believe in Miracles? Yes!” was immortalized and earned him Sportscaster of the Year. Team USA won numerous awards from Sports Illustrated including “Sportsmen of the Year” and “Athlete of the Year.” As part of its 25th Anniversary, ESPN named the game as the top sports moment, headline, and game between 1979 and 2004. Lastly, the wildly popular U-S-A! U-S-A! Chant now shouted at just about every international competition in every sport featuring a US athlete or team, was popularized at that game.

How could anything possibly top this moment? You’ll have to check back next week for #2 of the Top 4 Greatest Sports Moments Ever.

Greatest Sports Moments Ever: #4

So I know that I originally advertised this as “Top 3,” but while I was writing, I realized that I couldn’t narrow the list to 3. I have also decided that in order to give each moment its proper recognition I will divide the post into four parts.

This posting is about what I think are the 4 greatest sports moments ever. While I fully realize that there are probably several dozen events worthy of making the list, I have chosen these as my Top 4. The criteria I have set as the basis for ranking these moments are: Overall significance to sports, Emotional impact, Memorability, and Future sports impact.

#4- Kirk Gibson’s Game Winning Home Run in Game 1 of 1988 World Series

While many other baseball teams have historic and memorable home runs, none is as significant as this one. The Oakland A’s had been a juggernaut and were overwhelming favorites in the series. When Kirk Gibson hobbled to the plate as a pinch hitter, the Dodgers were trailing 4-3 with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. Dennis Eckersley was on the mound for the A’s looking to close out the win. Gibson, who had sustained multiple injuries to his legs and knees during the NLCS, could barely stand and grunted in pain after each swing. He extended the count to full at 3-2, and then hit the next pitch into the right field bleachers winning the game. Gibson then became immortal as he rounded second base and pumped his fist twice.

The Dodgers went on to win the World Series in 5 games, but the significance of the event reached even further. It marked the first time in World Series history that a team had won a game on a come from behind home run. And even more significant, millions of kids (myself included) were seen to mimic Gibson’s fist pump at little league games all over Southern California. We thought we were so cool rounding First base on a ground ball, but still pumping our fists like Gibson. That was Kirk Gibson’s only at bat in that World Series, as his injuries prevented him from any further playing time. Lastly, this home run is also considered to be the greatest home run in Dodgers franchise history.

What tops this sports moment? You’ll have to check back next week for #3 of the Top 4 Greatest Sports Moments Ever.