Phil Bourque
Encyclopedia
Phillipe Richard Bourque (born June 8, 1962) is a former American
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.
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 Penguin 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.
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 currently works as the color commentator
alongside Mike Lange
for Penguins radio broadcasts. Bourque is lovingly known by Penguins faithful as the Ol' Two-Niner. 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"! 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player. He was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League systematically select the rights to available amateur ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirements...
; instead, he was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
on October 4, 1982.
Playing career
Bourque joined the Penguins organization after playing two seasons in the Ontario Hockey LeagueOntario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
with the Kingston Canadians
Kingston Canadians
The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
. He joined the Penguins' American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
affiliate, the Baltimore Skipjacks
Baltimore Skipjacks
The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor professional ice hockey team in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and the American Hockey League. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena.-History:...
for the 1982–83 season
1982–83 AHL season
The 1982–83 AHL season was the 47th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season, and won their fourth Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:...
, 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 Penguin teams which won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
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
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Just prior to the 1994–95 NHL lockout, Bourque was nearly killed when he took a 40-foot fall down a cliff near Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
's Lake Powell
Lake Powell
Lake Powell is a huge reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona . It is the second largest man-made reservoir in the United States behind Lake Mead, storing of water when full...
. He suffered three broken vertebrae in his neck, a broken skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
, a shattered sinus cavity, a broken cheekbone and a broken nose
Human nose
The visible part of the human nose is the protruding part of the face that bears the nostrils. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, which consists mostly of cartilage and which separates the nostrils...
in the incident.
Bourque left the NHL after the 1995–96 season. He played with the IHL's Chicago Wolves
Chicago Wolves
The Chicago Wolves are a professional hockey team playing in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois...
for one season, and then spent three seasons playing in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
before retiring following the 1999–2000 season.
Bourque currently works as the color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
alongside Mike Lange
Mike Lange
Mike Lange is the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2001, he received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his outstanding work as an NHL broadcaster....
for Penguins radio broadcasts. Bourque is lovingly known by Penguins faithful as the Ol' Two-Niner. 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"! 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.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1980–81 | Kingston Canadians Kingston Canadians The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.-History:... |
OHL Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada.... |
47 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Kingston Canadians | OHL | 67 | 11 | 40 | 51 | 111 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 1982–83 AHL season The 1982–83 AHL season was the 47th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season, and won their fourth Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:... |
Baltimore Skipjacks Baltimore Skipjacks The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor professional ice hockey team in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and the American Hockey League. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena.-History:... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
65 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 1983–84 AHL season The 1983–84 AHL season was the 48th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league initiates two new awards. The Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award is first awarded to the league's "best goaltender." The Jack A... |
Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 58 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 1984–85 AHL season The 1984–85 AHL season was the 49th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Binghamton Whalers finished first overall in the regular season... |
Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 79 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 164 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 23 | ||
| 1985–86 1985–86 AHL season The 1985–86 AHL season was the 50th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season... |
Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 74 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 226 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 1986–87 AHL season The 1986–87 AHL season was the 51st season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league institutes awarding one point in the standings, for an overtime loss... |
Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 49 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 183 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 22 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Muskegon Lumberjacks Muskegon Lumberjacks The Muskegon Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Muskegon, Michigan.-Facts:-Season-by-Season record:Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses/Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in... |
IHL | 52 | 16 | 36 | 52 | 66 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | ||
| 1987–88 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 21 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 80 | 17 | 26 | 43 | 97 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 66 | ||
| 1989–90 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 76 | 22 | 17 | 39 | 108 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 78 | 20 | 14 | 34 | 106 | 24 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 16 | ||
| 1991–92 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 58 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 58 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 25 | ||
| 1992–93 | New York Rangers New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the... |
NHL | 55 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 39 | |— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | New York Rangers | NHL | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 38 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Detroit Vipers Detroit Vipers The Detroit Vipers was an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.-Beginning:... |
IHL | 36 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 70 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | ||
| 1995–96 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Chicago Wolves Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional hockey team playing in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois... |
IHL | 77 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | Starbulls Rosenheim Starbulls Rosenheim Starbulls Rosenheim is an ice hockey team from Germany. The team joined SB/DJK Rosenheim in 1979, after EV Rosenheim had folded, and in 1994 the team adopted their current name.The team played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 1995-2000... |
DEL | 40 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Hamburg Crocodiles Hamburg Crocodiles The Hamburg Crocodiles are an ice hockey team in Hamburg, Germany. They currently play in the Verbandsliga Nord, one of the German regional leagues.-History:... |
2.GBun 2nd Bundesliga (ice hockey) The 2nd Eishockey-Bundesliga is the second tier of Ice hockey in Germany. It is organised by the DEB, the German Ice Hockey Federation. In the 2007-08 season, it features 14 teams.- History of the 2nd Ice Hockey Bundesliga :... |
35 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Hamburg Crocodiles | 2.GBun | 36 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 477 | 88 | 111 | 199 | 516 | 56 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 107 | ||||