It’s one of those cases where fans of Boston University ice hockey will forever wonder what might have been.
As Chris Bourque made his professional debut last Tuesday night with the Washington Capitals (on a line with Alexander Ovechkin, no less), it was hard for some memories not to rush back into the minds of Terrier fans.
It was just three years ago that Bourque was roaming the Agganis Arena and Walter Brown Arena ice, coasting end to end with the puck and making many opponents look foolish in the process. A young freshman with a last name so many in New England had plenty of familiarity with, Terrier fans could only dream of what was to come over the next three seasons. The possibilities were endless.
That first season on Comm. Ave. ended with a surprise to many, however, as we were informed Bourque would not be coming back for a sophomore campaign: he chose to forego the rest of his collegiate career and move on to the AHL. In all likelihood the decision had plenty to do with the immense talent Ray’s son possessed. There was no doubt from the moment he began wowing the crowds while donning scarlet and white that there was a good chance he would someday touch NHL ice. While he may be undersized, Bourque has used whispers that he would never be as good as his father to push him to hockey success. Say what you want about him, but Bourque certainly plays with a chip on his shoulder.
While his talent was certainly a factor in the decision, the fact that his GPA wasn’t Dean’s List material (to put it nicely) had a little more to do with it. In his own words, Bourque said school “wasn’t really his thing.” Right. School isn’t the “thing” for a lot of college athletes, but you really have to be lazy for that to keep you from passing classes.
While Bourque’s statement showed the arrogance of a kid growing up as the son of a legend, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Bourque would’ve looked awful nice paired with Pete MacArthur and Boomer Ewing the past two years. The three were nothing short of electric while playing together as freshmen. The Roche-MacArthur-Ewing line did some special things, but it’d be interesting to see what kind of numbers the three classmates would be putting together right now had they stayed together. You can’t tell me they wouldn’t be far and away the most intimidating line in Hockey East.
It comes as no surprise that scoring has been the single biggest issue for the Terriers since Bourque left. The talented prospects have continued to funnel into the school, but you’d need all your fingers and toes to count the number of times No. 36 bailed the Terriers out of games when the offense didn’t show up. Bourque may not have altered the complete complexion of the offense, but simply having one more player at that talent level certainly wouldn’t have hurt the team these past few years.
Sure, Bourque’s decision looks good, as he got his first taste of NHL action while the classmates he came into BU with continue to fight for a national championship and strive to earn diplomas in May. But would even one more year of college have hurt his NHL dream? His would-have-been sophomore year, BU entered the NCAA tournament as the best team in the nation playing without him. But the one glaring weakness that team had was a lack of power-play clout. For those who saw Bourque in his brief stay on Comm. Ave, you know how valuable Bourque’s blistering and accurate slap shot from the point was on power plays.
Who knows? Maybe he could have made a difference that season. Maybe he wouldn’t have. Either way, The Son of Ray’s NHL debut made it hard not to wonder how different the past few years would have been had he remained in scarlet and white. Would there have been more goals like the OT game winner he scored to secure the Beanpot? Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
Chris Lyons, a senior in the College of Communication, is a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. He can be reached at [email protected].