Ray Bourque's Lone NHL Hat Trick Came in a Blowout Win Over the Nordiques

Ray Bourque’s legendary NHL career included 410 goals, five Norris Trophies, and over 1,600 regular season games. Yet, the Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman only recorded a single NHL hat trick, coming in dominant fashion.

On March 8, 1983, the Boston Bruins visited their rivals, the Quebec Nordiques, at Le Colisée. The Bruins overwhelmed Quebec goalie Dan Bouchard in an 11-5 rout. Bourque scored his 18th, 19th, and 20th goals of the 1982-83 season during a blistering ten-minute stretch in the second period. His second tally, Boston’s sixth of the night, stood as the game-winner. He also assisted on a first-period goal by Peter McNab, finishing the night with four points and seven shots on net.

Interestingly, Bourque would again make history against Quebec in 1991 by firing 19 shots in a single game, still the NHL record for most by one player. The blowout saw big contributions across the Bruins roster. McNab tallied five points (two goals, three assists), while Keith Crowder and Rick Middleton each had four-point performances. Bouchard played the full 60 minutes for the Nordiques, surrendering the 11 goals on 38 shots.

Bourque played from 1979-80 through 2000-01 with Boston and Colorado. After more than two decades of elite play, he finally won a Stanley Cup in his final NHL game with the Avalanche. In 2004, he was rightfully enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

About Ray Bourque

The eighth overall pick at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, Ray Bourque played 1,612 regular season and 214 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1979-80 and 2000-01 with the Bruins and Avalanche. His regular season game total places him 13th all-time, three games behind Larry Murphy. 

Bourque won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1979-80 then went on to win the Norris Trophy five times as the league's top defenseman. The longest serving team captain in the history of the Boston Bruins has his number 77 retired by both the Bruins and Avalanche. Ray was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

NHL's Norris Trophy: A History Of Hoarding

The James Norris Memorial Trophy has been awarded each National Hockey League season since 1953-54, honouring the league’s best defenseman. It’s a historical fact that this award is for a very privileged few. By the end of the 2010-11 season, the Norris Trophy had been given out 55 times. Just four players account for 27 of the 55 winners which equates to slightly more than 49%. Since, 2010-11, the award has been spread out to two first time winners.

Bobby Orr

The group of four is headed by Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr. Orr won the Norris Trophy in eight straight seasons from 1967-68 to 1974-75. Of course, this is just a portion of the hardware in Orr’s trophy case. During that eight year run, he won the Art Ross Trophy as league scoring leader twice (the only defenseman to win the award). He was also awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player for three consecutive years from 1969-70 to 1971-72. If Orr’s NHL career didn’t come to a premature end due to knee injuries, there’s no knowing how many more times he would have won the Norris.

Doug Harvey

Doug Harvey won the Norris Trophy seven times, one less than Bobby Orr. After Red Kelly won the inaugural Norris Trophy in 1953-54 as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, Doug Harvey took over. He won four in a row from 1954-55 to 1957-58 as a Montreal Canadien. In 1958-59, Canadiens teammate, Tom Johnson, won the award. From 1959-60 to 1961-62, Harvey won another three in a row, two as a member of the Habs and his final one as a member of the New York Rangers.

Niklas Lidstrom

Tied with Doug Harvey is Niklas Lidstrom. The man who took over the leadership role with the Detroit Red Wings when Steve Yzerman retired won the Norris three years in a row from 2000-01 to 2002-03 and then again from 2005-06 to 2007-08. Lidstrom won one last Norris Trophy in 2010-11. Niklas retired after the 2011-12 season and is destined for the Hockey Hall of Fame. His number 5 will be retired by the Red Wings in March, 2014.

Raymond Bourque

Rounding out the group with his name engraved on the Norris Trophy five times is another Boston Bruins great, Raymond Bourque. Despite playing 22 seasons in the NHL, Bourque’s five Norris Trophy victories came over just an eight year span from 1986-87 to 1993-94. Bourque is the NHL’s all-time leader among defensemen in career goals and points. He is the NHL’s all-time leader in shots on goal with nearly one thousand more than the next on the list.

3 Time Winners

Add in four three-time winners and it really becomes apparent that the Norris Trophy is for a very select few of the most elite defensemen to play the game. Pierre Pilote of the Chicago Blackhawks won three times in the mid 1960’s. Denis Potvin won his three with the New York Islanders during their dynasty years of the early 1980’s. When Ray Bourque wasn’t winning it in the 1980’s and 1990’s, Paul Coffey and Chris Chelios were. Coffey did it with the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings. Chelios did it with the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks. Of course, with the exception of Lidstrom, every player named in this article is now enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. As mentioned, as soon as Lidstrom is eligible, it would be the crime of the century if he is not inducted immediately.