Phil Bourque

Phillipe Richard Bourque (born June 8, 1962) is an American former 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. He is a distant cousin to Hall of Fame defenseman Raymond Bourque.

Phil Bourque
Born	June 8, 1962 Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Left Wing/Defense
Shot	Left
Played for	Pittsburgh Penguins New York Rangers Ottawa Senators
National team	United States
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1982–2000

Playing career

Bourque joined the Penguins organization after playing two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League 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 Penguins 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.[1][2]

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, his Penguins jersey number. 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"![3] 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.

He also represented the United States at the 1994 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.

In October 2019, Bourque released his book "If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Penguins," where he shares his stories from both his playing and broadcasting careers with the Penguins organization.

In November 2020, Bourque underwent robotic hair restoration by Dr. Brian Vassar Heil[4] and shared it as a fun and positive experience. “I guarantee you in a few months, I’m gonna look like me, how I think I should look from 20 years ago.”[5]

Career statistics

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1980–81	Kingston Canadians	OHL		47	4	4	8	46		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Kingston Canadians	OHL		67	11	40	51	111		4	0	0	0	0
1982–83	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		65	1	15	16	93		—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		58	5	17	22	96		—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		5	0	1	1	12		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		79	6	15	21	164		13	2	5	7	23
1985–86	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		74	8	18	26	226		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		49	15	16	31	183		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		22	2	3	5	32		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		21	4	12	16	20		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Muskegon Lumberjacks	IHL		52	16	36	52	66		6	1	2	3	16
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	NHL		55	6	14	20	39		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	New York Rangers	NHL		16	0	1	1	8		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Ottawa Senators	NHL		11	2	3	5	0		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Ottawa Senators	NHL		38	4	3	7	20		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Ottawa Senators	NHL		13	1	1	2	14		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Detroit Vipers	IHL		36	4	13	17	70		10	1	3	4	10
1996–97	Chicago Wolves	IHL		77	7	14	21	50		4	0	2	2	2
1997–98	Rosenheim Star Bulls	DEL		40	4	7	11	60		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Hamburg Crocodiles	2.GBun		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

References

1. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n1_v219/ai_16045693%5B%5D
2. Lee, Amber (21 June 2011). "Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Teams of the Early '90s: Where Are They Now?". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UQVLJ10tnI
4. https://www.hairrestorationpittsburgh.com/hair-restoration/hair-transplant-local-celebrity-phil-bourque/
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRq1aCfI4so

External links

• Phil Bourque career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=74334