Was Bourque a physical player?

[Hug Ben Laf]

I know Bourque was a great d-men and play with an physical edge. But do you think he was as physical as let say Denis Potvin, Jovanovski or somethig like that? does he play a physical game where he could really hurt a player with his pysical play or it is more an position game like Lidstrom?

Click to read more...

 

[acr*]

He was smart-physical. He could lay the big hit as much as Pronger or someone like that, but he only did it in situations where he could get away with it. He'd never leave his other D-Man on an island by taking himself out of the play for a big hit.

 

[Malefic74]

Bourque was a positional player. He handled contact better than Lidstrom does, but he was a position and angle defenseman. He never shied away from contact and certainly was effective in the corners, behind the net and rubbing forwards out along the boards. But he was never a feared hitter like Stevens, Potvin or Robinson.

Bourque was strong so he was never totally overpowered, and was very strong on his skates giving him a very solid base. He falls into the category of guys like Rod Langway or Kevin Lowe. Guys who could do their job and handle their own end and handle the rough stuff, but it was never their specialty.

 

[demdem69]

Agreed!

I agree with the assessment done here of my FAVOURITE player!

Playing D on my rec. hockey team , I can even appreciate more those skills that Raymond displayed in his own end.

All these reasons makes it the best Defenseman I've ever seen play.
I think a D-man's priority is defense, and that's why I always dismissed Coffey as a Defenseman. He was a good QB, but was more like a 4th forward.

I am too young to have seen Orr played, but although he was a great player, I think his offensive breakaways may have been compromising to his defense partners.

 

[KOVALEV10*]

I agree with the assessment done here of my FAVOURITE player!

Playing D on my rec. hockey team , I can even appreciate more those skills that Raymond displayed in his own end.

All these reasons makes it the best Defenseman I've ever seen play.
I think a D-man's priority is defense, and that's why I always dismissed Coffey as a Defenseman. He was a good QB, but was more like a 4th forward.

I am too young to have seen Orr played, but although he was a great player, I think his offensive breakaways may have been compromising to his defense partners.

No my friend what people dont realise is that Orr even though he was consistly on the offensive end he was right back at you when he lost the puck. Old players said that he was so fast that if you would get a pass to go on a breakaway he would be catching you in an instant. That's why Bobby Orr was the greatest D man not Ray Bourque. Raymond Bourque is the third greatest after Orr and Harvey.

 

[Leaf Lander]

bourque was 5 11 or 6 feet and about 220 pounds of muscle he was a tank

He was good in all aspects of the game

 

[mcphee]

Bourque was as good as anyone at the stick and pin move deep in his zone. He had great leg drive and would immobilize guys and destroy forecheckers. I never thought he was much of an open ice hitter though. You'd never confuse him with Potvin. He really didn't have much of a mean streak but would punish people deep in the zone.

 

[Freudian]

A defenseman with a good ability to read the game and position himself rarely get in a situation where he has to play overly physical. Bourque had immensive strength but was smart about using it.

I think that with his skating and the way he was built, if he had been a player chasing hits he would have been known as a great hitter.