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Wednesday Roundup Avalanche retain Bourque with one-year deal
Posted: Thursday June 15, 2000 12:25 PM
DENVER (AP) -- Raymond Bourque, who helped fuel the Avalanche's failed bid for the Stanley Cup, signed a contract Wednesday that will keep him with Colorado for another year. The 39-year-old Bourque could have tried his luck on the free-agent market beginning July 1, but chose to stay with Colorado. The contract was for one year plus an option, but other details were not disclosed. "The Avalanche is a very competitive and contending club and I am looking forward to continue playing in a great hockey environment," Bourque said. "Ray is an impact player for our hockey club and every one of our players will be excited to know that he will be back with us," said general manager Pierre Lacroix. "Ray is in tremendous shape and is as strong as he has ever been." The All-Star defenseman entered the league with Boston in 1979 and stayed with the Bruins until a March 6 trade sent him to the Avalanche, where he hoped to get his first Stanley Cup championship. The Avs advanced to the Western Conference finals before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars. Bourque had 18 goals and 34 assists in 79 games last season, including eight goals and six assists in 14 games with the Avalanche.
Ray's days in Buffalo overBUFFALO, N.Y. -- Rob Ray, noted as much for his fists as his charitable works, will not be re-signed by the Buffalo Sabres, and will become an unrestricted free agent July 1. "I met with Rob Ray and informed him that the club was not going to exercise the option on his contract for next season," Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said Wednesday. Ray was unavailable for comment. The Sabres' fifth-round selection in the 1988 draft, Ray made his pro debut the following year. His 714 games played rank seventh with the Sabres. Ray's 2,687 career penalty minutes are the most by any player with one team, and 11th on the NHL list. The right wing totaled 34 goals and 75 points. Ray appeared in 69 games last season but his ice time diminished down the stretch, and he did not make a postseason appearance in Buffalo's five-game first-round series loss to Philadelphia. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff put Ray behind the bench as an extra assistant coach in the playoffs. Following the 1998-99 season, Ray won the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contributions to the community. He works closely with the March of Dimes, Make-A-Wish program and Buffalo-area hospitals. Following the Sabres' elimination from the playoffs, Ray said he wasn't ready to retire but sensed his days in Buffalo might be over. "If it is [over], it is," Ray said as he cleaned out his locker after the postseason. "There's no way you can be bitter about anything that's gone on and be disappointed, because you've lived in a fantasy world for the last 12 years. "It would be nice to finish here, but if it's not meant to be here, it's not meant to be here."
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