Latest news with #Bourque
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Brad Marchand in '25 and Ray Bourque in '01: A breakdown of ex-Bruins and the Stanley Cup
Brad Marchand's quest to win the Stanley Cup as a member of the Florida Panthers has inspired a nostalgia-fueled discussion about something that happened in 2001 with his old team, the Boston Bruins. But even if you're not a Bruins fan, even if you hate the Bruins, you may know what I'm talking about. Advertisement It goes something like this: Marchand is an aging ex-Bruin playing for the Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, which is not unlike what happened nearly a quarter of a century ago when the great Raymond Bourque was an aging ex-Bruin playing for the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. There are, of course, major differences between what Marchand is trying to accomplish versus what Bourque accomplished in the spring of 2001, and I'll get to those differences in a moment. But I need to get this out of the way first: It's a good thing whenever we can revisit June 13, 2001, which was the day Ray Bourque of the newly crowned Avalanche stepped out to a balcony at Boston's City Hall Plaza to be cheered by the thousands of Bruins fans who turned out for the occasion. How Bourque came to be holding the Stanley Cup over his head at City Hall Plaza is a story with all kinds of twists and turns, not to mention a years-later rollout of long-simmering grievances. Rather than rehash it all here, I invite you to read the oral history I wrote for The Athletic in 2021 commemorating the 20th anniversary of the event. I interviewed some 15 people back then, including Bourque and former Bruins president Harry Sinden, and everybody was remarkably candid and anecdotal. In short, the Bruins did Bourque a solid on March 6, 2000, when they traded the legendary defenseman to the Avalanche. The Bruins were rebuilding and Bourque had yet to win a Cup, and the trade was designed to be win-win for everybody. The Avalanche didn't make it to the Cup final that year, but they won it all a year later, toppling the New Jersey Devils. In an instant-classic hockey moment, Avalanche captain Joe Sakic was handed the Stanley Cup by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and immediately handed it off to Bourque, lest there be any doubt as to the identity of the most emotional man in the building. Advertisement Six days later, there stood Bourque at City Hall Plaza. It was an idea hatched by the office of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, after which it bounced to Bourque's agent, Steve Freyer, and then to Bourque himself. A call was placed to Sinden, who was fishing in Maine. He wasn't one bit happy about this City Hall Plaza idea. Again, read the original piece. But know this: While there may have been some hard feelings about the event, there were no villains. Everybody shook hands and went on with their lives. And I'll let you in on a secret: Bourque originally didn't want to be interviewed for the story but then said he'd take part only if Sinden agreed to be interviewed. To my surprise — and, I guess, to Bourque's surprise — Sinden did the interview. And away we went. I'm forever grateful to both men. So there. Thanks for indulging me as I invite you to read a story that was written at a time when we were all just beginning to dust ourselves off from the pandemic. (In fact, every interview I did was over the phone.) Now, back to Marchand. How is his pursuit of the Stanley Cup different from Bourque's 2001 vision quest with the Avalanche? Let us count the ways: • As a member of the 2010-11 Bruins, Marchand has already played on a Stanley Cup winner. The trade that sent him to Florida was not a goodwill gesture by Bruins GM Don Sweeney. The Bruins had tried to work out a contract extension; failing that, they dealt him to the Panthers, who were loading up for another Cup run. • Whereas it was not surprising when the 40-year-old Bourque retired after winning the Cup, Marchand has no plans to go gently into that good night. (Not that he's ever gone gently anywhere.) Marchand will be a free agent after this Cup final has ended, and as The Athletic's Chris Johnston points out, 'To say that the 37-year-old has boosted his market value this postseason is an understatement.' • Is Marchand a Hall of Famer? Well, yes, says me. But it's a discussion worth having. In fact, if you google 'Brad Marchand' and 'Hall of Fame,' you'll be directed to dozens of these very discussions. Bourque, on the other hand, is hockey royalty. In The Athletic's countdown of the top 99 players in modern NHL history, he came in at No. 10. Advertisement • Marchand has baggage. Bourque arrives for this discussion without even a carry-on. Put another way, Marchand has boiled the blood of many hockey fans over the years, from licking the faces of opposing players to speed-bagging the Vancouver Canucks' Daniel Sedin during the 2011 Cup final. Bourque? When Sakic handed him the Cup that night in Denver, it was one of hockey's all-time feel-good moments. If/when the Panthers repeat as champions, and if/when team captain Sasha Barkov hands the Cup to Marchand, crushed beer cans will be landing on flat screens across North America. Brad Marchand was one heck of a trade deadline pickup — The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) June 5, 2025 • While many Boston fans would enjoy seeing Marchand play on a Cup winner, it means rooting for the Panthers, which means rooting for the team that pushed the Bruins out of the playoffs (while also pushing them around) in 2023 and '24. There were no such hard feelings with the Avalanche when Bourque won his Cup. I suppose one could go all the way back to the days when the Avalanche were doing business as the Quebec Nordiques and get re-upset over Boston-born, future NHL referee Paul Stewart running up 27 penalty minutes (including an epic fight with Stan Jonathan) in Quebec's 7-4 loss to the Bruins on Nov. 22, 1979, at the Old Garden, but that's next-level grudge-holding. The Nordiques also knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs in 1982, but c'mon. • For Bourque to bring the Cup to City Hall of Plaza in 2001 made it possible for fans everywhere else to crow that things were so bad in Boston that their fans had been reduced to celebrating another city's championship. At the time, no Boston team had won a championship since the 1985-86 Celtics, nor had any Boston team played so much as a postseason game in nearly two years. Marchand is welcome to bring the Stanley Cup to Boston should the Panthers recover from their Game 1 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers and win it all, but he shouldn't expect Mayor Michelle Wu to order up a party. The Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins have combined to win 13 championships since the day Bourque held the Stanley Cup over his head.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bruins legend explains how winning Stanley Cup with different team broke Boston's championship curse
The Bruins traded Ray Bourque to the Colorado Avalanche in March 2000 in order to allow him to win a Stanley Cup before his career was over. He did just that a year later in 2001. But in doing so, he also helped the city of Boston break its championship curse. Advertisement During an appearance on Julian Edelman's 'Games With Names' podcast, Bourque revealed that the string of Boston teams winning titles came after he brought the Stanley Cup to Boston to celebrate with his former fanbase at City Hall. 'What happened after that — the Patriots win in New Orleans," he said. 'And then, from that point on, the Pats win two out of three (Super Bowls), the (86-year) curse is broken with the (Red Sox), the Celtics win, the Bruins win, the Patriots keep winning, the Red Sox win again. 'It all started after the Cup came back to Boston.' Bourque was hesitant to return to Boston — the city he spent 21 years of his career in. After the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, the late Mayor Thomas Menino's office called Bourque's agent to see if he wanted to celebrate at City Hall. Advertisement Bourque said no because he didn't want to embarrass the Bruins. But then-general manager Mike O'Connell was OK with it. The Celtics are the most recent men's Boston team to win a championship — having done so just last summer. Perhaps history will repeat itself this year for a former Bruins captain. The Bruins traded their captain, Brad Marchand, in March to the Florida Panthers so he could make another run at winning a Cup. The difference between Bourque — who was also Boston's captain at time of his trade — and Marchand, is that Marchand already a Cup to his name. The Panthers are looking to repeat as champs, whereas the Edmonton Oilers are looking to get revenge in a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final that saw Florida hoist the Cup. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
CBC
02-05-2025
- CBC
Whitehorse taxi driver who hit pedestrian, leaving her with permanent brain damage, sentenced to house arrest
A Whitehorse taxi driver who hit a pedestrian with his vehicle last year and left her with "catastrophic" brain damage has been given a two-month-long conditional sentence and six months of probation. Territorial Court Chief Judge John Phelps sentenced Abdella Jemallo on one count of driving at an unreasonable speed — a violation of the Yukon's Motor Vehicles Act — on Wednesday. Jemallo, 52, pleaded guilty last week. According to an agreed statement of facts, he was driving on Second Avenue the morning of Feb. 13, 2024, when he hit Virginie Bourque as she crossed the street in front of the Yukon Centre Mall, at a section with no crosswalk. Jemallo, who had a passenger in his taxi despite his vehicle-for-hire permit expiring the week before, was driving at between 67 km/h to 71 km/h when he hit Bourque. The impact threw her at least 35 metres, the statement says, and she suffered injuries including a fractured pelvis and spine as well as "a severe traumatic brain injury that caused permanent neurological damage." Jemallo's taxi rear-ended two vehicles at the traffic light at Ogilivie Street, coming to a stop 61 metres away from the crash site. The statement says an accident reconstructionist found that if Jemallo had been driving the 40 km/h speed limit, he would have been 86 metres away from the point of impact while Bourque was crossing. It also says Bourque crossed the street on an "angled" route, and had she crossed in a "perpendicular manner," she would have made it to the other side. Bourque was medevaced to Vancouver and was in a coma for four months. In an emotional victim impact statement, her partner, Jessica Busque, told the court that doctors said she'd suffered "catastrophic" brain damage. While Bourque has regained consciousness, Busque said she can no longer speak, eat, or move on her own, and the ambitious, brilliant and beautiful 33-year-old who was a supportive, grounding presence for her friends and family will have to live in a care facility for the rest of her life. "It hurts to see her trapped in a body that doesn't work anymore," Busque said through tears. "It hurts to see her suffer, it hurts to see that her young adult years were taken away from her… It's been nothing but heartbreaking." No sentence can 'end the pain,' judge acknowledges Territorial Crown Amy Porteous recommended that the court give Jemallo a three-week sentence, with the option of serving it in the community, and 30 hours of community service. Defence lawyer Jennifer Budgell, meanwhile, requested that Jemallo get a $500 fine — the maximum allowed under the Motor Vehicles Act — and 60 days of probation. Phelps, when giving his sentencing decision, noted the penalties he could impose were limited by the legislation. He noted a number of mitigating factors, including Jemallo's age, his clean criminal record, his guilty plea, and the fact that he only had one driving offence prior to the crash — failure to wear a seatbelt — and none since. He also acknowledged Jemallo was responsible for driving his three children to and from school and extracurriculars. However, Phelps also pointed out several aggravating factors, including that Jemallo was a professional driver with the added responsibility of ensuring the safety of his passengers, which should have translated to safer driving overall. As well, Jemallo was driving well above the speed limit and accelerated up until the collision, travelling 214 metres down Second Avenue before hitting Bourque. Acknowledging that no sentence could "end the pain," Phelps sentenced Jemallo to two months of house arrest followed by six months of probation. His conditions include remaining on his property and not driving except to go to and from work or with written permission from his supervisor. Jemallo must also complete 80 hours of community service at least 45 days before the end of his probation. He declined to speak to CBC News. Busque, Bourque's partner, said in an interview Wednesday afternoon that she thought Jemallo's sentence was fair and that she has "no anger towards him whatsoever." However, she said it was still difficult to accept what happened. "I think it's unfair," Busque said. "I know it's a tragic accident and she was at the wrong place at the wrong time [but] when things like this happen, it makes you question a lot of things in life." Busque, who along with Bourque had called the Yukon home, now splits her time between Whitehorse and Montreal, where Bourque is in a rehabilitation facility. Besides the emotional, physical and financial cost of the situation, Busque said she's also still grieving the person that Bourque was before the crash, and what their future together could have been. However, she added that she hoped that the situation would send a message to drivers about the responsibility they hold behind the wheel, noting that Second Avenue had already seen its "share of tragedy" and had a low speed limit for a reason. It was a sentiment she also shared in her victim impact statement. "I hold onto hope — hope that some kind of justice or meaningful impact can come from this," she said. "Because in exchange, we were robbed of the most beautiful human being." Borque's family has filed a lawsuit against Jemallo, Yellow Cabs and the City of Whitehorse. It has yet to be tested at trial.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Iberia Parish man sentenced to life in prison for sex offenses against 11-year-old girl
NEW IBERIA, La. () — An Iberia Parish man has been convicted of multiple sex crimes against a child. Jeff Bourque, 47, was unanimously convicted by an Iberia Parish jury of one count offirst degree rape, one count of attempted first degree rape, and two counts of molestation ofa juvenile under the age of 13. A sentencing hearing was set Friday, April 11, before 16th Judicial District . The charges stem from Bourque's sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl. Officials said when the girl disclosed the abuse to her mother, her mother quickly reported the abuse to law enforcement's investigation revealed additional materials that corroborated the victim'sdisclosure. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now For his first-degree rape conviction, Bourque was sentenced to life imprisonmentat hard labor, without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, the mandatorypenalty for first-degree rape. For his attempted first-degree rape conviction, Bourque was sentenced to forty years at hard labor, without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. For his two convictions for molestation of a juvenile under the age of 13, Bourque was sentenced to fifty years at hard labor on each count, without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. 'I find it particularly fitting that this sexual predator was brought to justice and sentenced for his crimes against a child during National Crime Victim's Rights Week,' said 16th Judicial District Attorney Michael Haik. lf you or someone you know is a victim of sexual abuse, please contact your local lawenforcement and report the abuse. ln Acadiana, provides resources tovictims of sexual assault, including advocacy, counseling, and support. Their 24-hour crisisline can be reached at 337 -233-7273 New Iberia man arrested in connection to arson at vacant house More Nice Weather For the Rest of the Week, Remaining Warm… Iberia Parish man sentenced to life in prison for sex offenses against 11-year-old girl White House launches national security investigation into pharma, semiconductors Ohio State football team visits White House Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poilievre says he'll use notwithstanding clause to ensure multiple-murderers die in prison
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he'll ensure multiple-murderers die in jail by becoming the first Canadian prime minister to override Charter rights by invoking the notwithstanding clause. "Conservatives believe a punishment should be proportionate to the crime. If you kill multiple people you should spend the rest of your life behind bars," he said in a video promoting the policy. "Multiple-murderers should only come out in a box." People convicted of first-degree murder in Canada are ineligible for parole for 25 years. A sentencing provision introduced in 2011 by the Harper Conservatives gave judges discretion to hand out consecutive, 25-year blocks of parole ineligibility in cases where an offender has committed multiple first-degree murders. It means that if someone was convicted of six murders they would not be eligible for parole for 150 years. But that provision in the law was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2022, which said consecutive periods of parole ineligibility "are intrinsically incompatible with human dignity because of their degrading nature." The notwithstanding clause, Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, gives parliaments in Canada the power to override certain portions of the Charter for five-year terms when passing legislation. The clause can only override certain sections of the charter — including Section 2 and sections 7 to 15, which deal with fundamental freedoms, legal rights and equality rights — but can't be used to override democratic rights. Once invoked, Section 33 prevents any judicial review of the legislation in question. After five years, the clause ceases to have any effect — unless it is re-enacted. The clause has been used at the provincial level multiple times including in recent years by Saskatchewan, Quebec and Ontario, but it has never been used at the federal level. Poilievre and the notwithstanding clause Poilievre said Alexandre Bissonnette, the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooter who killed six people, and Justin Bourque, who shot and killed three Mounties in New Brunswick in 2014, are good examples of why he needs to use the clause. After Bissonnette pleaded guilty in 2018, the Crown asked the Quebec Superior Court judge to impose a parole ineligibility period of 150 years — 25 consecutive years for each of the six people he murdered. The judge handed down a life sentence with no chance of parole for 40 years — a decision that was overturned in 2020 by the Quebec Court of Appeal, which unanimously decided to set Bissonnette's period of parole ineligibility at 25 years. When Bourque was sentenced, the judge applied the Harper-era law, resulting in Bourque being ineligible for parole for 75 years. But in a 2023 decision, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal reduced Bourque's parole eligibility by 50 years. The ruling means the 33-year-old can now seek parole at age 49 instead of 99. Poilievre's previous election promises include a pledge to pass a "three-strikes-and-you're-out law," which would stop criminals convicted of three "serious" offences from ever getting bail, probation, parole or house arrest. Three-time serious, violent criminals would be classified as "dangerous offenders" under the law to make their release into the community less likely. Repeat offenders would also be required to serve a minimum sentence of 10 years to life behind bars for their third offence.
