Ray Bourque’s Son Disses UNH

The Bourque family has been in the news this week and it has nothing to do with Raymond. His youngest son, Ryan, had a verbal commitment to play for the University of New Hampshire starting next season. Instead of joining the Wildcats for the 2009-2010 season, the teenager has decided that it would be in his best interest to further his career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League instead of Durham, NH. Hey, at least he made this decision before he enrolled in school!

Can we really expect a kid to know what he wants to do at 16 years old?

I have to say, we’re asking a lot of these kids to make such important decisions at such a young age. If you look back, Ryan gave his verbal commitment to UNH over a year and a half ago. Think back to when you were 15 or 16 years old—could you be 100% sure on decisions that would affect the rest of your life? Hell, I was half way through college and I was still unsure of what major I wanted to settle on. (And I STILL don’t know what I want to be when I grow up!)

When we take a step back, this really shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. The coach & GM of the Quebec Ramparts is Ray’s former teammate Patrick Roy. Besides the personal connection to Roy, some forget that Ray Bourque was originally from Quebec and was a francophone. There’s much more of a cultural link to the QMJHL than there is for most Americans.

Another thing to think about is his brother’s recent experience within the college ranks. Older brother Chris Bourque has been playing for the Capitals AHL affiliate Hershey and was just called up to the big club a week ago. But before he was playing in the Caps organization, he was a freshman at Boston University. Who knows what went into Ryan’s change of heart, but perhaps Chris’ experience was part of the decision-making process?

The change of heart might have been brought on by the quality of his play over the last year. The Quebec Ramparts picked the youngest Bourque in the 7th round of last year’s junior draft. The 5’8”, 165-pound center/left wing has really blossomed in the last year while playing with the U.S. Under-18 Team. Despite his diminutive stature, he has contributed with 19 goals and 24 assists in 47 games. He’s been good enough for Central Scouting to rank him #61 among North American skaters. But like his father, his value goes beyond just his play on the ice. Here’s what his coach had to say upon hearing the news of Ryan’s decision:

“He does everything for us, and he provides leadership,” said Rolston. “He’ll be a valuable asset to Quebec.” –US Under-18 team coach Ron Rolston

So what do you think about this? Are you ok with someone that young breaking a verbal commitment to a University to go play in Juniors? Does the fact that Ryan Bourque is the son of a Hall-of-Famer give him a free pass? Hell, does the fact that he’s Ray Bourque’s son change your opinion at all? (Bruins fans, I’m looking at you).  

Let us know what you think—and in honor of the upcoming Frozen 4, we’ll have more college hockey later in the week!