Veteran forward Chris Bourque has made a case over his long AHL career to be considered one of the greatest Hershey Bears players ever. Now, Bourque has yet another accolade to add to a long, and growing list.
The AHL announced Thursday that Bourque has been named to the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic, skating for the Atlantic Division. This marks the sixth time that Bourque has been selected in the AHL All-Star festivities.
Through 35 games with the Bears this year, Bourque leads the AHL in scoring with 39 points. Bourque is also tied for the league lead with 28 assists.
On Monday, Bourque was named to the 2018 United States Olympic team. In a career filled with honors, Bourque regards his Olympic team selection as one of the best.
“This is obviously an unbelievable honor for myself and my family,” Bourque said in a release about the Olympics. “It’s one of the biggest moments in not only my hockey career, but in my life.”
While the AHL All-Star Classic is not quite the Winter Olympics, Bourque’s selection helps solidify his place as one of the greatest AHL players of all time. The forward is the active career scoring leader in the league, with 676 points over nine years with the Bears and one year each with the Providence Bruins and Hartford Wolf Pack.
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(Hershey, PA- January 4, 2018)-The American Hockey League announced today that Chris Bourque of the Hershey Bears has been selected to skate for the Atlantic Division in the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino on Jan. 28-29 in Utica, New York. This will be the sixth time Bourque has played in an AHL All-Star Classic.
Bourque, 31, is currently the American Hockey League’s leading scorer with 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists) in 35 games this season. An alternate captain with Hershey, Bourque leads the club in all offensive categories, and his 28 assists are tied for the most in the AHL. He was named to the U.S. Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team on Monday.
Bourque is in his ninth season with Hershey. He is the AHL’s career scoring leader among active players with 678 points (230 goals, 448 assists) in 693 games with Hershey, Hartford, Providence, and Portland. Bourque has captured two AHL scoring titles (2012, 2016) and was named league MVP for the 2015-16 regular season. Bourque also ranks among the AHL’s all-time playoff leaders with 82 assists (first) and 117 points (fourth) in 133 postseason games played (second), winning three Calder Cup championships with Hershey (2006, 2009, 2010) in five trips to the Finals and earning MVP honors for the 2010 postseason. Bourque, who has also skated in 51 National Hockey League contests with Washington, Pittsburgh and Boston, has been a First Team AHL All-Star selection three times.
The forward has collected 572 points (190 goals, 382 assists) in 575 regular season games with the Bears. He ranks fifth in team history in points, eighth in goals, and fourth in assists. He also ranks first in franchise history with 86 points in the playoffs. Bourque made his fifth AHL All-Star Classic appearance last January, serving as the playing captain for the Eastern Conference.
Headline photo: @TheHersheyBears
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