Rene Bourque

Rene Gary Wayne Bourque (born December 10, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Bourque was born December 10, 1981, and spent his early childhood in Edmonton.

His father, Gary, works in the Canadian oil patch near Fort McMurray, while his mother, Barbara, is a social worker in Lac La Biche.

Bourque has a fraternal twin sister, Chantal, and two elder sisters, Kim and Nadia, who are also fraternal twins.

He is of Métis heritage, and his first cousin, Wayne Bourque, is a three-time North American native boxing champion.

The family returned to Lac La Biche when Bourque was seven.

As his father was sometimes away from home for weeks at a time due to his job, Bourque's mother raised the kids while also studying for her diploma in social work and later working full-time for the Alberta Government.

He grew up in a community with many Metis children.

His parents encouraged him in hockey, and after a season of minor hockey in Fort McMurray, he attended the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame south of Regina, Saskatchewan, where he was an honours student.

He was recruited to play major junior hockey for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL), though he declined to join the Blades as it would have cost him his eligibility to play for a National Collegiate Athletic Association school.

Bourque felt that his education was paramount, and it wasn't until he had earned a full scholarship to play at the University of Wisconsin–Madison that he believed he could make a career in hockey.

At Wisconsin, he earned a degree in Consumer Behaviour and Business.

Instead of the WHL, Bourque opted to play one season of Junior A hockey with the St. Albert Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), retaining his NCAA eligibility.

He scored 44 goals and 81 points to finish second in team scoring in 1999–2000.

He was named to the AJHL All-Rookie team and finished as a runner-up for the rookie of the year award.

In spite of this, he went undrafted by any National Hockey League (NHL) team.

Bourque then moved onto the college game, playing four seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers.

He led the Badgers in goals (19) and points (27) as a junior in 2002–03 and was named the team's most valuable player.

He again led the Badgers in scoring with 16 goals and 34 points in 2003–04 as Wisconsin reached the regional final of the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

He was named the recipient of the Ivan B. Williamson Scholastic Award as the team's scholastic player of the year.

He served as a tri-captain of the team in his final year and reached a double-digit goal total in each of his four seasons with the Badgers.

An undrafted player, Bourque was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent in 2004 and made his NHL debut in 2005–06.

He turned professional in 2004 when he joined the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL).

He won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the league's rookie of the year in 2004–05 before beginning his NHL career.

Following his graduation, on July 29, 2004, Bourque signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.

He was assigned to the Hawks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, for the 2004–05 season.

He scored a franchise record 33 goals for the Admirals, also leading the team with 60 points, and was named the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award winner as the AHL's rookie of the year.

Additionally, he made the All-Rookie Team and played for Team Canada at the 2005 AHL All-Star Game where he won the hardest shot competition.

Bourque joined the Blackhawks to start the 2005–06 season, and scored his first NHL goal against goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère in his first game, a 5–3 loss to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

He finished his rookie season with 16 goals and 34 points, good for fourth place in team scoring.

The Hawks subsequently signed Bourque to a two-year contract extension.

He endured an injury-plagued season in 2006–07, appearing in only 44 games and scoring 7 goals.

He was rushed to hospital during a November 12, 2006, game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after suffering a deep cut to the neck from Nikolai Zherdev's skate during a scrum in the crease.

The Blackhawks announced that he would miss 3–6 weeks following surgery to repair the laceration.

He spent three years in Chicago before a 2008 trade sent him to the Calgary Flames where he established himself as a key offensive player.

He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens before stints with the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche.

Bourque is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where he played four seasons of hockey and served as a co-captain in his senior year.

Bourque has played for the Canadian national team at the 2010 IIHF World Championship and the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Of Métis heritage, Bourque has initiated several charitable causes dedicated to encouraging aboriginal children and helping youth from rural Northern Alberta afford the cost of playing hockey.

His efforts have led to a major increase in sport participation with aboriginal children.