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Sporting News, The, June 4, 2001 by Larry Wigge

The bits of gray in Avalanche defenseman Ray Bourque's hair and beard aren't a true barometer of how young he feels after 22 seasons and a dubious record of 1,816 NHL regular-season and playoff games without playing on a Stanley Cup winner.

But then he goes and dates himself by talking about how he remembers watching great Montreal defensemen Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe, who helped the Canadiens to five championships in seven seasons (from 1972-73 through 1978-79).

"It's a fun comparison because I grew up in Montreal and watched them win a lot of Stanley Cups," Bourque recalls. "They always seemed in perfect unison. I learned a lot just by watching them play. They were so smart with the puck.

"It was total domination. To opponents, it had to seem like they were always on the ice."

So you can't blame the 40-year-old Bourque for being honored that he and fellow Avs defenders Rob Blake and Adam Foote are being compared to Montreal's Big 3, even though Foote has the only Cup ring in this group.

"I think there is some validity to the comparison," says Robinson, who, as coach of the Devils, stands in the way of Bourque and Co.'s attempt to prevail in this year's Stanley Cup finals. "The number of minutes they play is very comparable to what we played in Montreal.

"Styles? Blake has similar size, strength and speed to what I did. I think Ray is like Serge was, a great veteran capable of playing at both ends of the ice. And Foote, well, he's physical like Guy was, but Guy was more offensive than Adam is."

Considering how good of a checking team the Devils are, it's no secret that to win this series the Avalanche is going to need stellar performances on offense and defense from its Big 3.

Bourque, who arrived late last season in a trade from Boston, and Blake, a March trading deadline acquisition from Los Angeles, have combined with Foote and given the Avalanche a stronger defense than most coaches could dream of having. Just think what an advantage it is for Colorado coach Bob Hartley to know that he can count on 28-30 high-quality minutes from each of them every night.

Bourque is never a bad defensive choice--in any situation. Foote, as strong as any opposing power forward, is simple, reliable and very nasty. And Blake does everything with great explosion, whether it's blasting a 40-foot slap shot or crunching someone in an open-ice hit.

"When I first came into the NHL, the three were still in Montreal, and I can remember forwards on my Boston teams complaining that they couldn't find any space on the ice," Bourque says. "I'd like to think that teams look at us and the minutes we play and think maybe they see too much of us as well.

"Hopefully, we'll make the Devils feel that way."

The play of the Avs' Big 3 gave the team an edge in the Western Conference finals over the celebrated Blues' blue line built around Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis. Now, the Big 3 are up against New Jersey's strong six-man defense.

"I see other teams bragging about how this guy or that guy plays 30 minutes a game," Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko says. "Our forwards don't care that they aren't 40- or 50-goal scorers like they might be on another team, and our defensemen suck up our 16 to 25 minutes each night and make them the strongest minutes we can. I think that's why we're back in the finals.

"To me, short shifts mean quality shifts."

You can't argue with the Devils' team-first success, but you've also got to like the chances of a team that has a Bourque, Blake or Foote out there for all but 4 or 5 minutes of a 60-minute game.

"When I came over from L.A. I didn't know what to expect," Blake says. "I was used to playing 28 to 30 minutes a game there, too. But it seems like some of those shifts were as long as two full minutes, and that would tire you out later in the game. Here, it's 30 seconds or a little longer and you're off.

"I've found that I'm better prepared to be at my best.... I've got lots of energy left for anything the team needs in the third period ... and beyond."

With Blake in town, Bourque's minutes are down a little from last year, when he helped lift the team's Stanley Cup spirits before it fell short in the conference finals against Dallas. But Blake clearly gives the Avalanche three warriors on defense.

"We all compete so hard," Bourque says. "And what's even more important is that we all want to be out there in crucial situations, whether it's looking for the winning goal or in a situation where the team needs a big defensive stand."

That was obvious in Game 1 of the finals, when Blake had three big hits along with a goal and an assist in a 5-0 victory. Bourque and Foote shut down the Devils' big line of Jason Arnott, Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias, and Foote added four blocked shots and two big hits.

"Since Rob arrived, it's been fun," Foote says. "The three of us push one another every game. I'll come to the bench, and seeing them play so well helps bring the best out of me every shift."

Just like three other guys Bourque remembers from the Stanley Cup finals when he was growing up in Montreal.