Ray Bourque won the Cup 19 years ago today, and the memories are still sweet

Nineteen years. Nineteen years ago, tonight. It seems like a thousand years ago, honestly. But the memories of Ray Bourque winning the Stanley Cup, in the final game of his brilliant 22-year career, still blaze bright.

That picture you see above is of Bourque shaving off his playoff beard, following that Game 7 3-1 Avalanche victory over the New Jersey Devils, June 9, 2001. Bourque was going to shave it off following the game regardless, but how sweet must it have been to be him, staring in the mirror, razor in hand, saying, “Finally, it happened.”