René Bourque of the Calgary Flames has come back in full force from his recent time off sue to a concussion. He returned on October 17th and scored 2:10 into overtime to give the Flames a 1-0 win over the undefeated Nashville Predators.
In Columbus, three nights later, he switched to a different stick. He scored his second career hat trick and an assist. He rifled a shot from inside the blue line to score his first goal with 28.1 seconds left in the first. His second goal was shorthanded 5:08 into the second. With 5.8 seconds left in the third period, he scored off of his own rebound. He set-up Niklas Hagman’s goal getting an assist therefore he finished the night with a plus-3 and 5 shots.
Two nights later he scored twice in the first period. His first goal was a one-timer from the right circle was another game-winning goal. That night the Flames shattered the San Jose Sharks 4-0.
He scored six times in three games sending him up the goal-scoring standings. He is currently tied for sixth place with Sidney Crosby. He has moved up past some proclaimed scorers like Danny Briere, Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin.
With Olli Jokinen at center and Hagman on the left, Bourque states that his two linesmen have been a big part of his success.
There has been a great amount of attention towards the fact that Bourque switched his stick. His new stick is receiving predominant amounts of credit for his recent success.
Bourque has stated that his new stick is not very different from his old one. He has been reported his opinion on this claim that “It’s not the stick…I hope not, because if it is, I’m in trouble…. There’s not really a difference, same curve, just a tiny different.” He goes on to say that his reasoning for his burst of points is good positioning and crisp passes from his teammates.
His game has matured since he started playing. He played for the University of Wisconsin for four years and then played for the American Hockey League. As a rookie with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2005-06, he scored 17 goals in 66 games. Ever since moving to the Flames in 2008, his game on the ice has been making the Blackhawks regret losing him. With 21 goals in 58 games two seasons ago and 27 goals last seasons, 6 of which were on a power play and 4 were shorthanded, his game has dramatically grown with time.
Bourque’s confidence has built over the past few years and it will continue to grow hopefully making him a great goal-scorer.
He has credited not his new stick, but his playing ability for his goal scoring stating “It’s the artist, not the paintbrush.”
Tags: calgary flames, rene bourque
