Veteran journeyman winger announces his retirement

Veteran winger Gabriel Bourque has decided to call it a career. The 34-year-old confirmed to Ciel 103’s Kevin Beaule that he has retired after 13 professional seasons.

Bourque was originally drafted back in 2009 by Nashville, going in the fifth round. He spent parts of six seasons with the Preds before heading to Colorado for three more years, then Winnipeg for one.

He didn’t play at all in 2020-21 but opted to continue playing after that, spending the last three seasons suiting up with AHL Laval, Montreal’s affiliate but was limited to just 11 points in 43 games in 2023-24.

All told, Bourque ends his playing days with 413 career NHL appearances between the Predators, Avalanche and Jets. He collected 40 goals, 63 assists and 736 hits in those outings in a little over 12 minutes a night. He currently sits 44th in NHL games played from the 2009 draft class, a pretty good outcome for a fifth-round selection.

Meanwhile, Bourque was more productive in the minors. He saw AHL action in parts of nine years, tallying 65 goals and 104 assists in 364 games over that span. He won’t be walking away from hockey entirely, however, as he’s now an assistant coach at College Lionel-Groulx.