Sports

Bruins Legend Ray Bourque To Coach Sons In 3ICE 3-on-3 Hockey League

The Hall of Famer will take charge of a team featuring former NHLers Chris and Ryan Bourque. The league will stage games in Boston in July.

Dan Shalin's profile picture
Dan Shalin, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
|
Former Boston Bruins player Ray Bourque serves as banner captain during Game One of the Eastern Conference Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden.
Former Boston Bruins player Ray Bourque serves as banner captain during Game One of the Eastern Conference Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

BOSTON, MA — Boston Bruins great Ray Bourque will be the latest former NHL star to coach a team in the fledgling 3ICE 3-on-3 hockey league, ESPN reported Tuesday.

In its first season in 2022, the league's list of coaches included John LeClair, Guy Carbonneau, Grant Fuhr, Joe Mullen, and Larry Murphy. In fact, each of the league's six teams was named after its coach.

Now, Bourque has joined the outfit. ESPN reported that the Hall of Fame defenseman is expected to coach his sons Chris, 37, and Ryan, 32, who grew up in Topsfield and played in the NHL, minor leagues and overseas.

Find out what's happening in Bostonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

"I haven't coached them since early youth hockey, when I would help out with their teams," Bourque told ESPN.

The league, which simulates the fast-paced style of NHL overtime and features some innovative rules, currently stages a series of mini-tournaments around the country.

Find out what's happening in Bostonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Seven stops are scheduled this summer, including on July 26 at Boston University's Agganis Arena. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale on Wednesday.

During the first season, many of the league's players were former minor leagues, though a few had NHL experience.

Among the rules unique to 3ICE were: penalty shots instead of power plays, jailbreak penalty shots in which the shooter is chased by opposing skaters, almost no faceoffs, pucks live after they hit the netting above the boards and, like basketball, offensive teams being forced to surrender the puck if they retreat back over the center red line.

"Three-on-three is so exciting. I love seeing it during the (NHL) regular season because I hate the shootout," Ray Bourque told ESPN. "It's nonstop action that you get with that. I never played in it. Trying to coach it will be interesting."

This season, 3ICE also is scheduled to visit:

  • Hersey, Pennsylvania on June 26
  • Pittsburgh on July 5
  • Grand Rapids, Michigan on July 12
  • Newark, New Jersey on July 19
  • Boston on July 26
  • Clarksville, Tennessee on Aug. 2
  • Philadelphia (championship) on Aug. 12

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Boston