Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman five times, while finishing second for that trophy a further six times. He also twice finished second in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, a rarity for a defenceman. He was named to the end-of-season All-Star teams 19 times (second only to Gordie Howe's 21 selections), with a record 13 on the first-team and six on the second-team.

Bourque became nearly synonymous with the Boston Bruins franchise, for which he played 21 seasons and became Boston's longest-serving captain. Bourque finished his career with the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he won his only Stanley Cup championship in his final NHL game. He is often considered the best offensive defenseman in NHL history, and In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. Following his retirement his #77 was retired by both the Bruins and the Avalanche. Bourque also played with Canada for three Canada Cups and in the 1998 Winter Olympics, the latter being the first time that active NHL players were eligible to participate.

Since his retirement Bourque has been involved in many philanthropic activities in the New England area and also owns an Italian restaurant in Boston.

Bourque was born in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, the son of Raymond Bourque Sr. and Anita Allain. Both of his parents were originally from New Brunswick, and moved to Montreal in the 1950s. His mother died from cancer when he was 12 years old, while his father died in 2009. Bourque was raised bilingual, speaking both English and French at home, though he went to a French school. He began playing hockey at the age of 5, he dropped out of school at the age of 15 to devote all his time to his junior team, the Verdun Black Hawks.

Bourque was the third-round pick of the Trois-Rivières Draveurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; now known as the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League). Halfway through his rookie season, head coach and general manager (GM) Michel Bergeron traded Bourque to Sorel for high-scoring Benoît Gosselin. After a stellar junior career with Sorel and Verdun of the QMJHL, in which he was named the league's best defenceman in 1978 and 1979, Bourque was drafted eighth overall by the Bruins in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, with a first-round draft choice obtained from the Los Angeles Kings in a 1977 trade for goaltender Ron Grahame. Boston GM Harry Sinden had intended to select defenceman Keith Brown, but Brown was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks immediately prior to Boston's selection. Panicking, the Bruins settled on Bourque, allegedly against their better judgment.

Bourque made an immediate impact in Boston during his rookie season of 1979–80, scoring a goal in his first game while facing the Winnipeg Jets. Bourque played all 80 games his rookie year scoring 17 goals and 48 assists and quickly asserted himself from the start as one of the best defensemen in the league, winning both the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year and a First Team All-Star selection, the first time in NHL history a rookie non-goaltender had ever achieved the distinction. His 65 points that season was a record at the time for a rookie defenseman. The following year in 1980-81 Bourque missed part of the season with broken jaw, he suffered during a Nov. 11, 1980, game at vs Detroit. He still played in 67 games scoring 27 goals and 29 assists as the Bruins lost in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the injury Bourque was named to the Second Team All-Star at the end of the season.

From here, Bourque continued to shine for the Bruins, proving his rookie season was no fluke. During the offseason Bourque signed a multiyear contract extension with the Bruins on July 15, 1981. The following season quickly established himself as one of the league's top defensemen while also contributing outstanding offensive numbers. Once again in 1981-82 Bourque missed a portion of the season due to a shoulder injury he suffered in October. Following his return he helped lead the team back to the postseason scoring 17 goals and 49 assists while also being named an NHL first team All-Star for a second time. The Bruins beat Buffalo in the first round, however during a second round matchup vs Quebec he fractured his wrist while checking against Andre Dupont resulting in him missing the rest of the series.

During the offseason Bourque suffered more injuries as he re-fractured his wrist while playing a softball game in Montreal however he was able to recover. He then suffered one more injury prior to the 1982-83 season during the team's final preseason game when he was struck by a puck while going to the bench. This resulted in him missing the first month of the season. Following his return the injury led to him wearing a face shield for the first time in his career. During a game vs. the Quebec Nordiques Bourque recorded his first and only hat trick of his career, scoring all 3 goals in the second period in a 11-5 Bruins victory. Despite all the injuries Bourque ended up having his best statistical season up to that point. Scoring 70+ points for the first time in his career with 22 goals and 51 assists. During the postseason Bourque led all defensemen 23 points helping lead the Bruins all way to the conference semifinals where they were defeated by the New York Islanders. Bourque was once again named to a Second Team NHL All-Star.