| | With so many teams involved in Ray Bourque's trade negotiations, ESPN.com looks at the reaction from the key "players" in Monday's deal.
Boston
"You know, you want to be fair. You don't want to get a reputation that all along you sucked a team along, and you never had any intention of doing a deal. That wasn't the case," Bruins GM Harry Sinden in The Boston Globe when asked if he played teams' offers off each other.
|  | | Ray Bourque will be wearing a different uniform Tuesday night. |
"I think it was somewhat of a surprise for Ray ... (although) he didn't say it was. He didn't say, 'Oh,' and he didn't say, 'Oh, oh yeah, I figured it was going to be Colorado.' He was slightly taken aback, because all of the talk had centered around other teams," Sinden on Bourque's reaction.
"All of a sudden, you realized there was more to the loss. Everybody just sat back and had their breath taken. Ray had a lot of emotion. He's an emotional guy. You could see it. He clinched his eyes with his fingers. You knew something was there. Ray's the type of guy that if he tried to start speaking, he would've lost all that emotion, and at that point, I don't think he wanted to. You could look around at the guys who have been here and see the sadness in their eyes. You could see it, it was a shock, it really was. A huge shock. You can look around the league, and (Wayne) Gretzky was traded but it's different because he's been here for so long and he's been so loyal to the city and the team. It's sad," -- goalie Rob Tallas on the feelings from Saturday's game to the time of the trade.
Colorado
"When I first talked to Harry about it, he was kind of reluctant. He was saying: 'I don't know yet. I haven't discussed it with Ray, and I don't want him to feel we are pushing him out.' But on the other hand, everyone in the hockey world knew how Ray Bourque would like to have a chance to win the ultimate, and as an organization, I feel strongly we can offer that chance to Ray and Dave. They are pieces of the puzzle we need to accomplish what we want to accomplish," Avs GM Pierre Lacroix in The Denver Post.
"We've been involved since the start, but we also are happy that the people involved in Boston were very respectful in keeping us the way we like to be kept," said Lacroix on keeping Colorado's offer low key.
Philadelphia
"Harry just said they are going in a different direction. I assume we're not the only team that is disappointed. ... We don't have a clue as to if what we offered is better or worse than anyone else. (Sinden) has the player and control over what he's going to accept," Flyers GM Bobby Clarke in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
St. Louis
"I'm disappointed. I thought we made a pretty good offer, a substantial offer. What can I say? I thought we had a shot, but he ended up somewhere else. ... We thought we had a chance. We felt strongly that we made an offer that meant something. We spent 2½ days discussing it, in hours of meetings, and we decided to make an offer," Blues GM Larry Pleau in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"This is a special case. He's a special person and a special player. We made an offer. We hoped it would happen, but it didn't, so we have to move on," Pleau.
"Obviously, he'd fit in very well with our hockey club. He'd take a few minutes from Al and I. He'd be another offensive weapon to add to our team down the stretch," All-Star defenseman Chris Pronger.
"He's a quality guy. He can walk in and help any team in the dressing room and on the ice. He's an all-around good guy," reigning Norris Trophy winner Al MacInnis.
Bourque's agent, Steve Freyer
"We had made it clear to the Bruins that Ray would be looking for a few things from the club that acquired him. When I spoke with (Colorado GM) Pierre Lacroix, his response was, 'That's news to me.' So, Ray will report, and he'll play, but we will have a few things to discuss," in The Boston Globe.
"Ray's been in my office a couple of hours, just practicing his putting. You don't know what it's been like today. ... He would have preferred elsewhere. Philadelphia was one of his top choices. You have to deal with what it is," in The Philadelphia Inquirer. | |
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Bourque, Andreychuk land in Colorado
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It's official: Bruins are in ruins
McEachern sparks Senators past Bourque-less Bruins
Bruins fans wouldn't mind seeing Bourque raise Cup elsewhere
Rumor central: Who's next?
Legends on the move
AUDIO/VIDEO
 GM Harry Sinden will have fond memories of Bourque as a Bruin.
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Avs GM Pierre Lacroix says Bourque and Andreychuk will be the perfect fit.
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Bruins goalie Byron Dafoe sees the trade as a great opportunity for Bourque.
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Don Sweeney will miss Bourque, but wishes him well.
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