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AHL Hershey Bears

Bears Announce Further Details for Chris Bourque Jersey Retirement Night

January 5, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears announced today additional details for Chris Bourque Jersey Retirement Night, presented by Highmark Blue Shield, set to take place on Saturday, Jan. 14 prior to Hershey's game versus Springfield.

The Bears will raise Bourque's #17 to the rafters in a pre-game ceremony set to start promptly at 5:45 p.m. Due to the early and extended celebration of Bourque's career, doors to GIANT Center will open early for all fans starting at 4:45 p.m.

The first 10,000 fans in attendance that night will receive a Chris Bourque Mini Banner, courtesy of Highmark Blue Shield. The mini banners are replicas of Bourque's #17 banner that will hang from the GIANT Center rafters.

During warm-ups prior to the game, Hershey players will be wearing 2009-10 inspired jerseys, featuring the club's "Swiper Bear" logo. These jerseys, influenced by a season in which Bourque led the Bears to a Calder Cup and earned playoff MVP honors, will be auctioned off post-game to benefit local charities. All jerseys will feature the name of the player wearing them, but to honor Bourque, all jerseys will be adored with the #17 for the last time, and the jerseys include a commemorative patch to celebrate the retirement of the number.

The Hershey Bearshockey club donates a portion of the sale of all jersey auctions to several area nonprofit organizations as part of its community-focused Hershey Bears Cares initiative. Beneficiaries for the 2022-2023 season include the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House of Central PA, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region. Chris Bourque, in partnership with the Bourque Family Foundation, helped select some of these beneficiaries based on the close working relationship he had with these organizations during his time in Hershey.

Bourque will become the eighth player in franchise history to have his number retired. Bourque's #17 becomes the fifth number in team history to hang from the rafters, and this special night marks the first jersey retirement by the Bears since 2002.

One of the greatest players in franchise history, Bourque played nine seasons with Hershey, and the Boston native ranks fifth all-time in team history in scoring, collecting 586 points (196g, 390a) over 604 regular season games. Bourque helped Hershey to three Calder Cup titles (2006, 2009, 2010), earning the distinction of being the only person in franchise history to claim three championships as a player.

Tickets to Chris Bourque Jersey Retirement Night, presented by Highmark Blue Shield, are on sale now. The Bears host the Springfield Thunderbirds that evening with puck drop slated for 7 p.m.

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