Ryan Bourque woke up in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, March 9 thinking about the U.S. National Team Development Program's U18 squad's 8-3 win over Augustana the previous night and how they could duplicate such a feat later that day.
His attention was quickly diverted.
He got a call from his father, Ray. Then he got one from his brother, Chris. After that came a call from Bill Troy, his academic advisor when he was at Cushing.
The message: Cushing boys hockey had an unexpected head coaching vacancy and they were interested in Bourque.
"It was kind of a whirlwind from there," Bourque said. "It was kind of a rollercoaster."
Bourque flew to Boston that Monday night. He spent Tuesday morning at Cushing's campus in Ashburnham, Mass., interviewing for the position. He was back on a plane to Michigan that night.
Eventually, he learned he got the job, which was quite the full circle moment. His connection to Cushing started long before he suited up for the Penguins from 2005-07.
In the early 2000s, Chris played at Cushing and Ray was an assistant on those teams, which was shortly after he retired from the NHL in 2001.
That meant a young Bourque was never far behind.
"I was able to go on the ice with them and practice and I was able to pen the door during games and kind of be there," Bourque said. "I don't want to say I was the mascot, but I was the hypeman. I was just a little 10-year-old who was soaking in everything he could from that experience. From there, I made it my goal to go to Cushing."
When the time came for him to be in prep school, Bourque broke out in his second year with the Penguins, posting 50 points in 29 games in 2006-07. That helped him be chosen for the USNTDP the following season.
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His career took him in many different directions being coached by many different people. At the USNTDP, he was coached by current Providence College associate head coach and former NHL boss Ron Rolston, as well as current Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes.
Following that, he played for Patrick Roy with the Quebec Ramparts in the QMJHL. He embarked on a nine-year professional hockey career after that.
There are many more than just those three coaches and his father who have influenced Bourque in his hockey upbringing.
"I consider myself extremely lucky," Bourque said. "It's pretty special that I have a network so wide to bounce ideas off and I soak in like a sponge for any intel I need. I'm super blessed and just really fortunate."
His path makes him uniquely qualified for a unique job.
Cushing has been to two straight NEPSAC Elite 8 championship games, but the Penguins being a powerhouse in boys prep hockey is nothing new.
Since 2013-14, the Penguins are 216-82-22, making the Elite 8 six times. Only Salisbury and Kimball Union have made the Elite 8 more during that span. Cushing has also produced numerous Division 1 college hockey players and has been home to NHL Draft prospects. The school boasts Theodore Iorio Arena, which is one of the nicest facilities in the NEPSAC.
In simpler terms, they have a very good thing going. They have also enjoyed stability.
Steve Jacobs was the boss at Cushing for 22 seasons up until 2007. Then, Rob Gagnon took over, guiding the program from 2007-2017, before Jacobs returned as head coach from 2017-21.
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That was shaken up in the spring when after just three seasons as bench boss, Paul Pearl left Cushing to become the athletic director at Dexter Southfield.
Bourque won't be in charge of rebuilding a program or creating a winner — he needs to sustain success, which can often be even harder for a new voice. That success will be measured in both wins and losses, as well as players moving on to higher levels.
"The buzzword is obviously culture, but I really truly feel that it is all about your culture," Bourque said. "I want them to be the best they can be on the ice but I also want my players to be the best that they can be on campus. I want them to be a part of the community because it really is a special place."
As for the on-ice product?
"My teams are going to compete," the new boss said. "They're going to work hard. They're going to be honest. They're going to play at an extremely high pace that's going to be very hard to keep up with. Cushing's been very fortunate to have the success that they have had and with that, you're able to acquire pretty special not only players, but humans."
Fortunately for Bourque, there is a core returning from last season. The backend will be anchored by Tyler Russo (Hamilton, Mass.), one of the best shutdown defenders in prep, and Ryland Randle, one of the best offensive defensemen in prep. Up front, senior Max Dineen (Brentwood, N.H.) is back. The '06 posted 33 points in 32 games last season. Seniors Axel Favreau (Auburn, Maine) and Alex Gomes (Ludlow, Mass.), as well as junior Eric Lund (Bridgewater, Mass.), are back. They were depth pieces last season who will be expected to take step forwards this winter. Senior goalie Zach White will be back in the fold, too.
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It's a new challenge for Bourque, but the purple runs deep. He was married a few years ago and noticed a trend among those in attendance.
"Probably 75 percent of my wedding party was Cushing alums," Bourque said. "It's a place that's really near and dear to my heart and a place that still resonated even throughout my career playing and coaching."
Now, his Cushing heritage is back centerfold.
