Snow squalls are Bruin' in Boston

As reported by a Denver meteorologist on the late evening of Saturday, May 9th: "Tonight, a fierce storm has engulfed the city of Denver leaving many in a frenzy. The storm has spawned an ostentatious avalanche that walloped the city streets and left much property damaged and many devils in its wake, destroyed. Currently, the storm is heading due east at an expedient pace and is expected to centralize over Boston where it will probably cause much turmoil for those living in the Beantown vicinity. There could be tremendous repercussions when all of this is said and done."

Many in Boston were left in a glorified frenzy that Saturday night. When one of the city's greatest icons in Raymond Bourque finally hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup over his head, many tears were shed and spirits were lifted. In the heart of Boston, bars were booming, horns were honking, people were cheering; the city was elated for one of the classiest acts in the sports realm. Strangely though, it wasn't at the FleetCenter, in the familiar Bruins black and gold, where Ray was embracing the cup -- he was thousands of miles away in the city of Colorado.

When Bourque won with the Colorado Avalanche, many people in Boston felt like they too had won. The majority of people couldn't have been happier for a nicer, more devoted individual than Ray. The one man who got so ragged from failing to make the playoffs with a shoddy product, quietly asked management for a trade after a 22-year blood-and-guts effort. In March of 2000, Bourque was finally granted his request and a little over a year later, he finally got his hands on hockey's Holy Grail. The closest the city of Boston will get to hockey's sacred chalice will be when Bourque parades his Avalanche's cup around town while on tour.

Just think, some prisoners are prodded and poked with bamboo chutes. Boston Bruins fans get to watch one of their franchise's greatest athletes leave home and win championship memorabilia in a visiting uniform.

For many diehard B's fans, if they had a choice, they'd probably go fish.

Watching the Avalanche's Stanley Cup parade, a strange sensation took hold of many in the city of Boston. It was almost like they were awaking from the hypnotic, fantasy-like world they had been dreaming in during the playoffs. During the sunny parade in Colorado, gray clouds took over the sun in Boston and a coldfront zipped through the city. Outside, many New Englanders said that it felt like it did just before the start of a snowstorm.

Watching Bourque parading around the city in his Colorado uniform with all of his teammates and fans, I was squirming in my seat with an unsettling feeling residing in the pit of my stomach. It was like Boston's cynical nation had reemerged from the rabbit hole and were again faced with the bleak realities of hockey life in a city where the owner is most concerned with making coin than placing a winning product on the ice.

A little further into the parade, "Raymond Bourque Blvd." is unveiled.

I tip over in my chair.

Denver just named a street after one of Boston's most beloved icons after a mere stint that has lasted a little over a year. Bourque and the Avs have borrowed each other for the distinct purpose of attaining a championship and with a $6.5 million option left on his contract, it is highly unlikely he'll be heading back to Colorado next season. Yet after a minute stint that barely nosed past a year, Bourque will forever have a street named after him just outside of the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Think the Avs organization got a little swept up in the fairytale-like Bourque storyline?

Back east, the salt was just flowing into the wounds of Boston fans. The backlash from the Colorado celebration was beginning to take its toll as damp clouds were opening up over the city skyline.

In Boston, they dedicated a street to Ted Williams after 19 years of service -- playing for the Red Sox. Ray Bourque played close to 22 years in Boston and his street is two time zones away.

There's something terribly wrong with this whole thing. What will the city of Boston do to counter such a move? Change the old battleship "Old Ironsides" to the "S.S. Bourque?" Either way, the city of Boston wants to let Colorado know that Bourque is Boston's guy just in case they weren't paying attention the first 22 years of his career.

Looking back on Saturday night's celebration, did all Bostonians need to celebrate so fervently? That's like the nerdy office boy from the back cubicle living vicariously through the suave stud from the executive suite with the view.

Regardless of the night's adventures, it was a superb moment to watch Bourque with the Cup. Yet, to this day, it still doesn't seem right to have him in anything but black and gold. He poured his heart into the city and the cheapskate organization barely gave him enough toys to play with throughout his long-term stint in Boston.

Welcome to 2001 and Bourque is participating in his Stanley Cup celebration parade while his ex-Boston teammates again failed to make the playoffs.

Watching Bourque in another uniform was a harsh reminder of the failures of the Bruins front-office mishaps. After years of yearning for another Cup, Bruins fans are starting to get swept up in the backlash of this storm from Colorado. It will only get colder and more punishing when Bourque comes to town with the Stanley Cup that says "2001 Colorado Avalanche" above his name.

Just like the early morning weatherman on Bill Murray's clock radio says in "Groundhog Day" -- "its going to be coooooold."

Bourque finally won the Stanley Cup and that is so right.

However, Bourque won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche and that just seems so wrong.

Like oil and water, to many fans in Boston, Ray Bourque and Colorado just doesn't seem to be a natural fit.