Ray Bourque emphasizes importance of Bruins' avoiding Stanley Cup hangover

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We all know the Boston Bruins need to avoid a Stanley Cup hangover this season, but Ray Bourque emphasized the importance of that on Monday.

Although the disappointment is something they'll probably never forget, Bourque noted the B's should be proud of themselves for getting to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

"I wondered how long it takes you to get over something like that," Bourque said Monday, according to NHL.com's Dave Stubbs. "But you have to look at the whole body of work. The Bruins getting to a seventh game of the Final - if you'd thrown that on the table at the beginning of the year, I don't know how many would have bought into it."

But the past is in the past, and Boston needs to focus on getting back to the Final in 2020. And to do that, Bourque says the B's need to continue moving forward.

"I thought they'd be a playoff team, that they'd contend," Bourque said. "I still can't believe they didn't bring that seventh game home. I was there for Games 5 and 7 and losing those two at home would have hurt me so bad. But I think we saw a lot of leadership on the part of the players, coaches and management. Last year things fell right for them, they had the opportunity. Now it's up to everyone to make sure they don't have a hangover and dwell on the loss in the Final."

There doesn't seem to be much of a hangover thus far considering the B's are 5-1-2 on the season (as of early Tuesday evening), but things could change quickly if they can't get more players to produce offensively.

Boston will host Toronto Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET at TD Garden. 

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