Bob Bourne was selected in the third round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft by the Kansas City Scouts, 38th overall. On September 13, 1974, before ever suiting up for the Scouts, Bourne was trade to the New York Islanders for the rights to Larry Hornung and a player to be named later who turned out to be Bart Crashley.
The trade paid immediate dividends for the Islanders with Bob scoring 16 and assisting on 23 for 39 points over 77 games in his rookie 1974-75 NHL season. He added three points over nine playoff games. Despite this, the following year was mostly spent in the CHL with the Fort Worth Texans where he led the club in scoring with 73 points over 62 games.
Bourne was also drafted to the WHA in 1974. He went 17th overall in the second round to the Indianapolis Racers. Of course, he never played in that league. Not overly flashy, Bob was coming off three solid seasons of junior with the Saskatoon Blades.
Between 1974-75 and 1987-88, Bob Bourne played 964 regular season and 139 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Islanders and Los Angeles Kings. With New York, he helped the team to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. He posted 20 or more goals six times and 30 or more on three occasions, topping out with 35 in 1980-81.
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