Avs' Cup chances hinge on big effort from Big 3.(hockey team Colorado Avalanche's participation in Stanley Cup playoffs)

The bits of gray in Avalanche defenseman Ray Bourque's hair and beard aren't a true barometer of how young he feels after 22 seasons and a dubious record of 1,816 NHL regular-season and playoff games without playing on a Stanley Cup winner.

But then he goes and dates himself by talking about how he remembers watching great Montreal defensemen Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe, who helped the Canadiens to five championships in seven seasons (from 1972-73 through 1978-79).

"It's a fun comparison because I grew up in Montreal and watched them win a lot of Stanley Cups," Bourque recalls. "They always seemed in perfect unison. I learned a lot just by watching them play. They were so smart with the puck.

"It was total domination. To opponents, it had to seem like they were always on the ice."

So you can't blame the 40-year-old Bourque for being honored that he and fellow Avs defenders Rob Blake and Adam Foote are being compared to Montreal's Big 3, even though Foote has the only Cup ring in this group.

"I think there is some validity to the comparison," says Robinson, who, as coach of the Devils, stands in the way of Bourque and Co.'s attempt to prevail in this year's Stanley Cup finals. "The number of minutes they play is very comparable to what we played in Montreal.

"Styles? Blake has similar size, strength and speed to what I did. I think Ray is like Serge was, a great veteran capable of playing at both ends of the ice. And Foote, well, he's physical like Guy was, but Guy was more offensive than Adam is."