TORONTO – Most of the leaves have already fallen here along the shores of Lake Ontario, but the primary colors of the first weekend of November here were black and gold.

Thousands of Bruins fans trekked north to watch their beloved No. 77, Ray Bourque, get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bourque, who scored more goals and points than any defenseman in the history of the NHL, saw his likeness go up alongside the best to ever play the games. Players like Bobby Orr, who revolutionized the position, and Brad Park, who took the 18-year old Bourque under his wing and helped him learn what it meant to take charge in the jungle of the NHL. Bourque’s numbers are staggering. He scored 410 goals and added 1169 assists in 22 seasons. He won five Norris Trophies as the game’s best defenseman. He was an NHL All-Star a staggering 19 times (13 times a first team All-Star). Yet he only won one Stanley Cup, and he had to travel to the Rocky Mountains to accomplish that feat. It’s something that still weighs heavily on the mind of the once and future Bruin. “My only regret was that I couldn’t win that Stanley Cup in Boston,” Bourque told fans at a gathering at the Hall. “When we had that parade, I kept thinking about the guys I played with in Boston, and what it would’ve meant to them.” “We don’t want you to have any regrets,” said one Bruins fan on hand for the weekend. “We wanted you to get your Cup, and we’re glad you did.” It is remarkable that fans seemed to have more of an allegiance with Bourque than with the Bruins themselves. Perhaps it is because the team has gone so long without a championship (32 years now, suddenly the longest of the four Boston teams.) Perhaps it is because Bourque played the game with such passion on the ice, and handled himself with such dignity off it. “I’ve heard others say (athletes) aren’t role models, but they’re wrong,” said Bourque. “I didn’t have a problem being a role model. I enjoyed it.” Bourque entered the Hall with two other outstanding defensemen. Paul Coffey (21 seasons, 1531 points) and Larry Murphy (21 seasons, 1216 points) were two of the best to ever play the position. Even in the company of greats like that, Bourque stands out as a singular talent. “You come in as a rookie and you just want to play in the NHL,” said Bourque. “The next thing you know, 23 years later, you’re here. It’s an honor and a privilege. “Hockey has given me everything I have in life. I owe hockey a lot more than it will ever owe me. Hockey has taken me to places I only dreamed of as a young boy. Hockey taught me lessons of winning and losing and it taught me to stand up for my teammates and for myself. Hockey has been my life.” His playing days behind him, Bourque still has a full life. He is part owner of a restaurant in Boston’s North End, and his wife, Christiane, is opening a spa in Danvers. He has three kids involved in sports, including a son, Chris, who got Hall of Fame weekend off to a great start by scoring his first collegiate goal for Boston University. He is a spokesman for several companies and countless charities. The man who came onto the scene as a French-speaking 18-year old from Montreal is now a pillar of the Boston community, a man who has blossomed into a wonderful speaker. Bourque is still a role model in every sense of the word. “When I look back on all I have accomplished,” Bourque said, “I just go, `Wow, what a ride.’ ” As usual, his words were said with total humility. We are the ones who should be saying “wow,” the ones who went along for that ride.

Lewiston native Tom Caron covers the Bruins for NESN.