 On October 4, 2010, Swiss hockey club HC Lugano announced they had signed Bourque to a contract.Bourque returned to re-sign with the Capitals on a one-year contract on July 2, 2011.In the 2011–12 season, Bourque was assigned by the Capitals to the Hershey Bears and led the league in scoring with a career-high 93 points in 73 games.