Dan Bouchard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dan Bouchard |
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| Born | December 12, 1950 Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Atlanta Flames Calgary Flames Quebec Nordiques Winnipeg Jets |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 27th overall, 1970 Boston Bruins |
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| Playing career | 1970–1987 | ||
Daniel Hector Bouchard (born December 12, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a talented goaltender, which is the player who defends the team's goal. Daniel played in the National Hockey League (NHL), which is the top ice hockey league in North America. He played for teams like the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames, Quebec Nordiques, and the original Winnipeg Jets.
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Playing Career
Daniel Bouchard started playing hockey at a young age. He even played in the famous Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 1962 and 1963. This was with his youth team from LaSalle.
Junior Hockey Success
As a junior player, Bouchard was the goalie for the Sorel Black Hawks. He helped them win the Memorial Cup in 1969. The Memorial Cup is a very important championship for junior hockey teams in Canada.
Joining the NHL
The Boston Bruins picked Daniel in the 1970 NHL draft. After playing for two years in a league called the American Hockey League, he made his NHL debut. This happened in the 1972–73 season. The Atlanta Flames team chose him in a special draft for new teams.
Daniel played for eight seasons with the Atlanta Flames. In the summer of 1980, the Flames team moved to Calgary, Alberta. They became the Calgary Flames.
Moving to Quebec
During the 1980–81 season, Daniel was traded to the Quebec Nordiques. He was the last player from the original Atlanta Flames team still with the organization. He helped the Nordiques reach the playoffs for the first time since joining the NHL.
The next season was very exciting for the Nordiques. They made it all the way to the Wales Conference Final. This is like a semi-final round in the playoffs. They lost to the New York Islanders, who were champions at the time. On their way to the final, Quebec beat their big rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. They also beat the Boston Bruins in thrilling series. Each series went down to the very last game.
Final NHL Years and Retirement
In the 1985–86 season, Daniel was traded again. This time, he joined the Winnipeg Jets. He played his last NHL games with them. The Jets lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Calgary Flames. After leaving the NHL, he played a few games for a team in Switzerland called HC Fribourg-Gottéron. A knee injury then forced him to retire from playing hockey in 1987.
Life After Hockey
Today, Daniel Bouchard lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He still works with hockey players. He privately trains goalies and is the head goalie coach for the Atlanta Fire Team at a place called The Cooler.
