Philippe Boucher

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size=
team=Dallas Stars
former_teams = Buffalo Sabres
Los Angeles Kings
league = NHL
position = Defence
shoots = Right
height_ft = 6
height_in = 3
weight_lb = 212
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1973|3|24
birth_place = St. Apollinaire, PQ, CAN
draft = 13th overall
draft_year = 1991
draft_team = Buffalo Sabres
career_start = 1992

Philippe Boucher (b. March 24, 1973 in St. Apollinaire, Quebec, Canada) is a French Canadian professional hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League.

Playing career

Amateur

Philippe Boucher began his high-level hockey career with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Granby Bisons in 1990. Boucher enjoyed immense success in his first season, producing at a nearly point-per-game average and winning the QMJHL Rookie of the Year award. He was also named a second-team QMJHL All-Star. His second season came with just as much success, as Boucher notched 77 points in 65 games with Granby and the Laval Titan, once again being named a second-team All-Star. Boucher spent one more seasons in the QMJHL, splitting time between Granby, Laval, and later two professional teams.

Professional

The Buffalo Sabres drafted Boucher in the first round, 13th overall, in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. A year later, Boucher would begin his professional career, starting the 1992–1993 season as a defenceman for the Sabres. Despite some solid outings, and even a game where Boucher posted a +5 plus/minus rating, Boucher ended the season with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. After three somewhat disappointing seasons with the Sabres, Boucher was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1994–1995 season.

In Los Angeles, Boucher produced better numbers, but still proved unreliable to finish a complete 80+ game season in the NHL. Criticisms aimed at Boucher also claimed he was not as defensively reliable or physical as other professional defencemen his size. Even so, Boucher was a consistent blueliner for the Kings for eight seasons, and played a career-high 80 games in the 2001–2002 season.

In 2002, Boucher signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars, reuniting with the former special teams coach of the Kings, Dave Tippett.

On November 28, 2003, late in the third period of a game against the New Jersey Devils, an errant puck hit Boucher on the left side of his face, breaking his left orbital bone. Boucher had surgery on December 1 to repair the bone, putting him on the injured list for weeks. Since the injury, Boucher has worn a visor.

In the 2006–07 NHL season, Boucher had a breakout year, tying the Stars' franchise record for most goals by a defenceman in a regular season, with 19 goals.

Boucher was selected by the NHL to play in the 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game in Dallas on January 24, 2007. Since Scott Niedermayer, one of two defensemen on the starting lineup chosen by the fans, was injured at the time, Western All-Star coach Barry Trotz named Boucher on the starting lineup as Niedermayer's replacement. This decision was influenced by the fact that Boucher's father was on his deathbed, proudly watching Boucher play in his first career All-Star Game. Boucher's father, Jean-Claude died in the following weeks after battling pancreatic cancer.

The Fondation Philippe-Boucher, in existence since 1997, was the brainchild of Philippe Boucher and his wife, Lucie. They wanted the profits from the annual golf tournament to be used to help underprivileged children in the Lotbinière region.

Boucher resides with his wife Lucie and their two kids, Matthew and Vanessa in Quebec City during the summer.

Career statistics

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="0" width="75%" style="text-align:center"
- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular Season! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs
- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"! Season! Team! League! GP! G! A! Pts! PIM! GP! G! A! Pts! PIM 1990–91 Granby Bisons QMJHL 69 21 46 67 92 - - - - - 1991–92 Granby Bisons/Laval Titan QMJHL 65 29 48 77 83 - - - - - 1992–93 Laval Titan/Granby Bisons QMJHL 16 12 15 27 37 - - - - - 1992–93 Rochester Americans AHL 5 4 3 7 8 3 0 1 1 2 1992–93 Buffalo Sabres NHL 18 0 4 4 14 - - - - - 1993–94 Rochester Americans AHL 31 10 22 32 51 - - - - - 1993–94 Buffalo Sabres NHL 38 6 8 14 29 7 1 1 2 2 1994–95 Rochester Americans AHL 43 14 27 41 26 - - - - - 1994–95 Buffalo Sabres/Los Angeles Kings NHL 15 2 4 6 4 - - - - - 1995–96 Phoenix Roadrunners IHL 10 4 3 7 4 - - - - - 1995–96 Los Angeles Kings NHL 53 7 16 23 31 - - - - - 1996–97 Los Angeles Kings NHL 60 7 18 25 25 - - - - - 1997–98 Long Beach Ice Dogs IHL 2 0 1 1 4 - - - - - 1997–98 Los Angeles Kings NHL 45 6 10 16 49 - - - - - 1998–99 Los Angeles Kings NHL 45 2 6 8 32 - - - - - 1999–00 Long Beach Ice Dogs IHL 14 4 11 15 8 6 0 9 9 8 1999–00 Los Angeles Kings NHL 1 0 0 0 0 - - - - - 2000–01 Manitoba Moose IHL 45 10 22 32 39 - - - - - 2000–01 Los Angeles Kings NHL 22 2 4 6 20 13 0 1 1 2 2001–02 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 7 23 30 94 5 0 1 1 2 2002–03 Dallas Stars NHL 80 7 20 27 94 11 1 2 3 11 2003–04 Dallas Stars NHL 70 8 16 24 64 5 1 0 1 6 2005–06 Dallas Stars NHL 66 16 27 43 77 5 0 1 1 2 2006–07 Dallas Stars NHL 76 19 32 51 104 7 0 1 1 6

Awards

*QMJHL Rookie of the Year - 1990–91
*OMJHL second-team All-Star - 1990–91 and 1991–92
*NHL All-Star Team - 2007

ee also

*List of NHL players
*List of NHL seasons
*List of QMJHL seasons
*List of AHL seasons

External links

* [http://www.dallasstars.com/stars/teamRosterDetails.jsp?id=30 Boucher's profile at the official Dallas Stars website]
*hockeydb|501