Francis Bouillon

Francis Bouillon

Bouillon playing for the Montreal Canadiens in 2014.
Born (1975-10-17) October 17, 1975
New York City, NY, USA
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Nashville Predators
Leksands IF
HC Ambrì-Piotta
National team  United States
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 19962015

Francis Joseph Bouillon (born October 17, 1975) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators. He also played a season for HC Ambrì-Piotta in the National League A (NLA), the top-tier league in Switzerland.

Early life

Bouillon was born in New York City to a Haitian father and a French Canadian mother. Bouillon moved to Quebec City, Quebec with his mother when he was only 3 years old.[1] He played Junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Laval Titans and the Granby Predateurs. He was Granby's captain when they won the 1996 Memorial Cup.

Playing career

Francis made his professional debut the 1996–97 season in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers and played the following season in the IHL with the Quebec Rafales before he was signed as a free agent to an NHL contract by the Montreal Canadiens in 1998.

He played the next 11 seasons, the majority of his career (except for a short stint with the Predators in 2002–03) within the Canadiens organization. At 5'8" and 201 lbs,[2] Bouillon is considered small for an NHL defensemen but is never one to shy away from physical play. According to Pierre Houde, he is one of the strongest players in the NHL, according to official physical tests.

On September 30, 2009, just prior to the 2009–10 season, Bouillon was signed to a one-year contract as a late inclusion to the Nashville Predators after joining the team on a try-out for training camp.[3] In returning to the Predators after an initial four game stint in 2002, Bouillon established himself within the Predators defense as a stay-at-home defenseman to appear in 81 games, missing only a single game, for 3 goals and 11 points. On June 18, 2010, he signed a two-year extension to remain with the Predators.[4]

On July 1, 2012, Bouillon signed a one-year deal worth 1.5 million with the Montreal Canadiens. His play during that season earned him a one-year extension with the team. Following the 2013-14 season, the Canadiens declined to offer Bouillon a contract and on July 1, 2014 he became an unrestricted free agent. Bouillon attended the Canadiens' training camp for the 2014-15 season on a tryout, but was released by the team on October 6, 2014.[5] On October 14, 2014, he signed with HC Ambrì-Piotta in the Swiss National League A.[6]

He announced his retirement on September 25, 2015.[7]

Personal life

Francis is married to Ginette and has 2 sons; Michael and Anthony.[8] Bouillon resides in Montreal with his family and retains his US citizenship.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1992–93Laval TitanQMJHL4607745
1993–94Laval TitanQMJHL6831518129
1994–95Laval Titan Collège FrançaisQMJHL7282533115203111421
1995–96Granby PredateursQMJHL68113546156212121430
1996–97Wheeling NailersECHL6910324277302210
1997–98Quebec RafalesIHL718273576
1998–99Fredericton CanadiensAHL7919355417452130
1999–00Montreal CanadiensNHL743131638
2000–01Quebec CitadellesAHL40000
2000–01Montreal CanadiensNHL2906626
2001–02Quebec CitadellesAHL388142230
2001–02Montreal CanadiensNHL2805533
2002–03Nashville PredatorsNHL40002
2002–03Hamilton BulldogsAHL291121331
2002–03Montreal CanadiensNHL203142
2003–04Montreal CanadiensNHL732161870110007
2004–05Leksands IFAllsv216121834
2005–06Montreal CanadiensNHL673192234612310
2006–07Montreal CanadiensNHL623111452
2007–08Montreal CanadiensNHL742686171234
2008–09Montreal CanadiensNHL545495310000
2009–10Nashville PredatorsNHL8138115060006
2010–11Nashville PredatorsNHL44191027
2011–12Nashville PredatorsNHL66471133100332
2012–13Montreal CanadiensNHL4818921500017
2013–14Montreal CanadiensNHL522463492024
2014–15HC Ambrì-PiottaNLA310111130
NHL totals 776 32 117 149 536 55 4 7 11 50

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2003 United States WC 13th 6 0 1 1 0
Senior totals 6 0 1 1 0

See also

References

  1. "Bouillon signs on for extra year". Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  2. "Francis Bouillon player page". National Hockey League. 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
  3. "Bouillon to Nashville for less money". cyberpresse.ca. 2009-09-22. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  4. "Predators sign Bouillon to 2-year deal". Nashville Predators. 2010-06-18. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  5. "Canadiens release defence veteran Francis Bouillon after pro tryout". Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. October 6, 2014.
  6. "Free Agetn Bouillon signs in Switzerland" (in French). rds.ca. 2014-10-14. Retrieved 2014-10-14.
  7. "Former Canadiens, Predators defenceman Bouillon retires". ctvnews.ca. 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
  8. "Predators 2010 media guide" (PDF). Nashville Predators. 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2012-02-03.

External links

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