Joseph Emile Alcide “Butch… Bouchard, or simply Emile Bouchard as he was most commonly known, immediately grabbed everyone’s attention the instant he showed up at the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp in 1941. At my choice for the number 9 of the top-10 defensemen of all time, let’s take a look at a few of his career highlights.
Bouchard lived in Montreal early on in his professional career, and cycled all the way to Ste-Hyacinthe in order to take part of the preseason workouts. At the time, the 6’ 2… hulking defenseman turned heads right away. The average height of NHL players was 5’8… during the 1940s, and he helped the Canadiens establish a superior brand of hockey during the 1940s and 1950s. With that kind of size, Butch never shied away from imposing his physicality and punishing his opponents with bone-crushing hip checks. Often, this would lead to invitations to square off, which he rarely accepted and opted instead to use his physique to keep hot-headed players from wailing on one another.
A stay-at-home defenseman, he was excellent at poke-checking the puck and starting the transition from his own end. During that era, it was rare that blue liners would venture out beyond center ice, and thus his offensive production was never his forte. He was nevertheless appreciated off the ice by his teammates, journalists and writers for his sense of humour and ease with words. Fans adored him and his pranks were always tasteful.
He would help the Canadiens achieve greatness four times during his tenure, bringing home the Stanley Cup in 1944, 1946, 1953 and 1956. He was the first-ever Quebec-born captain for the Habs for eight years and hoisted the Cup for the last time in 1956, assuming the role of veteran leader and mentoring younger players incessantly.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966, and in 1996 during the last game at the infamous Forum, he would be the last to be handed the torch during the closing ceremonies. The organization would retire his (number 3) jersey during the 100th anniversary of the Bleu Blanc et Rouge, and Bouchard would sadly pass away 3 years later at the age of 92.
Take a trip down memory lane: