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	1996–2015

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. 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, Bouillon is considered small for an NHL defencemen 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. 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 defenceman 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.

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. On October 14, 2014, he signed with HC Ambrì-Piotta in the Swiss National League A.

He announced his retirement on September 25, 2015.

Personal life

Francis is married to Ginette and has 2 sons; Michael and Anthony. 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
1992–93	Laval Titan	QMJHL		46	0	7	7	45		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Laval Titan	QMJHL		68	3	15	18	129		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Laval Titan Collège Français	QMJHL		72	8	25	33	115		20	3	11	14	21
1995–96	Granby Predateurs	QMJHL		68	11	35	46	156		21	2	12	14	30
1996–97	Wheeling Nailers	ECHL		69	10	32	42	77		3	0	2	2	10
1997–98	Quebec Rafales	IHL		71	8	27	35	76		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		79	19	35	54	174		5	2	1	3	0
1999–00	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		74	3	13	16	38		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Quebec Citadelles	AHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		29	0	6	6	26		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Quebec Citadelles	AHL		38	8	14	22	30		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		28	0	5	5	33		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Nashville Predators	NHL		4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		29	1	12	13	31		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		20	3	1	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		73	2	16	18	70		11	0	0	0	7
2004–05	Leksands IF	Allsv		21	6	12	18	34		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	3	19	22	34		6	1	2	3	10
2006–07	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		62	3	11	14	52		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		74	2	6	8	61		7	1	2	3	4
2008–09	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		54	5	4	9	53		1	0	0	0	0
2009–10	Nashville Predators	NHL		81	3	8	11	50		6	0	0	0	6
2010–11	Nashville Predators	NHL		44	1	9	10	27		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Nashville Predators	NHL		66	4	7	11	33		10	0	3	3	2
2012–13	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		48	1	8	9	21		5	0	0	0	17
2013–14	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		52	2	4	6	34		9	2	0	2	4
2014–15	HC Ambrì-Piotta	NLA		31	0	11	11	30		—	—	—	—	—
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

• List of Black ice hockey players

External links

• Francis Bouillon's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database