Bouchard: Ready for the next step

LAVAL - Joël Bouchard may be an enthusiastic and engaging personality on any normal day, but that was especially evident on Thursday as he began his tenure as the new head coach of the Laval Rocket, touring the state-of-the-art facilities at Place Bell and meeting with members of the organization.

"It would be difficult not to feel a sense of gratitude today with this announcement," said Bouchard, as he sat alongside Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin to begin the press conference marking his hiring. "I think a lot of people would want to be in my place, be a part of the Montreal Canadiens family. I'm no different than all the other Quebecers who have grown up cheering for the Canadiens, living through Stanley Cups with them. It's a big honor and I'm proud to be a part of the adventure."
Bouchard has been on quite the adventure of his own leading up to this moment, one which included two nods as QMJHL Coach of the Year and back-to-back trips to the President Cup finals this year and last. It's no wonder that Bergevin came calling.
"In Joël, I see a coach with a lot of energy. You can see him behind the bench, he gets the most out of his players. I've followed his path as a coach, and I've seen a guy who is ready to take the next step, which is at the pro level," affirmed Bergevin, a teammate of Bouchard's for parts of the 2002-03 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. "We are conscious of the fact that the players here in Laval are a mix of young junior players turning pro, and also young professionals. I see a guy who's adapted well to those kinds of situations. For me, it was the perfect fit."

The two former teammates were in touch during the season, but it was only after Bouchard's Blainville-Boisbriand Armada fell to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan that talks intensified and a deal was done. And, with plenty of experience at all levels of hockey and in all occupations - player, manager and coach - Bouchard is ready to instill a winning mentality in his players and help them maximize their potential.
"My work is to surround them, to give them all the tools to become the best hockey players they can be so Marc can call them up and give them a job, maybe trade some of them. They all have different realities and challenges," outlined Bouchard, who led the Armada to a franchise-best 50-11-7 record in 2017-18. "There isn't one guy who will be able to sit down in front of me and say - 'You don't understand my situation' - because I've been in his situation. I lived it all. I'll be able to use that to build a partnership with them."
The Rocket staff will look quite a bit different this year, with Larry Carriere moving from general manager to director of player personnel, and assistant coaches Donald Dufresne and Nick Carriere moving on. While Bouchard, too, will be in a vastly different situation than he's found himself in since joining the QMJHL coaching and management ranks in 2008-09, don't expect him to change his winning formula all that much.
"Coaching is coaching… but I have to keep being Joël Bouchard. The second I try to be a different kind of coach, I'll be in trouble. It's about being who you are, respecting the players, being fair to them," explained Bouchard, who enjoys teaching players far more than he did commenting on the game as a TV personality - or sometimes even playing the game itself. "I'm tough with my players, and I will continue to be tough with them, but I think the players buy into that. We all want the same thing: to get results. There will be an adjustment, but it will come naturally."

Even though Bouchard's mission will be to groom his players for the benefit of the big club, that doesn't mean it'll come at the expense of his team's success at the AHL level.
"Don't forget that as much as we're working on development, we're working on winning," asserted Bouchard, who posted a record of 145 wins and 99 losses in 244 QMJHL games behind the bench. "As long as there's a scoreboard, I will coach to win."
In Bouchard, the Rocket inherit a passionate, well-spoken coach with a proven track record. There was even a little twinkle in his eye as he described his roots growing up in Tetreaultville and playing hockey in Verdun, roots which make a day like this all the more special for the veteran of 364 games in the NHL.
"The importance of the Montreal Canadiens in Quebec is indescribable. We all grew up, Marc included, in the alley or on the ice in winter, pretending to be our favorite stars," concluded Bouchard. "It's emotional. You take it with a lot of humility, being a part of the Canadiens organization."