Pierre Emile Bouchard - Hall of Fame Article

[LucyXpher 1,571]

Pierre Emile Bouchard (S82-S92)
User: @Gaikoku-hito
February 28, 2022 - February 26, 2024

TPE: 1939
Position: D
Nationality: Canadian 
Height:6'4"
Weight: 235 lb.
VHL Draft: S84 New York Americans (5th OA)
Teams:  New York Americans (S84),  Vancouver Wolves (S84-90),  Helsinki Titans (S91-92)
International Play: WJHC S83 - Canada , World Championships (S86, S88, S90, S92) - Canada 

 

Trophy Cabinet:

 

 

S86 Continental Cup - Vancouver

S87 Victory Cup - Vancouver

S82 Founder's Cup - Saskatoon

87 Jake Wylde Trophy - Vancouver (Top Defensive Defenseman)
87 Sterling Labatte Trophy - Vancouver (Top Defenseman) 
87 Dustin Funk Trophy - Vancouver (Most Improved)

S92 Alexander Beketov Trophy - Helsinki (Most Assists)

 

S83 WJHC Bronze Medal - Canada 
S86 WC Bronze Medal - Canada 
S88 WC Gold Medal - Canada 
S90 WC Gold Medal - Canada 
S92 WC Bronze Medal - Canada 

 

Individual Honors:
1x All-VHL First Team (S87) 
2x All-VHL Second Team (S88, S92) 
Team Captain - S87-S90 Vancouver 

 

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The career of S95 Hall of Fame inductee, Pierre Emile Bouchard, spanned nearly two full years to the date from player creation to his last game-- a Conference Finals Game 7 loss to S94 Hall of Fame goaltender Jesse Teno @Aimee and the London United.  While one last finals appearance and a chance at a second Continental Cup would have been the icing on the cake, alas it was not meant to be for the defenseman who hung up his skates following that playoff exit.  Bouchard's legacy is one of consistency, longevity, and success at every level of play.  While some players before and after have hit higher highs, very few have maintained the elite level of play that Bouchard achieved with the same level of consistency, and only one other played as many games in the VHL.  With 650 VHL games played over 9 full seasons, Pierre Emile Bouchard shares that record with a former teammate, Nico Pearce @Spartan .  To achieve this record number of games played, Bouchard not only had to bypass a full season of VHLM play, but also managed to play an extra two games during his rookie season that saw him traded from New York to Vancouver while the Wolves were a couple games back in their schedule.  This scheduling quirk put him on track to finish his career as the all-time leader among defensemen in games played.  And while playing a lot of games is one thing, playing them well and achieving success at every level is another.

 

Pierre Emile Bouchard is one of the esteemed members of the Triple Gold Club, having won a VHLM Founder's Cup as a waiver player for Saskatoon in S82, a Continental Cup in the VHL with the Vancouver Wolves in S86, and two World Championship Gold Medals with Canada in S88 and S90.  Add to that 3 other bronze medals and some impressive individual hardware and it's not hard to see the case for his induction into the VHL Hall of Fame only 3 seasons after his retirement.  

 

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Prairie Power - S82  

 

Pierre Emile Bouchard-- the son of longtime Prague Phantom Robert Bouchard-- appeared onto the VHL scene after the S82 trade deadline and joined the Saskatoon Wild as a waiver pickup.  The Wild, hoping to contend for the Founder's Cup that season, signed Bouchard to fill the fourth spot on their defense.  The Wild that season were well endowed with 3 other defensemen scoring over a point per game and Bouchard filled their hole admirably, pitching in 8 assists through 14 games.  Developing quickly, Bouchard would find another level in the S82 playoffs, racking up 18 points in 19 playoff games as the 3rd seeded Wild took down 6th ranked Marauders, the 2nd overall Reapers, and Prime Minister's Cup Champion Bulls en route to a Founder's Cup victory.  Despite being a late addition, Bouchard would come up clutch for the Wild in their playoff run as he led the VHLM with 4 game winning goals in the playoffs.  Bouchard would also pick up an assist on the Founder's Cup winning goal in game 7 of the finals-- a 6-3 win against Houston.  This first taste of success would set the stage for what was to come-- call it the prologue to the epic that was Bouchard's career.

 

Following the S82 Founder's Cup win, Bouchard elected not to declare for the VHLM dispersal draft, opting instead to spend the offseason training and to seek out new opportunities in Europe.  Thus, he would only play 14 regular season games in the VHLM, but his 19 playoff games took him all the way to the top, leaving little left for him to pursue at that level.

 

VHLM Regular Season: 14 GP, 0 G, 8 A, 8 P, + 1, 4 PIM, 13 HIT, 18 SHT, 14 SB
VHLM Playoffs: 19 GP, 7 G, 11 A, 18 P, +/- 0, 12 PIM, 35 HIT, 46 SHT, 24 SB, 4 GWG

Swede Dreams - S83  

 

Back when the VHLE was a thing, and when it was an 8 team league that included the Istanbul Red Wolves and the Geneva Rush, Pierre Emile Bouchard signed as a free agent with the Stockholm Vikings.  While he would have moderate individual success that season, ranking 2nd on the team with 72 points and 8th among all VHLE defensemen, the Vikings would finish 3rd in Europe's Northern Conference and 6th in the league, missing out on the VHLE playoffs by significant margin.  For Bouchard, however, it was a stepping stone season and he continued to prove that he could play at a high level, even without exceptional star power around him.  With his sights set on the VHL, he would move on from the E after only one season, despite being drafted 43rd overall in the VHLE on the off chance that he might stay.  

 

VHLE Regular Season: 72 GPE, 21 G, 51 A, 72 P, +/- 0, 54 PIM, 73 HIT, 240 SHT, 151 SB, 3 GWG

 

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From the Empire State to Beautiful British Columbia - S84  /
 

While all draft eligible players dream of hearing their name called and putting on the jersey of their first VHL team, for the proud Canadian, Bouchard, the Americans came calling at 5th overall, taking him in the 1st round of the S84 VHL Entry Draft.  

 

Beginning the season with New York, Bouchard was impressive out of the gates with 33 points in his first 33 games.  New York, however, was not in a position to compete that season.  With less than half the season elapsed, the Americans entered into trade talks with the Vancouver Wolves who expressed interest with Bouchard.  On July 14, 2022, Pierre Emile Bouchard was traded from New York to Vancouver as the Wolves began to load up to be a true competitor, while the Americans embraced a rebuild with both arms, reclaiming their own 1st round pick in S85.  The trade was as follows:

 

--> To New York : Ryan @freezyeh + S85 NYA 1st + S85 VAN 2nd

New York GM: @frescoelmo

--> To Vancouver : Pierre Emile Bouchard + William Futch @Futch

Vancouver GM: @Frank

 

Bouchard would conclude S84 with the Wolves, tallying 31 points in Vancouver's remaining 41 games-- thus playing 74 games that season.  While there was a slight production drop off for Bouchard after the move out west, it was somewhat to be expected as the Wolves were still on the come-up and struggled to an 8th place finish in the North American Conference in S84, missing out on the playoffs.  Apart from his season in the VHLE, S84 would be the only time Bouchard would miss the playoffs in his VHL career.

 

Rookie Regular Season Total: 74 GP, 17 G, 47 A, 64 P, -51, 80 PIM, 133 HIT, 244 SHT, 233 SB, 3 GWG
New York: 33 GP, 8 G, 25 A, 33 P, -17, 6 PIM, 40 HIT, 117 SHT, 77 SB, 3 GWG
Vancouver: 41 GP, 9 G, 22 A, 31 P, -34, 74 PIM, 93 HIT, 127 SHT, 156 SB

 

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Howling While the Moon is Full... S85-90 

While it was a difficult end to S84 for Vancouver and Bouchard, the team was only trending upward with plenty of talent in the pipeline and a legitimate shot at being a contender through the next 5 seasons.  When asked about the trade that brought Bouchard to Vancouver, General Manager @Frank had this to say, "Acquiring Pierre Emile Bouchard during Season 84 was the turning point for that era of Vancouver Wolves. We went from a competitive team with a bright future to a legitimate threat to compete for the cup season after season. Bouchard's agency ended up becoming the AGM of the team even to this day. Bouchard became a leader on the ice and helped us win a cup in Season 86 and make the finals in Season 89. He even graciously let us trade his player so we could commence a rebuild and now we're a competitive team once again."

 

Vancouver took a huge step forward in S85 and finished 2nd in North America and 3rd overall with a 41-24-7 record and 89 points.  Now on a team that was increasingly loaded with high end talent, Bouchard saw his points totals drop a bit as he only registered 55 points in 72 games that season.  His underlying numbers, however, and the play of the team around him were trending positive!  In the S85 playoffs, the Wolves would drop their first round series in 7 games to the DC Dragons-- the eventual Continental Cup Champions.  Bouchard collected 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points in those 7 games while playing a team leading 29.94 minutes per game in the playoffs.

 

S85 Regular Season: 72 GP, 11 G, 44 A, 55 P, +22, 38 PIM, 47 HIT, 224 SHT, 110 SB, 3 GWG
S85 Playoffs: 7 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, +3, 6 PIM, 4 HIT, 16 SHT, 9 SB

 

During those first few seasons with Vancouver, Bouchard credits Biggie Cheese @a_Ferk as his first defense partner, a great mentor, and an indispensable part of the S86 team that would win the Continental Cup.  Reflecting on this time in his career, Bouchard said, "Biggie Cheese was [my] first defensive partner and taught [me at a young age] how to play in the VHL.  If it wasn't for Biggie, Vancouver wouldn't have won the Championship in S86. Yet Biggie Cheese was selflessly traded away, hours after lifting the cup, putting huge pressure on my shoulders in S87-- which was my break-out season. If it wasn't for Biggie, I don't think this would have happened."

 

In S86, Vancouver's Cup winning season, the team only finished 8th overall in the regular season, but only dropped by a point from their S85 form.  With 85 points for Biggie Cheese that season, Bouchard saw his point share drop again ever so slightly to 51 points in 72 games, though he did match Cheese's goal total of 20 which was a sure sign of things to come for the still young defenseman.  In the S86 playoffs-- as a wildcard team-- the Wolves dispatched the Bears in a 3 game sweep, and then went on to knock off the number one seed Calgary Wranglers in 5 games!  They followed this impressive series up with victories in 7 games against the Chicago Phoenix in the NA finals, and the Prague Phantoms in the Cup finals.  Just as Bouchard remembers, it was Biggie Cheese leading the way in the playoffs with 29 points in 22 games, while Bouchard himself notched an impressive 19 points, showing signs that he was ready to shoulder a bigger load for the Wolves going forward.

 

S86 Regular Season: 72 GP, 20 G, 31 A, 51 P, +/- 0, 44 PIM, 88 HIT, 247 SHT, 126 SB, 3 GWG
S86 Playoffs: 22 GP, 3 G, 16 A, 19 P, +1, 37 PIM, 55 HIT, 71 SHT, 49 SB, 1 GWG

 

In S87, now without Biggie Cheese, Bouchard was the team's true number one defenseman-- and he delivered with a monster season, notching 19 goals and 69 assists for 88 points in 72 games-- a new career high that would stand until his final season.  The team, meanwhile, dominated the VHL en route to a 50-16-6 record and 106 points-- 9 points more than the next highest team overall.  As the favorites heading into the playoffs as the regular season champions, the Wolves fell victim to the Victory Cup curse, losing in 5 games to the Seattle Bears-- a wildcard team-- in their first 7 games series.  Bouchard collected 4 points in that shortened 5 game series where the Wolves never really got their feet under them.  For his individual achievements during the regular season, Bouchard claimed the Jake Wylde Trophy as the league's top defensive defenseman.  He led all defensemen with a +35 rating, was 3rd overall with 198 shots blocked, and dished out the 12th most hits with 195. That defensive effort, combined with the 3rd most points by a defenseman earned him the Sterling Labatte Trophy as the VHL's best overall defenseman in S87.  On top of that, he took home the Dustin Funk Trophy as the league's most improved player, going from 51 points the season before to 88 this season and filling his trophy cabinet along the way.    

 

S87 Regular Season: 72 GP, 19 G, 69 A, 88 P, +35, 172 PIM, 195 HIT, 282 SHT, 198 SB, 7 GWG
S87 Playoffs: 5 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 P, -2, 14 PIM, 18 HIT, 20 SHT, 16 SB

 

S88 saw Bouchard and the Wolves face some adversity as they clawed their way into the playoffs as a wildcard team with a 34-29-9 record.  Bouchard was again the highest scoring defender on the team that season with 23 goals and 55 assists for 78 points and a solid +22 rating while some Wolves struggled to stay positive.  In the S88 playoffs, Vancouver managed to beat the LA Stars in the wildcard round in a tight 5 game series before faltering to the Seattle Bears in the following round, losing that series in 6 games.  Bouchard scored 6 points in those 11 playoff games, but ran into a bit of penalty trouble as he racked up 45 PIM.  

 

S88 Regular Season: 72 GP, 23 G, 55 A, 78 P, +22, 126 PIM, 200 HIT, 281 SHT, 171 SB, 2 GWG
S88 Playoffs: 11 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 P, -3, 45 PIM, 41 HIT, 39 SHT, 37 SB

 

Hungry to get back to their winning ways in S89, the Wolves put together a strong 43-27-2 record for 88 points.  Bouchard had another exceptional season with 81 points, 3 points back of the newly acquired Brian Payne @Scurvy, who was a former rival-turned-teammate.  Chatting with Bouchard, there was some nervousness about teaming up with Payne in S89, particularly with how the two top defenders might share icetime and opportunities.  In the end, Bouchard acknowledged Payne as an exceptional teammate, "Payne was amazing on and off the ice, leading to Vancouver making the finals again; which I believe we choked away after being over confident being up 2-0 in the finals."  In those S89 playoffs, after finishing 2nd in North America and 5th in the league, the Wolves climbed past Calgary in 6 games to move onto the second round.  In round two, Vancouver swept Bouchard's former team, the Americans, and secured their place against Davos in the finals.  After taking a commanding two game lead in the finals by a combined score of 8-4, the Wolves dropped the next 4 straight games as Davos secured the Continental Cup.  It was surely a heartbreaking loss for Bouchard, missing out on a chance to win a second Cup.  He played a huge role on that S89 team in the playoffs, however, collecting 22 points (2nd most on the team) through 16 playoff games.

 

S89 Regular Season: 72 GP, 18 G, 63 A, 81 P, +2, 126 PIM, 209 HIT, 292 SHT, 182 SB, 3 GWG
S89 Playoffs: 16 GP, 7 G, 15 A, 22 P, +1, 43 PIM, 47 HIT, 62 SHT, 30 SB, 1 GWG

 

The S90 Wolves would improve on their previous regular season with 96 points this time around, though they entered the playoffs 4th in NA and 6th overall.  Bouchard would once again have a strong regular season with 79 points-- 3 behind Payne this season.  As a strong wildcard team, the Wolves would make short work of Seattle in the wildcard round, winning 3 games to 1.  They would falter in the second round to the Toronto Legion, however, cutting their playoff hopes short again.  In these playoffs, Bouchard was once again one of Vancouver's top players.  He ranked 2nd on the team in total points with 12 through 11 games-- the highest scoring defender on the Wolves.  

 

S90 Regular Season: 72 GP, 15 G, 64 A, 79 P, +23, 114 PIM, 152 HIT, 214 SHT, 126 SB, 1 GWG
S90 Playoffs: 11 GP, 4 G, 8 A, 12 P, +3, 20 PIM, 35 HIT, 22 SHT, 21 SB, 1 GWG

 

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The Sunset in Helsinki - S91-92 

Following another playoff defeat in S90, Vancouver was on the brink of another rebuild and Pierre Emile Bouchard agreed to a trade away from Vancouver so that his beloved Wolves could acquire assets for the future.  It was a sign and trade situation where Bouchard agreed to terms for the final two seasons of his career and waived his NTC to allow Vancouver to ship him off to Helsinki in the following trade: 

 

--> To Helsinki : Pierre Emile Bouchard + S93 VAN 3rd

Helsinki GM: @samx

--> To Vancouver : Lloyd Braun @Toast + S92 HSK 1st

Vancouver GM: @Frank

 

The trade equipped Vancouver with a 1st round pick in Season 92, a draft in which they would select 6 times in the first round!  Now in the sunset of his career, Bouchard would not go quietly into the night.  He continued his hallmark consistency through both seasons in Helsinki.  S91 saw the Hall of Famer help the Titans to a wildcard playoff berth with a 41-27-4 record for 86 points.  Bouchard would lead all Helsinki defensemen with 86 points in 72 games, setting a career high in assists to that point with 72.  In the subsequent playoffs, Bouchard would help lead the Titans from the wildcard to the finals as they took care of Malmo in a tight 5 game wildcard round, then defeated the Dynamo in 6 and London in 5, before failing at the last hurdle to claim the Cup against a strong Legion squad, losing in 6 games.  Bouchard led all defenders with 25 points in those playoffs, including 3 game winning goals.

 

S91 Regular Season: 72 GP, 14 G, 72 A, 86 P, +26, 149 PIM, 177 HIT, 217 SHT, 133 SB, 1 GWG
S91 Playoffs: 22 GP, 8 G, 17 A, 25 P, +9, 28 PIM, 53 HIT, 61 SHT, 53 SB, 3 GWG

 

And if anyone thought Bouchard would sail softly into the arctic sea-- now entering the final season of his career-- they would be wrong.  In S92, Bouchard tied his career high in points with 88 and set a new career high in assists with 73, earning himself the Alexander Beketov Trophy for leading the league in assists that season.  His contributions would be a massive part of Helsinki's success as they finished 2nd in the European Conference and 3rd in the league with a 45-19-8 record and 98 points.  Bouchard's career high would rank him only 2 points behind DC's Mark Calaway @Beketov for the league lead in points by defensemen.  In the playoffs, Helsinki went to 7 games against Moscow and managed a convincing 6-3 victory in game 7.  Sadly, for Bouchard, his last chance at a second Cup would fall short as Helsinki lost to London in the Conference Finals in a tightly contested 7 game series.  Bouchard would once again rank 2nd on his team in scoring, this time with 21 points in 14 games-- an exceptional end to a legendary career.  

 

S92 Regular Season: 72 GP, 15 G, 73 A, 88 P, +28, 44 PIM, 64 HIT, 251 SHT, 152 SB, 3 GWG
S92 Playoffs: 14 GP, 3 G, 18 A, 21 P, +2, 6 PIM, 11 HIT, 45 SHT, 34 SB

 

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Legacy

To go along with his 4 individual trophy wins-- including the prestigious Labatte Trophy for defensemen-- being a Triple Gold Club member, and a Victory Cup winner, Bouchard also ranks highly among the best defensemen to ever play in the VHL.  Tied for the longest career in games played of all players in VHL history, Bouchard completed his Hall of Fame career with the 11th most points all-time by a defenseman with 670 in 650 games.  His 518 assists are good for 9th on the all-time defenders list, and he ranks 62nd in goals with 152.  With 1431 shots blocked, Bouchard is tied for 3rd all time, only marginally behind Skor McFleury @Alex.  

 

In the playoffs, like the regular season, Bouchard ranks 1st in games played among all VHL skaters with 108.  His 115 playoff points are 2nd among all defensemen and 7th among all skaters.  Bouchard's 86 playoff assists are the 2nd most all time, and his 29 playoff goals are 5th among all defenders to ever play in the VHL.  Clearly, the key to Bouchard's success was consistency and longevity.  Playing the games is hard enough, but performing at a high level in each of those games is another feat entirely.  

 

Former teammate and fellow games-played record holder, @Spartan (Nico Pearce) had this to say about Bouchard's career: "PEB wasn't the flashiest player on the team and never threw up monstrous numbers in the big picture of the league, but in an era where scoring was lower and consistency was critical from the blue line, Bouchard was one of the best in the league. He was a fantastic and passionate teammate who was a true leader in the locker room too. It was an honor to play with him for a few seasons and I'm extremely proud to see him in the Hall of Fame!"

 

Former rival-turned-teammate, @Scurvy (Brian Payne) echoed a similar sentiment about the kind of player and person that Bouchard was: "I will say that PEB is the ultimate teammate.  Selfless, fun, and always wanting to help his teammates out.  A true leader in the locker room and on the ice. It was my pleasure to share the ice with him. He made Brian Payne better and truly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame."

 

The career of Pierre Emile Bouchard is an all-time example of the commitment it takes to be a top player in the VHL.  As I said at the top, there are players who may have hit higher highs-- or lower lows-- but very few have had the consistency of Bouchard-- consistency, no doubt, fueled by a renewed commitment to continue to grow and develop every week and every day.  To do this with great success over the course of a two year span is remarkable.  With an incredible 1939 TPE in his career, Bouchard ranks 13th all time among all VHL players in total earning.  Now with a 3rd generation in the VHL, the future looks bright for the Bouchard name.  While the sun sets on one great career, it is surely rising on another.  

 

Congratulations to @Gaikoku-hito and Pierre Emile Bouchard on an incredible career and induction into the VHL Hall of Fame!  

 

Career Regular Season:

650 GP, 152 G, 518 A, 670 P, +107, 893 PIM, 1265 HIT, 2252 SHT, 1431 SB, 26 GWG, 69 PPG
Career Playoffs:

108 GP, 29 G, 86 A, 115 P, +14, 199 PIM, 264 HIT, 336 SHT, 249 SB, 6 GWG, 19 PPG

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Special thanks to @Frank, @Scurvy, @Gaikoku-hito, and @Spartan  for contributions to this article!

LucyXpher 12/01/2024 - 4000+ words

Edited December 2 by LucyXpher

[Scurvy 1,538]

Great article!!!   

[Spartan 4,530]

@Gaikoku-hito is deservedly in the HOF as one of the best players and users in the VHL! Congrats buddy!

[Gaikoku-hito 2,130]

Wow!! Great write up and great research as you provide even more insight to PEB career then I even knew!!

 

Greatest part of the S86 Championship with Vancouver Wolves was also the personal note that the finals took since PEB father played his whole career with Prague Phantoms chasing the Continental Cup so it was fitting that PEB & Prague would meet; not to mention also go seven games into over-time to decide the winner; which was the only game winning goal that PEB scored during that play-off run. 

 

It was one of his greatest moments but also sadist moments due to the connection he had with Prague but luckily Prague would claim their first ever cup only a few seasons later!!

 

Thank you for such a great article about such a player that I really enjoyed creating. His success was truly a team effort so I would also like to say thank you to all my team mates that PEB played with through his career.