Francis Bouillon Autographed Card

I ran into Francis Bouillon yesterday as we were taking turns talking to a radio station about hockey in general (though he talked mostly about the Montréal Canadiens - saying he thought the Habs were on the verge a winning a Stanley Cup - I talked CBA and cap space, some regarding the Habs, but also of the Detroit Red Wings' options should Pavel Datsyuk choose not to play another season though he's owed $5.5M and will account for $7.5M on the cap).

I'm of the opinion that Bouillon will end up working for the Habs, sooner rather than later, probably as a player development coach, replacing the position left vacant from Patrice Brisebois' departure two years ago.

He's the ideal guy for it: he communicates well, had a lengthy career - 80% of it in Montréal, so he knows the market as well - and became everything scouts thought he'd never be: a rugged, punishing checker in the defensive zone who improved his skating speed almost until the end and developped offensive skills, not stealing his second-unit powerplay time when he got it.

He was deemed too small to ever play a single NHL game - yet he suited up for 776 in the regular season, 55 in the playoffs, and six more as a member of Team USA at the 2003 World Championships, logging more than 20 minutes per game over his career. So, yeah, here's to silencing his critics.

He signed this card for me in blue sharpie:

It's #262 from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Parkhurst set, showing him wearing the Habs' then-home white uniform.

Francis Bouillon Jersey Card

In a move that flew under the radar around the NHL, Francis Bouillon announced his retirement last month, after three stints with the Montréal Canadiens interspersed with two with the Nashville Predators.

He may have stood small at 5'8'', but his 200 pounds of pure muscle ensured he would never be taken lightly in his own zone; he was a decent talent offensively with an okay shot and accurate, sharp passes, but it was his flawless defensive play and hard, clean hits that ensured him of a job at the top level for the better part of 15 years, in addition to his last year in Switzerland and the minor-league hockey in the IHL and AHL before he was an NHL mainstay.

He's the type of hard worker that Montréal fans respect while they play (he was never booed by the tough hometown crowd) and revere when they retire. This guy will always be welcome with standing ovations at the Bell Centre and will never have to pay for a meal or drink when going out on the town.

He played for head coach Michel Therrien four times, starting with the 1995-96 Granby Prédateurs, the mid-to-late-1990s Fredericton Canadiens, and the Habs both at the the turn of the millennium and from 2012-14. They were perfect for each other, with their rugged, no-nonsense approach.

Here he is wearing the Canadiens' white (away) uniform with both Centennial shoulder patches, from Upper Deck's 2009-10 Series 1 set (card #GJ-FB of the UD Game Jersey sub-set), featuring a blue game-worn jersey swatch:

He wore #51 for most of his tenure in the NHL except the last two years with the Habs, as it was taken by David Desharnais, ironically as a tribute to Bouillon, who had inspired him when growing up; for those two seasons, he wore #55. He has an arena named after him in my area, in Montréal's East end, where I sometimes volunteer as a goaltending coach to youth teams.

Francis Bouillon Autographed Card

He came back to the Montréal Canadiens in 2012-13 so he could retire as a Hab, finishing where it all started after three seasons in his second stint with the Nashville Predators (all told he's spent 11 years in three stints in Montréal); unfortunately for him, at the end of last year, Francis Bouillon felt he still had some gas left in the tank and didn't want to retire anymore, and the Canadiens wanted to make way for their youngsters.

Both sides compromised with Bouillon showing up for training camp on a tryout, but ultimately he was cut and opted to move to Switzerland on a two-year deal with HC Ambri-Piotta, where he had a decent season, accounting for 11 assists in 31 games so far, on a team that stands in third place in its division with two games remaining in the regular season. Also on the team this season are former NHLers Ryan O'Byrne, Adam Hall, Keith Aucoin, and Alexandre Giroux.

I've always liked Bouillon, a hard-working defensive defenseman with some speed who can pass well and has a decent shot from the point (he was usually on the second wave of the powerplay). Though barely 5'8'', he hit hard in those corners as if he was a full foot taller; his low center of gravity and 200-pound muscle mass definitely had something to do with that, but he was also super-strong, definitely the strongest relative to size in the entire league. He rarely made mistakes on the back end, but he was starting to slow down as he neared the ripe old age of 40 (which he will attain in October).

I met him a few times in the past decade, as he was always a willing participant in team promotions and events, but this particular card was signed last summer, when he came around at the arena that now bears his name a few blocks from my place (and his), where I teach young goalies one weekend per month. It was our last practice before the league's award ceremony (probably in June), and I was happy to have this iconic card of his:

He's raising the team's mythical torch, the emblem of over 100 years (older than the league itself!) of blood, sweat, tears, broken bones and 24 Stanley Cups, most of them as underdogs save for a series of two as a dynasty, wearing the classic bleu-blanc-rouge formerly flannel jersey, the last one to hold it during the inaugural game's player presentation, an honor usually reserved for the captain or star goalie, this time savoured by the comeback hometown kid.

It's from Panini's 2013-14 Score set (card #266 in the collection), a brand that was good at showcasing special moments (such as Nik Antropov modeling the Winnipeg Jets' uniform in front of a plane), and it was signed in thin blue sharpie (the hue and blur is from the penny sleeve).

And though he wore #51 for most of his career, in his final two seasons (100 regular-season games) as a Hab, he wore #55, thus cementing his place in my Habs Numbers Project.