Joël Bouchard

Joël Bouchard (born January 23, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with eight teams for parts of 11 seasons between 1994–2008. He currently serves as the head coach for the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL), the minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Playing career
As a youth, Bouchard played in the 1988 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Montreal.

Bouchard was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft with the 129th overall pick. Collectively, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Flames, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, as well as in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Coaching career
After his playing career ended in 2008, Bouchard worked as an analyst for Réseau des sports (RDS). He also produced and hosted his own show called "l'Académie de Hockey McDonald." He became the head coach of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)'s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in 2014, leading the club to two league championship finals in 2017 and 2018.

Bouchard was hired in May 2018 as the head coach of the Laval Rocket, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. In 2021, he left the Rocket at the end of his contract, posting a 83–67–24 record over three seasons.

On July 9, 2021, the Anaheim Ducks hired Bouchard to coach their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. After only one season as the head coach of the team, Bouchard was relieved from his duties.

On June 26, 2023, Bouchard was hired as head coach of the Syracuse Crunch, the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.