Paul André Boutilier (born May 3, 1963) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...
who played with several
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
teams in the 1980s. He was a member of the 1983
Stanley Cup champion
New York Islanders.
Playing career
Boutilier was born in
Sydney,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
. He starred in the
QMJHL
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The le ...
with the
Sherbrooke Castors
The Sherbrooke Castors or Beavers (in English) was the name of two different junior ice hockey teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and another team in the Quebec Eastern Provincial Hockey League. Both later franchises played at the Pal ...
in the early 1980s. In 1982, he helped the team reach the
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
finals, however, his team lost to the
Kitchener Rangers
The Kitchener Rangers are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. The Rangers have won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL ...
. He was named to the tournament all-star team, and was voted a first-team all-star by the QMJHL. Chosen 21st overall by the New York Islanders in the
1981 NHL Entry Draft
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
(ahead of such future NHL stars as
Chris Chelios
Christos Kostas Chelios (born January 25, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was one of the longest tenured players in the National Hockey League, and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion—one with the Montreal ...
and
John Vanbiesbrouck), Boutilier split his first full pro season between the Islanders and the
CHL's
Indianapolis Checkers
The Indianapolis Checkers were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Indianapolis, Indiana. The Checkers' home arena was the Fairgrounds Coliseum from 1981 to 1985 and Market Square Arena from 1979 to 1981 and again from 1985 to 1987. Th ...
. He did, however, have his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup in 1983 after appearing in two playoff games for the champion Isles. He also attended
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
during the offseasons.
Boutilier became a regular on the Islanders' blueline in
1984–85 and recorded a career-best 35 points. He scored 34 points the next year and showed a willingness to play rough in his own zone. Over the next four years his play was less consistent. He moved around the league with the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
,
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
,
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
,
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...
, and three different minor pro clubs. He retired in 1990 after spending most of the year in
Switzerland with
SC Bern
Schlittschuh Club Bern ('' Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. For the 18th year in a row, the club is the mos ...
.
Coaching
Boutilier was named
St. Mary's (
AUAA) assistant coach prior to the 1991–92 season and remained in that position through 1992–93. He was promoted to head coach prior to 1993–94 season and remained in that position through 1996–97.
Post-hockey
After retiring from hockey, Boutilier became a regular on the Canadian
curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...
circuit, serving as head of the
World Curling Tour
The World Curling Tour (WCT) is a group of curling bonspiels featuring the best male, female, and mixed doubles curlers in the world.
History
The World Curling Tour was founded by former World Champion Ed Lukowich, with later assistance from John ...
and
World Curling Players' Association.
He currently teaches
International Marketing at the
University of Prince Edward Island
The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.''
...
and is the Director of Defence Development & Analytics for the
Saint John Sea Dogs
The Saint John Sea Dogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team was founded as an expansion team in 2005 and play at TD Station in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Sea Dogs became the first tea ...
in the
QMJHL
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The le ...
. In 2015, he was named assistant coach of the Sea Dogs.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards & honors
*
QMJHL
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The le ...
First All-Star Team (
1982)
* QMJHL
Emile Bouchard Trophy (Defenseman of Year) 1981-82
*
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
Tournament All-Star Team (1982)
*1983 Stanley Cup- New York Islanders
*
AHL First All-Star Team (
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
)
* Inducted to
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
Sports Hall of Fame, 1994
References
External links
*
Hockey Draft Central
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boutilier, Paul
1963 births
Living people
Athabasca University alumni
Boston Bruins players
Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Canadian people of Acadian descent
Colorado Rangers players
Indianapolis Checkers (CHL) players
Sportspeople from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality
Maine Mariners (AHL) players
Minnesota North Stars players
Moncton Hawks players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
New Haven Nighthawks players
New York Islanders draft picks
New York Islanders players
New York Rangers players
People from Sydney, Nova Scotia
Saint-Jean Castors players
SC Bern players
Sherbrooke Castors players
Stanley Cup champions
Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) players
Ice hockey people from Nova Scotia
Academic staff of the University of Prince Edward Island
ZSC Lions players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland