Francis Henri Bélanger (born January 15, 1978) is a retired

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player who appeared in 10

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) games for the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

during the 2000–01 season.

Career

On July 23, 1999, while enjoying what was supposed to be a leisurely boating trip in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

alongside fellow Philadelphia Flyers prospects

Dmitri Tertyshny Dmitri Valerievich Tertyshny (; December 26, 1976 – July 23, 1999) was a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman. He played one season, 1998–99, in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers and four seasons in the Russia ...

and Mikhail Chernov, Bélanger witnessed a harrowing tragedy. As the boat hit a wave, Tertyshny was thrown forward over the bow, and in a devastating accident, the boat's propeller fatally struck him, severing his jugular vein. The sudden and violent nature of the incident left Bélanger deeply traumatized. Struggling to cope with the loss of his close friend and teammate, he fell into a spiral of depression and began drinking heavily as a way to numb the emotional pain. Recognizing his deteriorating mental health, the Flyers organization stepped in with support: they granted him leave with full pay, encouraged him to pursue professional help, and had their

strength and conditioning coach A strength and conditioning coach (also known as an S&C coach) is a physical performance professional who uses exercise prescription to improve the performance of competitive Athlete, athletes or Sports club, athletic teams. This is achieved throug ...

provide him with a structured daily workout plan in hopes of giving him a sense of stability and purpose. Despite these efforts, Bélanger's struggles persisted, and on November 29, 2000, he failed a drug test, which led to his release from the organization. Determined to reclaim his career and rebuild his life, Bélanger entered a rehabilitation program to work toward

sobriety Sobriety is the condition of not having any effects from alcohol (drug), alcohol and other psychoactive drug, drugs. Sobriety is also considered to be the natural state of a human being at Childbirth, birth. A person in a state of sobriety is ...

. His efforts began to pay off when, on January 13, 2001, he earned a seven-game tryout with the

Quebec Citadelles The Quebec Citadelles (French: ''Citadelles de Québec'') were a Minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada at the Colisée Pepsi. The name refers to the Citadelle of Quebec, a landmark forti ...

of the AHL. Making the most of this opportunity, he scored a hat trick in a 5–2 victory over the

Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks ...

and accumulated 10 goals and 11 points in just 14 games. His impressive performance caught the attention of the

, who offered him a two-year contract worth $300,000. Bélanger's perseverance culminated in a call-up to the NHL on February 15, 2001, and he officially made his NHL debut two days later in a game against the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belanger, Francis 1978 births Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey left wingers Charlotte Checkers (1993–2010) players Cincinnati Mighty Ducks players Danbury Trashers players Hull Olympiques players Living people Montreal Canadiens players Philadelphia Flyers draft picks Philadelphia Phantoms players Quebec Citadelles players Richmond RiverDogs players Rimouski Océanic players Trenton Titans players