François Groleau (born January 23, 1973) is a Canadian former 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 ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

who played eight games in the

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 ...

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 ...

over three seasons between 1996 and 1997. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1993 to 2013, was mainly spent in the minor leagues and then in the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called Penny (supermarket), PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga) (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a professional ice hockey league in Germany and the highest division in German i ...

Playing career

As a youth, Groleau played in the 1985 and 1986

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

s with a

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

team from Rive-Sud. Groleau was drafted 41st overall by the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He spent two seasons in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

with the

Saint John Flames The Saint John Flames were a Canadian ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate. History The Saint ...

before he was traded to the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...

in March 1995 for Ed Ward. He finished the 1994–95 season in the AHL with the

Cornwall Aces The Cornwall Aces were the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Quebec Nordiques from 1993 to 1995 and the relocated Colorado Avalanche in 1995–96. They were based in the eastern Ontario city of Cornwall and p ...

. He signed with the

in July 1995 and played eight NHL games for the team over three seasons, scoring one assist. He spent most of his tenure in the AHL with the

Fredericton Canadiens The Fredericton Canadiens, or the 'Baby Habs', were a professional ice hockey team in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Canadiens played their home games at the Aitken Centre. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1990 to 1999, and ...

and also spent a season in the International Hockey League with the San Francisco Spiders. With his NHL career now at an end, Groleau moved to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 1998, playing one season in the

for the

Augsburger Panther The Augsburger Panther are a professional ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, DEL. The team is based in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. They play their home games at the Curt Frenzel Stadion. Founded in 1878, the team's name was Augsburge ...

. He then returned to the AHL 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 ...

again for one season. In 2000, Groleau returned to the DEL, signing for

Adler Mannheim The Adler Mannheim (English: ''Mannheim Eagles'', formerly Mannheimer ERC) is a professional ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest-level ice hockey league in Germany. The team is based in Mannheim, a city in the northern par ...

. He spent five seasons with the team, winning the league title in 2001 and the German Cup in 2003. He signed for the

Füchse Duisburg The Füchse Duisburg are a German ice hockey team formerly a member of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga and currently plays in the Oberliga. History Known in English as the "Duisburg Foxes," the team was founded in 1971. In 2005, they earned promoti ...

in 2005, but the team finished bottom of the league. He signed for

EHC Black Wings Linz The Steinbach Black Wings Linz are a member of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). They play their home games in Linz, Austria at the Linz AG Eisarena. History The EHC Black Wings Linz was founded in 1992. After several years in the Austrian minor ...

in 2006. After his second season with the Black Wings, Groleau spent two years in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

with

Diables Rouges de Briançon The Diables Rouges de Briançon ''(: Briançon Red Devils)'' (''Briançon Alpes Provence Hockey Club'' and before ''Hockey Club Briançon'') is the ice hockey team of Briançon (Hautes-Alpes). Their home arena is the Patinoire René Froger. Awar ...

before returning to Canada to play with Thetford Mines Isothermic in 2010–11.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Groleau, Francois 1973 births Living people Adler Mannheim players Augsburger Panther players Calgary Flames draft picks Canadian ice hockey defencemen Cornwall Aces players Diables Rouges de Briançon players EHC Black Wings Linz players Füchse Duisburg players Fredericton Canadiens players Ice hockey people from Longueuil Montreal Canadiens players Quebec Citadelles players Saint-Jean Lynx players Saint John Flames players San Francisco Spiders players Shawinigan Cataractes players