Billy Boucher
|
|
Bill "Billy" Boucher (b. November 10, 1899 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, died November 10, 1958) was a Canadian professional ice hockey rightwinger who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and New York Americans. He also played for the New Haven Eagles and Bronx Tigers of the Canadian-American Hockey League.
Billy Boucher was a dangerous scorer who spent the bulk of his career in the 1920s with the Montreal Canadiens. At his peak he topped the 15 goal mark four straight years and played a gritty style when necessary.
The Ottawa native spent four years in the local senior league with the Munitions club beginning in 1916–17. After playing in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association for Iroquois Falls Paper in 1920–21, Boucher made his NHL debut with the Canadiens. He scored 23 goals in 1922–23 then scored eight points in five playoff games the next year to help Montreal win the Stanley Cup. In addition to his offensive exploits, Boucher led the NHL in penalty minutes in 1923 and 1925.
By the late 1920s, the goals stopped going in and Boucher's ice time began to decrease. He was traded to the Boston Bruins in January 1927 and dressed for the last 14 games of the regular season before helping the club reach the Stanley Cup finals. Boucher spent his last NHL season with the New York Americans in 1927–28 then played four years in the minors before retiring in 1932. He then spent a year coaching the Quebec Granites of the ECHA.