From the family farm to Canada’s World Juniors coaching staff
Photo credit: Vincent Levesque Rousseau
“I started working at a very young age. I was five or six years old and I was already driving the tractor all by myself.”
At that time, young Gilles Bouchard was far from imagining what would happen. Originally from Normandin, a small village of just under 3,000 inhabitants north of Lac-Saint-Jean, QC., he himself says ‘at that time, he didn’t even know about the QMJHL, let alone the Canadian Hockey League.’
He saw himself likely to succeed his father and to take over the family farm.
So this journey makes it all the more special. Forty years later, Bouchard finds himself in Sweden, where he will serve as an assistant coach for Canada at the 2024 World Juniors.
“I feel good, I’m excited,” said Bouchard, who is also the head coach of the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix. “I am proud to be part of this team and I want to work hard to help Canada.”
The story is even more interesting because, in the end, Bouchard never took over the family farm: his father sold it when he was 11 years old.
“It unfolded differently. I loved playing hockey,” he said. “I kept playing, earned my bachelor’s degree, and started teaching, until I arrived here today.
“I’ve always trusted destiny. Life begins somewhere, but it doesn’t mean it will end in the same place. It’s about growing, charging forward, tackling challenges. These are things I’ve always tried to achieve for a long time.”
Work, work, and more work
His childhood on the family farm taught him a detail that serves him well today: hard work. When Bouchard talks about hockey, it’s a theme that comes up quite often with him. It allowed him to win a QMJHL title in 2015-2016 with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and to spend five years in the American Hockey League with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
“You learn to fend for yourself quickly, to get up early in the morning,” he said. “At some point, working hard on a farm becomes normal, instinctive. It helped me in my journey.”
It’s fortunate because this mentality is likely to be quite important for Canada’s World Juniors team as they attempt to win a third consecutive gold medal.
“We wanted dedicated players who will embrace Hockey Canada’s identity,” Bouchard said. “When I talk about buying into the concept, it’s about working hard and putting the team before the individual. It will be important to take it one day at a time and trust the process. We want to get involved with the players and help them as much as possible.”
The 2024 tournament will take place in Sweden, meaning players will have to familiarize themselves with the dimensions of European ice. It is the first time since 2020, in the Czechia, that the World Juniors will be held on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Will it be a big difference? According to Bouchard, it won’t be, even though he acknowledges that speed will be an important asset.
“We primarily want good hockey players. Whether on a large or small rink, you always need pure speed. It may change some aspects of the game system but we mainly want the players to stick to the plan.
“We want the best core possible and the best in the present moment.”