# François Groleau

François Groleau (born January 23, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played eight games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens 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.

## Playing career

As a youth, Groleau played in the 1985 and 1986 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Rive-Sud.
Groleau was drafted 41st overall by the Calgary Flames in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He spent two seasons in the American Hockey League with the Saint John Flames before he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in March 1995 for Ed Ward. He finished the 1994–95 season in the AHL with the Cornwall Aces.
He signed with the Montreal Canadiens 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 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 in 1998, playing one season in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga for the Augsburger Panther. He then returned to the AHL with the Quebec Citadelles again for one season. In 2000, Groleau returned to the DEL, signing for Adler Mannheim. 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 in 2005, but the team finished bottom of the league. He signed for EHC Black Wings Linz in 2006. After his second season with the Black Wings, Groleau spent two years in France with Diables Rouges de Briançon before returning to Canada to play with Thetford Mines Isothermic in 2010–11.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1988–89 | Sainte-Foy Gouverneurs | QMAAA | 42 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 42 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 28 |
| 1989–90 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 66 | 11 | 54 | 65 | 80 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 1990–91 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 70 | 9 | 60 | 69 | 70 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 1991–92 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 65 | 8 | 70 | 78 | 74 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 8 |
| 1992–93 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 33 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | Saint-Jean Lynx | QMJHL | 15 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 1993–94 | Saint John Flames | AHL | 73 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 49 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1994–95 | Saint John Flames | AHL | 65 | 6 | 34 | 40 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1994–95 | Cornwall Aces | AHL | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| 1995–96 | San Francisco Spiders | IHL | 63 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | Fredericton Canadiens | AHL | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 |
| 1995–96 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | Fredericton Canadiens | AHL | 47 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | Fredericton Canadiens | AHL | 63 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 70 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 1997–98 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | Augsburger Panther | DEL | 52 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 67 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 1999–00 | Quebec Citadelles | AHL | 63 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 48 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | Adler Mannheim | DEL | 59 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 52 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2001–02 | Adler Mannheim | DEL | 60 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 72 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2002–03 | Adler Mannheim | DEL | 43 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 56 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 2003–04 | Adler Mannheim | DEL | 52 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 58 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2004–05 | Adler Mannheim | DEL | 40 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 42 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 32 |
| 2005–06 | Füchse Duisburg | DEL | 32 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006–07 | EHC Black Wings Linz | EBEL | 56 | 4 | 33 | 37 | 110 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007–08 | EHC Black Wings Linz | EBEL | 46 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 54 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 16 |
| 2008–09 | Diables Rouges de Briançon | FRA | 21 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 |
| 2009–10 | Diables Rouges de Briançon | FRA | 23 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 40 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| 2010–11 | Thetford Mines Isothermic | LNAH | 34 | 5 | 32 | 37 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 2011–12 | Thetford Mines Isothermic | LNAH | 17 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 2012–13 | Thetford Mines Isothermic | LNAH | 12 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | Thetford Assurancia | LNAH | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DEL totals | DEL totals | DEL totals | 370 | 20 | 95 | 115 | 427 | 49 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 58 |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |