George Boucher

George "Buck" Boucher (August 19, 1896 – October 17, 1960) was a Canadian professional defenceman who played for the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Maroons, and Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League. 
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Buck was one of five brothers. His brothers Frank, Joe, Bobby and Billy all played in the NHL. 
Boucher started his professional athletic career in football as halfback for the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. After three years of football he switched to hockey. 
==Hockey Career==
He played as an amateur with the Ottawa Aberdeens, the Ottawa New Edinburgh and Ottawa Royal Canadiens of the Ottawa City Senior League. He started play with the Senators, then of the NHA, in 1915. At the time, he played as a forward.
Boucher would soon switch to play as a defenceman where he would gain fame as an excellent stick handler. He would play with stars such as Eddie Gerard, Horrace Merrill, Sprague Cleghorn, Lionel Hitchman and King Clancy.
Boucher helped lead the Senators to four Stanley Cups between 1920 and 1927. He played in the NHL from 1917 to 1932, scoring 117 goals and 87 recorded assists in 449 games. An extremely tough customer, he also had 838 penalty minutes, including 115 in just 44 games in 1926–27. At his retirement in 1932 he ranked 11th among NHL career points leaders. 
He would go on to coach in the NHL in Ottawa, Boston, St. Louis and Chicago. He would coach the Ottawa Senators of the Quebec Senior Hockey League to the Allan Cup in 1949. 
He suffered from throat cancer for six years and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960, just three weeks before he died.
==Career Statistics==
 	 	 	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
1914–15 	Ottawa New Edinburgh 	OCSL 	15 	12 	0 	12 	 	 	 	 	 	
1914–15 	Ottawa Royal Canadiens	OCSL 	4 	6 	0 	6 	 	 	 	 	 	
1915–16 	Ottawa Senators 	NHA 	19 	9 	1 	10 	62 	 	 	 	 	
1916–17 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	18 	10 	5 	15 	27 	2 	1 	0 	1 	8
1917–18 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	21 	9 	8 	17 	46 	 	 	 	 	
1918–19 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	17 	3 	2 	5 	29 	5 	2 	0 	2 	9
1919–20 	Ottawa Senators* 	NHL 	22 	9 	8 	17 	55 	5 	2 	0 	2 	9
1920–21 	Ottawa Senators* 	NHL 	23 	11 	8 	19 	53 	7 	5 	0 	5 	19
1921–22 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	23 	13 	12 	25 	12 	2 	0 	0 	0 	4
1922–23 	Ottawa Senators* 	NHL 	24 	14 	9 	23 	58 	8 	2 	2 	4 	8
1923–24 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	23 	13 	10 	23 	38 	2 	0 	1 	1 	2
1924–25 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	28 	15 	5 	20 	95 	 	 	 	 	
1925–26 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	36 	8 	4 	12 	64 	2 	0 	0 	0 	10
1926–27 	Ottawa Senators* 	NHL 	40 	8 	3 	11 	115 	6 	0 	0 	0 	43
1927–28 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	24 	14 	9 	23 	58 	8 	2 	2 	4 	8
1928–29 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	29 	3 	1 	4 	60 	 	 	 	 	
1928–29 	Montreal Maroons 	NHL 	12 	1 	1 	2 	10 	 	 	 	 	
1929–30 	Montreal Maroons 	NHL 	37 	2 	6 	8 	50 	3 	0 	0 	0 	2
1930–31 	Montreal Maroons 	NHL 	30 	0 	0 	0 	25 	 	 	 	 	
1931–32 	Chicago Black Hawks 	NHL 	43 	1 	5 	6 	50 	2 	0 	1 	1 	0
NHL Totals:	NHL Totals: 	NHL Totals:	449 	117 	87 	204 	838 	28 	5 	3 	8 	88
* *Stanley Cup championship season
==Trivia==
*George Boucher became the first defenseman in NHL playoff history to score a Hat trick, doing so in the 5-0 win in Game 1 of the 1921 NHL Championship.
==Gallery==
1949-Oct-Boucher-Schmidt-Gelineau-Quack.jpg|Coach George Boucher, Milt Schmidt, Jack Gelineau and Bill Quackenbush prior to an exhibition game, October 1949. Note the 25th anniversary jerseys from the previous season.
Category:Ottawa Aberdeens players
Category:Ottawa Royal Canadiens players
Category:Ottawa New Edinburgh players
Category:Boston Cubs coaches
Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches
Category:Born in 1896
Category:Dead in 1960
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Chicago Blackhawks players
Category:Hockey Hall of Fame
Category:Montreal Maroons players
Category:Ottawa Senators (original) players
Boucher, Buck
Category:Montreal Maroons coaches
Category:Allan Cup winners
Category:Retired in 1932
Category:Ottawa Senators (original) coaches
Category:Springfield Indians coaches
Category:St. Louis Eagles coaches
Category:Ottawa Senators (senior) coaches
Category:Boston Bruins coaches