Jocelyn Thibault

Jocelyn Thibault
Born (1975-01-12) January 12, 1975
Montreal, QC, CAN
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Quebec Nordiques
Colorado Avalanche
Montreal Canadiens
Chicago Blackhawks
Pittsburgh Penguins
Buffalo Sabres
NHL Draft 10th overall, 1993
Quebec Nordiques
Playing career 19932008

Joseph Regis Jocelyn Thibault (born January 12, 1975) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. Thibault was born in Montreal, Quebec, but grew up in Laval, Quebec.

He led a group out of Sherbrooke, Quebec to create an expansion team in the QMJHL.[1][2] The new team, Sherbrooke Phoenix, started playing in the 2012–13 season.

Playing career

He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques 10th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play for the Nordiques, continuing for a short time after they moved to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche. In 1995, midway through the Avalanche's first season in Denver, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in the trade that moved Patrick Roy to the Avalanche. Thibault played two seasons with the Canadiens before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in November 1998.

Thibault played his longest stretch with any one team with the Blackhawks—five seasons. His best season was the 2002–03 season when he recorded eight shutouts and made an appearance in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game. He recorded his career best GAA of 2.37 and a save percentage of .915.

After the lockout, Thibault was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins in August 2005, for a fourth round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft on a two-year contract worth $3 million. However, a hip injury contributed to a bad beginning, with the veteran losing twelve of thirteen starts. He was replaced as the starter by Marc-André Fleury in late November and put on waivers. In January 2006, he underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left hip.

He was signed as an unrestricted free agent on July 5, 2007, by the Buffalo Sabres. He played one season with Buffalo as the backup to Ryan Miller and was not re-signed.

He has the distinction of being the winning goaltender of the last game at the Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens and the Capital Centre.

Personal

Thibault has three daughters, Noemie, Zoe and Annabel. They currently reside in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1990–91 Laurentides QAAA 20 14 5 0 1178 78 1 3.94 5 1 4 300 20 0 4.00
1991–92 Trois-Rivières Draveurs QMJHL 30 14 7 1 1496 77 0 3.94 3 1 1 110 4 0 2.19
1992–93 Sherbrooke Faucons QMJHL 56 34 14 5 1497 159 3 2.99 .904 15 9 6 882 57 0 3.87
1993–94 Cornwall Aces AHL 4 4 0 0 240 9 1 2.25 .930
1993–94 Quebec Nordiques NHL 29 8 13 3 1504 83 0 3.31 .892
1994–95 Sherbrooke Faucons QMJHL 13 6 6 1 776 38 1 2.94 .903
1994–95 Quebec Nordiques NHL 18 12 2 2 898 35 1 2.34 .917 3 1 2 148 8 0 3.24 .895
1995–96 Colorado Avalanche NHL 10 3 4 2 558 28 0 3.01 .874
1995–96 Montreal Canadiens NHL 40 23 13 3 2334 110 3 2.83 .913 6 2 4 310 18 0 3.47 .904
1996–97 Montreal Canadiens NHL 61 22 24 11 3397 164 1 2.90 .910 3 0 3 179 13 0 4.36 .871
1997–98 Montreal Canadiens NHL 47 19 15 8 2652 109 2 2.47 .902 2 0 0 43 4 0 5.53 .750
1998–99 Montreal Canadiens NHL 10 3 4 2 529 23 1 2.61 .908
1998–99 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 52 21 26 5 3015 136 4 2.69 .905
1999–00 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 60 25 26 7 3438 158 3 2.76 .906
2000–01 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 66 27 32 7 3844 180 6 2.81 .895
2001–02 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 67 33 23 9 3838 159 6 2.49 .902 3 1 2 158 7 0 2.65 .909
2002–03 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 62 26 28 7 3650 144 8 2.37 .915
2003–04 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 14 5 7 2 821 39 1 2.85 .913
2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 16 1 9 3 807 60 0 4.46 .876
2006–07 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 22 7 8 2 1101 52 1 2.83 .909 1 0 0 8 0 0 0.00 1.000
2007–08 Buffalo Sabres NHL 12 3 4 2 507 28 2 3.31 .869
NHL totals 586 238 238 68 32,893 1,508 39 2.75 .904 18 4 11 847 50 0 3.54 .891

Transactions

References

  1. "QMJHL buys Maineiacs, prepares to dissolve team". CBC.ca. The Canadian Press. May 31, 2011. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. "QMJHL buys Maineiacs, dissolves team". Sun Journal. 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2012-05-06.(Subscription required.)

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Todd Warriner
Quebec Nordiques first round draft pick
1993
Succeeded by
Adam Deadmarsh
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