Francis Bouillon

Francis Bouillon
Born	October 17, 1975 (1975-10-17) New York, NY, USA
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Nashville Predators Montreal Canadiens
National team	United States
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1996–present

Francis Bouillon (born October 17, 1975) is an American professional hockey defenseman for the Nashville Predators in the National Hockey League. Nicknames in English for Francis include "Cube" or "Soupy" (as a reference to bouillon cubes), "Frank the Tank", and "Franky B". In French, people call him "le petit guerrier" which means "the little warrior", due to his physical intensity and his small stature.

Early life

Bouillon was born in New York City to a French-Canadian mother and a Haitian father. Bouillon moved to Quebec with his mother when he was only 3 years old. He played Junior hockey in the Quebec Junior Hockey League with the Laval Titans and the Granby Predateurs.

Playing career

Francis made his professional debut the 1996-97 season in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers and played the following season in the IHL with the Quebec Rafales before he was signed as a free agent to an NHL contract by the Montreal Canadiens in 1998.

He played the next 11 seasons, the majority of his career (except for a short stint with the Predators in 2002–03 within the Canadiens organization. At 5'8" and 201 lbs, Bouillon is considered small for an NHL defencemen but is never one to shy away from physical play. According to Pierre Houde, he is one of the strongest players in the NHL, according to official physical tests.

On September 30, 2009, just prior to the 2009–10 season, Bouillon was signed to a one-year contract as a late inclusion to the Nashville Predators after joining the team on a try-out for training camp. In returning to the Predators after an initial four game stint in 2002, Bouillon established himself within the Predators defense as a stay-at-home d-man to appear in 81 games, missing only a single game, for 3 goals and 11 points. On June 18, 2010, he signed a two-year extension to remain with the Predators.

Personal life

Francis is married to Ginette and has 2 sons; Michael and Anthony. Bouillon resides in Nashville with his family. He retains his US citizenship.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1992–93	Laval Titan	QMJHL		46	0	7	7	45		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Laval Titan	QMJHL		68	3	15	18	129		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Laval Titan Collège Français	QMJHL		72	8	25	33	115		20	3	11	14	21
1995–96	Granby Predateurs	QMJHL		68	11	35	46	156		21	2	12	14	30
1996–97	Wheeling Nailers	ECHL		69	10	32	42	77		3	0	2	2	10
1997–98	Quebec Rafales	IHL		71	8	27	35	76		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		79	19	35	54	174		5	2	1	3	0
1999–00	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		74	3	13	16	38		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Quebec Citadelles	AHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		29	0	6	6	26		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Quebec Citadelles	AHL		38	8	14	22	30		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		28	0	5	5	33		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Nashville Predators	NHL		4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		29	1	12	13	31		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		20	3	1	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		73	2	16	18	70		11	0	0	0	7
2004–05	Leksands IF	Swe-1		21	6	12	18	34		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	3	19	22	34		6	1	2	3	10
2006–07	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		62	3	11	14	52		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		74	2	6	8	61		7	1	2	3	4
2008–09	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		54	5	4	9	53		1	0	0	0	0
2009–10	Nashville Predators	NHL		81	3	8	11	50		6	0	0	0	6
2010–11	Nashville Predators	NHL		44	1	9	10	27		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				610	25	98	123	448		31	2	4	6	27

International

Year	Team	Comp	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2003	United States	WC	6	0	1	1	0
Senior int'l totals			6	0	1	1	0

See also

• List of Black ice hockey players

External links

• Francis Bouillon's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database