MONTREAL – Guy Boucher, a McGill University grad and former NHL coach in Tampa, Ottawa and Toronto, has been appointed bench boss for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.
 
The team announced Wednesday that Boucher has signed on through the 2025-26 season. Avangard currently sits eighth in the KHL's Eastern Conference with 13 wins in 29 games. 
 
Born in Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Que., and raised in the Montreal suburb of Roxboro, Boucher is one of 10 McGill grads to coach in the NHL, where he has a career 191-186-46 coaching record in regular season play. He previously served as the head coach of the Senators from 2016 to 2019, posting a 94-108-26 record and leading them to an Eastern Conference Final in 2017. He also coached the Lightning  to a 97-78-20 record, from 2010 to 2013, and guided Tampa to the Eastern Conference Final in 2011. Boucher spent the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
 
Boucher, who guided Canada to gold at the 2015 Spengler Cup tournament in Switzerland, also served three seasons as head coach of SC Bern of the National League A in Switzerland, posting a 44-29-5 record. Prior to that, he spent two-plus seasons as the head coach in Tampa, posting a 97-78-20 record in 195 games. Boucher led the Lightning to the Eastern Conference Final in 2010-11. Before his stint in Tampa, he guided AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs in 2009-10.

During his playing days, he was a centre with the McGill varsity hockey team under head coach Jean Pronovost from 1991 to 1995. Boucher, who served as captain in his final season at McGill, recorded 71 goals and 183 points in 141 career games overall. He graduated in 1995 with his first of three degrees, a bachelor of arts, majoring in history and environmental biology. In 1995-96, Boucher played pro in France for Viry-Essonne where he scored 16 goals and 38 points in 28 games.

He then returned to Canada in 1996 to complete a science degree in agricultural engineering at McGill and begin a master's in sports psychology at the University of Montreal, which he eventually finished in 2014 under the tutelage of McGill grad Dr. Wayne Halliwell (MA '72). During that time, Boucher cut his teeth as an assistant at McGill under head coach Martin Raymond for one season (1996-97) before moving on to serve as an assistant to Jean Pronovost with the QMJHL's Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (1997-2000).

Boucher then took over as head coach with the Lac St. Louis Lions of the Quebec Midget AAA hockey league. Three seasons later, he returned to the QMJHL, where he was an assistant coach with the Rimouski Océanic from 2003 to 2006. He was appointed bench boss of the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs in 2006 and won the Paul Dumont Trophy in 2008-09, awarded to QMJHL's personality of the year. He coached the Voltigeurs for three seasons, leading them to the QMJHL regular season and playoff championships and a berth in the Memorial Cup in 2008-09.

In 2009, Boucher took over the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, then the Montreal Canadiens' top minor league affiliate. He led Hamilton to an impressive 52-17-11 record for 115 points and won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as coach of the year in 2009-10 after leading them to the North Division championship.

Boucher has also other duties with Hockey Canada and was an assistant to Pat Quinn at the 2009 IIHF world junior championship at which Canada won gold. He was an assistant three times for Canada's under-18 national team in 2006, 2007 and 2008, winning gold in his last appearance.

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca