Jocelyn Thibault

Joseph Régis Jocelyn Thibault (born January 12, 1975) is a Canadian former 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 and grew up in nearby Laval.

Jocelyn Thibault
Thibault with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006
Born (1975-01-12) January 12, 1975
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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 1993–2008

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. In 2021, Thibault left the Phoenix to become the new executive director of Hockey Quebec.[3]

Playing career

As a youth, Thibault played in the 1988 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Laval, Quebec.[4] He played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as part of the Trois-Rivières Draveurs and Sherbrooke Faucons.[5]

Thibault was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques 10th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play for the Nordiques, staying 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 sent to the Montreal Canadiens in a trade that moved Patrick Roy to the Avalanche. Thibault played three seasons with the Canadiens before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in November 1998.

Thibault played longer with the Blackhawks than with any other team—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. The following season had him suffer a torn labrum in November, requiring surgery and having Michael Leighton replace him.[6]

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 12 of 13 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.[7]

Thibault 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.[8]

Thibault has the distinction of being the winning goaltender of the last game at the Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens, and the Capital Centre.[9] He also played in the last game at Colisee de Quebec.

Personal

Thibault and his wife Melanie have three daughters. The family resides in Sherbrooke, Quebec.[10]

Thibault is the godfather of current Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Samuel Poulin.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1990–91 Laval Régents QMAAA 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 .898 3 1 1 110 4 0 2.19 .911
1992–93 Sherbrooke Faucons QMJHL 56 34 14 5 — 1497 159 3 2.99 .899 15 9 6 882 57 0 3.87 .862
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 7 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.)
  3. Jocelyn Thibault wants to change the tone as the new executive director of Hockey Quebec, Montreal Gazette
  4. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  5. "Jocelyn Thibault's No. 35 Jersey to be Retired – Sherbrooke Phoenix".
  6. "Hip surgery for Jocelyn Thibault". UPI.
  7. "More hip woes for Penguins netminder Thibault". CBC. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  8. "5 random players you forgot were on the Buffalo Sabres". Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  9. "Be A Player: Rewind - Jocelyn Thibault". NHL Players Association. November 8, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  10. "Where are they now? Jocelyn Thibault | Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens". ourhistory.canadiens.com.
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