The Ottawa Senators hired Guy Boucher to bring energy to a talented team that missed the playoffs last season. Although his exploits as a coach at his numerous stops are well known, little is known about the man away from hockey.
Ottawa Magazine had a great profile on Boucher that delved into who he is apart from a tactical hockey coach.
He takes his wife and three children to an isolated cottage near Notre-Dame-du-Lac in Quebec every summer. The place was originally built by his father, and doesn’t have electricity.
It serves as a peaceful getaway from the hectic life of hockey coaching, and Boucher not only utilizes its serenity, but also feels obligated to spend time with a family that gets somewhat neglected during the busy hockey season.
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“This is my time when I’m all there with the family; they deserve it,” said Boucher. He admitted that his lack of time with them during the season weighs on him.
“You never get your weekends; you never get your evenings. You get pockets here and there. That’s why the summers aren’t only good- they’re necessary,” said Boucher.
The responsibilities of a hockey coach are all-encompassing, and although Boucher has learned to compartmentalize the adversity better with age, he also commented that getting older brings new challenges.
“You’ve got to connected with the players,” Boucher said. “You’ve got to find what really motivates them.”
Boucher treats coaching a lot like parenting, and uses lessons from his own father to bestow wisdom upon both his children and players.
One of the biggest things he has tried to teach his children is to not be afraid of failure. Boucher has been fired from numerous head coaching positions, but has always seemed to bounce back successfully from those obstacles.
Boucher is ecstatic to be in Ottawa. Years of being somewhat of a nomad have taken a toll on his family, and it’s nice to be settled in an area close to relatives of the family in Montreal.
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Hopefully his tenure in Ottawa proves to be both long and successful. He seems like a very grounded individual.