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MONTREAL -- Emile (Butch) Bouchard, a longtime Montreal Canadiens captain and four-time Stanley Cup winner, died Saturday. nfljerseyschinawholesalecheaponsale . He was 92. Friend and sports analyst Ron Fournier says Bouchard was surrounded by his family when he died. The defenceman scored 49 goals in 785 games during his 15-year NHL career, captaining the Habs for eight seasons before retiring in 1956. The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup four times while Bouchard was with the team, twice while he was captain. "He was one of the great captains in the history of the Canadiens," Rejean Houle, the Habs alumni president, who played with the Canadiens in the 1970s and 80s, said in an interview Saturday. "It was a period where the team really became a dynasty." Pierre Bouchard, member of the Canadiens himself from 1970 to 1978, said his father remained active until the end of his life. "He was getting old, but he was in good shape," he said. The Canadiens issued a release saying the organization was "deeply saddened" by Bouchards death. "For 15 seasons, Butch Bouchard proudly carried the torch for the Montreal Canadiens. He was a towering presence on the ice and, as Canadiens captain for eight of those years, a revered presence in the dressing room, as well," said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement. "As we mourn the passing of a champion, a leader and a Hall of Famer, the National Hockey League sends heartfelt condolences to his family, his friends and to Canadiens fans who recall Butch Bouchards contribution to the teams iconic legacy." Born in Montreal on Sept. 4, 1919, Emile Bouchard wasnt planning on a career in hockey after originally wanting to work in banking or as a beekeeper. He played many sports growing up, including baseball and boxing, but it was only around age 16 that he began to take hockey seriously. After borrowing $35 from his brother to buy equipment, Bouchard began playing for the Verdun Maple Leafs of Quebecs old Provincial Senior League. The rugged six-foot-two, 205-pound Bouchard quickly got noticed and the Montreal Canadiens offered him his first professional contract to play with their minor league club in Providence, R.I. He played 12 games for the team in 1940-41. Bouchard grabbed the big clubs attention at training camp the following year when he made the 80-kilometre trip by bicycle from his home in Montreal to the training site in St-Hyacinthe, Que. He earned a spot on the blue-line and played the next 15 seasons with the Habs, establishing a reputation as one of the best hitters of the era. Bouchard was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1966. "He was one of the leaders in the 1940s for a team that wasnt going anywhere, and then later, things went very well, with the arrival of Maurice (Richard) and all the others after that," Pierre Bouchard said. "Those were great years for the Canadiens organization. Despite his success, Emile Bouchard had to wait 43 years to have his No. 3 jersey retired. After a grassroots campaign started by his family, he was honoured alongside fellow Habs great Elmer Lach before the teams centennial game on Dec. 4, 2009. "It gave him a great boost in the last seven, eight years of his life," Pierre Bouchard said. "It allowed him to be better known to the younger generation." Emile Bouchard was also a successful Montreal businessman. Hockey didnt keep him from beekeeping during his playing career. From 1938 to 1950, his 1.2 million bees produced up to 6,800 kilograms of honey annually. In 1948, he opened his own restaurant, called Butch Bouchard, in downtown Montreal. It was a mainstay in the area, hosting cabaret shows and musicians until it closed in 1983. Houle remembers going to the restaurant with his teammates after games, and got to know Bouchard well. "He was a great leader, just by his presence," Houle said. "When we played a good game, he was always proud to see us win. His heart belonged to the Canadiens, thats clear." Bouchard also combined business and sports, becoming the director of the Montreal Royals of baseballs International League in 1956, which was the farm club of the Brooklyn Dodgers at the time. He was promoted to president in 1957 but the club played its final season in 1960. Bouchard married painter Marie-Claire Macbeth in 1946 and had five children. A funeral service is expected to be held next Saturday. NFL Jerseys China . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Cheap Jerseys . -- LaMarcus Aldridge knew when it was his time.SASKATOON -- The McGill Redmen used a pair of second-period goals to defeat the Carleton Ravens 3-2 at the Canadian university mens hockey championship Friday. Patrick Deslisle-Houde and David Rose each scored in the second to give the fourth-seeded Redmen a 3-1 lead after Jean-Philippe Mathieu scored in the first. The victory means McGill can capture first place in Pool A and a spot in Sundays national final when they play the top-ranked Alberta Golden Bears on Saturday. "They are a good team, they proved it throughout the year. We will need to stick to our game tomorrow," said Rose. "We need to play hard and be on the puck all the time. For us we approach it like a semifinal, its a single game and we need to be ready for it." Tim Billingsley aand Joe West replied for the sixth-seeded Ravens, who were eliminated from the tournament. Cheap Jerseys From China. McGills Jacob Gervais-Chouinard celebrated his 22nd birthday with 34 saves, while Carleton netminder Francis Dupuis made 35 saves. In Fridays other round-robin matchup, No. 5 Saskatchewan edged second-seeded Acadia 3-2. Derek Hulak scored the go-ahead goal for the Huskies at 17:58 of the third period while Brennan Bosch and Cody Smuk added the others. Leo Jenner and Liam Heelis scored for the Axemen and Brett Thompson assisted on both. Saskatchewans Ryan Holfield made 21 saves for the win as Acadias Evan Mosher kicked out 27-of-30 shots in defeat. The Huskies will face the Windsor Lancers on Saturday, with the winner securing top spot in Pool B. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
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