Éric Joseph Fichaud (born November 4, 1975) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

. He played 95 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

with four teams between 1996 and 2000. He was selected in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, 16th overall, by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

Junior career

Fichaud played net for the

Chicoutimi Saguenéens The Chicoutimi Saguenéens are a Canadian junior ice hockey team which plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The team is based in Chicoutimi, Quebec, and owned by the City of Saguenay. The team plays its home games at th ...

in the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

. In

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, he led his team to the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

, winning a host of awards, including the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as top goaltender and playoff MVP awards. A classic butterfly goaltender in the

Patrick Roy Patrick Jacques Roy (; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, executive and former player who is the head coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Roy previously served as head coach for ...

mold, Fichaud looked to be a future

starting netminder.

Professional career

Shortly after being drafted, Fichaud was traded to the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

for Benoît Hogue, a 1995 3rd round pick (Ryan Pepperall) and a 1996 5th round pick ( Brandon Sugden), without ever playing a game for Toronto. Fichaud never lived up to the lofty expectations his fantastic junior career had led to, bouncing between the minor leagues and the NHL. Shoulder injuries played a key role, and despite Fichaud's best efforts, he was unable to recapture his previous form. Eventually, Fichaud settled into the role as the starting goalie for the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

External links

* 1975 births Living people Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Carolina Hurricanes players Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Ice hockey people from Montreal Krefeld Pinguine players Manitoba Moose players Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) players Montreal Canadiens players Nashville Predators players NHL first-round draft picks New York Islanders players People from Anjou, Quebec Quebec Citadelles players Quebec RadioX players Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Utah Grizzlies (IHL) players Worcester IceCats players {{Canada-icehockey-goaltender-stub