Danny Groulx (born June 23, 1981) 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 ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

who played in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

and

Liiga The Liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mesti ...

. In 2018, Groulx was inducted into the

QMJHL 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 ...

Hall of Fame and named the head coach of Riverains du collège Charles-Lemoyne Midget AAA team.

Playing career

Groulx was drafted 11th overall by the

Val-d'Or Foreurs The are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Val-d'Or, in the region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. They play in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, one of the three component leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The team n ...

in the 1997 QMJHL Draft. After winning the 1998 President Cup, Groulx joined the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and later the

Victoriaville Tigres The Victoriaville Tigres are a Canadian junior ice hockey team that plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The team is based in Victoriaville, Quebec. The team plays its home games at the Colisée Desjardins. History The franchis ...

. At the conclusion of his major junior career, he racked up 332 points in 341 games and won three

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 ...

s. Groulx holds the distinction for most career points for a defenseman in the QMJHL. On August 12, 2002, Groulx was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

. Groulx then played with Red Wings affiliate, the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

of the AHL for the next three seasons before he was loaned to the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre. The fran ...

for the completion of the 2004–05 season. Groulx was invited to the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

training camp on September 13, 2006. He was reassigned to the

Hamilton Bulldogs The Hamilton Bulldogs were a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) that began to play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, the Bulldogs played home games at FirstOntario Centre. They were purc ...

of the AHL for the 2006–07 season, where he helped the Bulldogs capture the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

. Groulx signed a one-year AHL contract with the

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

on September 4, 2008, and was later invited to the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

training camp on September 16, 2008. However, he was reassigned to the IceHogs for the 2008–09 season, where he posted 40 points in 80 games. On July 16, 2009, Groulx signed a one-year contract with the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

. While with the Sharks American Hockey League affiliate, he was named to the

AHL All-Star Classic The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

and won the

Eddie Shore Award The Eddie Shore Award is presented annually to the best defenceman on the American Hockey League (AHL) as chosen by AHL media and players. The award is named after Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Shore. Winners NHL-level Eddie Shore Award O ...

as the AHL's best defenseman. He signed a one-year contract with the Sharks on July 2, 2012. On March 22, 2013 Groulx was assigned to the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena ...

by the Sharks while Chicago defenceman

Derek Joslin Derek Joslin (born March 17, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He most recently played for EC VSV of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He has played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, with his NHL de ...

was assigned to the

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

by the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

as part of an AHL trade. Groulx retired from professional hockey after the 2014–15 season which he spent in France with the

Dragons de Rouen The Dragons de Rouen (Rouen Dragons), are a French professional ice hockey team based in Rouen playing in the Ligue Magnus. The team was founded in 1982 and plays home games at the Île Lacroix. History Only 3 years after its founding, the cl ...

. In 2018, Groulx was inducted into QMJHL Hall of Fame. He was later named the new head coach for the Midget AAA Collège Charles-Lemoyne Riverains.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Groulx, Danny 1981 births Acadie–Bathurst Titan players Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Finland Canadian expatriate sportspeople in France Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Russia Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Belarus Canadian ice hockey defencemen Chicago Wolves players Grand Rapids Griffins players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Kassel Huskies players Living people Manitoba Moose players People from LaSalle, Quebec Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players Ice hockey people from Montreal Val-d'Or Foreurs players Victoriaville Tigres players Worcester Sharks players Porin Ässät (men's ice hockey) players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany 21st-century Canadian sportsmen