Denis Gauthier, Jr. (born October 1, 1976) 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 ...

. A first round selection of the

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

at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Gauthier played for the Flames,

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

and

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

during his ten-season

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 ...

(NHL) career.

Playing career

Gauthier played four seasons of major-junior hockey with the

Drummondville Voltigeurs The Drummondville Voltigeurs are a Canadian junior ice hockey team of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The franchise was originally granted for the 1982–83 season, and is based in Drummondville, Quebec, playing its home game ...

of 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 ...

. He holds the franchise record for most goals by a defenceman in one season, 25, and had his number 21 retired by the Voltigeurs in 2009. Known for his big open-ice hits, this physical, defensive player was the

' first-round draft pick, 20th overall, in the 1995 Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 1997 and quickly established himself as a powerful presence on the blue line. He played only the first round of the Flames' 2004 playoff run after suffering a knee injury in Game 6 against 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 ...

. He later underwent surgery on his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

on May 21. In the 2004 off-season, he was traded to the

in a deal also involving Daymond Langkow and

Oleg Saprykin Oleg Dmitrievich Saprykin (; born February 12, 1981) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player. Saprykin played with HC Dynamo Moscow, SKA Saint Petersburg, HC Sochi and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. He played in the 2009 KHL All-Star Game ...

. During the 2006 trade deadline, Gauthier was traded to the

for Josh Gratton and 2 second round draft picks. Prior to the 2007-08 season, Gauthier was waived by the Flyers and was assigned to the

Philadelphia Phantoms The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played most of its home games at the Spectrum (arena), Spectrum ...

. He spent the entire season with the Phantoms, and following the season was waived again on June 30, 2008. The following day, he was traded along with a 2010 second round draft pick to the

for Patrik Hersley and Ned Lukacevic. On February 2, 2009, Gauthier was suspended for five games for a high elbow head shot to

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 ...

defenseman

Josh Gorges Joshua Daniel Gorges (born August 14, 1984) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey Defenseman (ice hockey), defenseman. He is of Germans, German ancestry; his grandparents emigrated from Germany to Canada. Gorges played in the Na ...

. On February 21, 2009, Gauthier was suspended for two games for boarding on an icing call to

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 ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Patrick Marleau Patrick Denis Marleau (born September 15, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward. With 1,779 NHL games played, he is the List of NHL players with 1,000 games played#1,500 or more games played, all-time l ...

.Kings' Gauthier Suspended For Two Games
nhl.com, February 21, 2009

Awards

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 ...

: * Emile Bouchard Trophy, 1995–96 *First Team All-Star, 1995–96

Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; , LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three me ...

*First Team All-Star, 1995–96 IIHF World Junior Championship *Gold medal, 1995–96

Personal life

Gauthier's father, Denis Sr., was a professional wrestler, and his mother Joanne is the sister of former wrestlers

Jacques Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...

, Armand and

Raymond Rougeau Raymond Rougeau (born February 18, 1955) is a Canadian politician, former professional wrestler and French language commentator. He most notably worked for the World Wrestling Federation between 1986 and 2002, firstly as one of The Fabulous ...

. His nephew Julien Gauthier was drafted by the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

. He is also the father o
Ethan Gauthier
who played for the

Sherbrooke Phoenix The Sherbrooke Phoenix are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Sherbrooke, Quebec, that plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The team plays its home games at the Palais des Sports Léopold-Drolet. History The fr ...

in the

and go
drafted 37th overall
by the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

in 2023

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gauthier, Denis 1976 births Living people Calgary Flames draft picks Calgary Flames players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Drummondville Voltigeurs players Los Angeles Kings players Ice hockey people from Montreal Philadelphia Flyers players Philadelphia Phantoms players Phoenix Coyotes players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Saint John Flames players