Pierre Gauthier (born May 28, 1953) is a Canadian former general manager of 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 ...

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty may refer to: Businesses *Mighty Audio, an American company known for its product ''Mighty'', a portable audio player *Mighty Animation, an animation studio based in Guadalajara, Mexico Films *''The Mighty'', a 1998 comedy–drama * ''The ...

, and

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

. He is currently the director of player personnel of 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 ...

Hockey career

Gauthier started out in the NHL working for the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...

in various scouting roles from 1981 to 1993. He has also served Canada in international hockey, managing the

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and 1997 world championship teams and assisting in the 1998 Canadian Olympic squad.

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Ottawa Senators

From 1993 to 1995, he was the assistant general manager for the

. He left this position in 1995 to become the third general manager of the

, signing a five-year contract. His time with Ottawa coincided with a turnaround in the team's fortunes. After the 1997–98 season he left his contract early, citing family issues, saying he would take time off to explore life away from hockey. Seventeen days later he was re-hired by the Ducks where he served as president and general manager. He was fired in 2002 after Anaheim missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.

Montreal Canadiens

On July 21, 2003, Gauthier joined the

as director of professional scouting. On July 24, 2006, he was named assistant to the general manager while keeping the responsibilities attached to professional scouting. On February 8, 2010, he was named vice president and general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. Gauthier had a very controversial year as the Canadiens general manager in 2011–12. Gauthier fired the team coach Jacques Martin mid-season with the team slumping. Martin's replacement, Randy Cunneyworth, was chosen by Gauthier as the interim coach. Cunneyworth did not speak French, and this decision was heavily scrutinized by the Montreal media. There was outrage and protest among some Canadiens fans. Gauthier also incited the wrath of fans by trading 2010 playoff hero

Michael Cammalleri Michael Anthony Cammalleri (born June 8, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for five different teams. He was selected in the second round, 49th overall, by the Los ...

to the Calgary Flames during a game against the Boston Bruins. Cammalleri had been critical of the organization in the days leading up to the trade, and the move was perceived by many to be a response to those comments. When he learned of the trade, Cammalleri asked if he could keep the jersey from his final game as a souvenir. Gauthier told him he could have it for the price of $1,250. On March 29, 2012, the Montreal Canadiens announced Gauthier had been relieved of his duties as general manager of the team. He then joined the Chicago Blackhawks, as director of player personnel and had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup in 2013 and later in 2015. So as to right Gauthier's wrong, the new management gifted Cammalleri with the jersey from his final game as a souvenir.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gauthier, Pierre 1953 births Anaheim Ducks executives Chicago Blackhawks executives Ice hockey people from Montreal Living people Montreal Canadiens executives National Hockey League general managers Ottawa Senators general managers Businesspeople from Montreal Quebec Nordiques personnel