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(PHOTO CAPTION: Guy Boucher (left) and Martin Raymond (right) coaching behind the Hamilton bench at the Bell Centre last December. PHOTO BY: Andrew Dobrowolskyj)

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MONTREAL 颅- Hamilton Bulldogs head coach Guy Boucher, who once captained and coached the McGill University Redmen, has won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the most outstanding coach in the American Hockey League.

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Coaches and media in each of the league's 29 cities vote on the award.

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A native of Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Que., who was raised in the Montreal suburb of Roxboro, the 38-year old Boucher is the second-youngest head coach currently in the league.

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Boucher is the fourth head coach in AHL history to win at least 50 games as a rookie bench boss and has guided Hamilton, the top farm team of the Montreal Canadiens, to a North Division championship and 112 points, the second-best record in the AHL (51-17-3-7).

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Boucher began his coaching career at McGill, where he starred with the Redmen from 1991 to 1995. He graduated with an arts degree (1995), majoring in history and environmental biology, followed by a science degree (1996), majoring in agricultural engineering. During his four seasons at centre with the Redmen, he scored 71 goals and 183 points in 141 games. A two-time league all-star, he won the Guy Lafleur trophy in 1993, was voted Team MVP in 1994 and served as team captain in 1995.

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"I've always believed that coach of the year is an award that belongs to everyone, the assistant coaches, the players, the management, the scouts and the staff, so I am proud to accept this award on behalf of the entire organization," said Boucher.

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After graduating from McGill, he played pro in France where he led Viry-Chatillon to a 1996 championship in the French Elite League, then returned to McGill as an assistant coach to Martin Raymond, while pursuing a master's degree in sports psychology from the Universit茅 de Montr茅al.

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Raymond, who coached the Redmen for 14 years, now serves as an assistant coach to Boucher along with Daniel Lacroix.

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"I am thrilled that Guy's great work this season has been recognized by his peers," Bulldogs general manager Julien Brisebois said in a release issued by the club.

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"His comprehensive approach to coaching a hockey team allowed him to have a smooth transition into professional hockey and he hit the ground running from the time he was hired last June. His proactive communication with the players and his personal commitment to helping them grow as players and individuals has been one of the cornerstones to the team's success thus far this season."

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Boucher was hired by the Canadiens last June after spending the better part of the previous 12 years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, including 2006-09 as head coach of Drummondville. He was also an assistant coach for the gold-medal-winning Canadian teams at the 2009 IIHF world junior championships and the 2008 world under-18 championship.

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Prior to his tenure in Drummondville, Boucher was an assistant coach with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (1997-2000) under Jean Pronovost and was with the Rimouski Oceanic (2003-2006), where he served under coaches Donald Dufresne and Doris Labonte, a team that featured future NHL star Sydney Crosby. Boucher left the QMJHL for two seasons (2000-02), to be at the helm of the Lac St. Louis Lions in the Midget AAA league.

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The Louis A.R. Pieri Award, which was first presented in 1968, honours Pieri, a long-time contributor to the AHL as the owner and general manager of the Providence Reds and a 2009 inductee into the AHL Hall of Fame. Previous winners of the award include former Canadiens coaches Al MacNeil (1972, 1977), Jacques Demers (1983) and Claude Julien (2003).

SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman

Communications Officer

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514-398-7012

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