Sportnographe Forum Petsi

Vous souvenez vous de ce grand gayard qui n'avait pas l'air intelligent ? Eh oui, je l'ai retrouvé.   

Il est maintenant :
Assistant General Manger and Assistant Coach with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL.


en fait, il dit que dans sa jeunesse, il devait traire les vaches et personne lui disait comment s'entraîner, fake il a jamais compris ce que ça lui prenait pour jouer dans la nhl.

eh ben, que de revirement !

*****************

Last updated at 1:15 PM on 05/05/08   

Bilodeau has great memories of time with Broncos
STEVEN MAH
The Southwest Booster

Longtime fans of the Swift Current Broncos will remember defenseman Brent Bilodeau as a dominating presence on the 1992-93 Broncos team that captured the franchise's second WHL championship following an impressive 49-21-2 regular season.

Current Broncos Assistant General Manager and Director of Operations Elden Moberg was calling Broncos games on the radio that season and recalls the 6'4 defenseman's impact on a talented team that included eight players who would go on to play regular season games in the National Hockey League.

"Well he brought a little bit of everything to the table," said Moberg. "Obviously the first thing you noticed about him was his size. He had good offensive skills for a guy his size. On the team that won the Western Hockey League championship in 1993 he was their go-to defenseman in all areas. He was their best offensive guy they had, their biggest guy, he played hard, he was physical when he needed to be, he fought when he needed to, and he logged a tone of ice. He was what you would classify in the Western League as a go-to impact defenseman."

As a 19-year-old in 92-93, his second season with the Broncos, Bilodeau scored 11 goals and added 57 assists in 59 games. In 17 post-season games he tallied 19 points as the Broncos rolled towards the Memorial Cup in Sault St. Marie where they finished a disappointing 1-3.

Bilodeau went on to a long professional hockey career and retired following the 2004-05 season with the Johnston Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League.

In his third year with the team, Bilodeau now serves as the Assistant General Manger and Assistant Coach with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL.

The former first round selection, 17th overall, of the Montreal Canadians in 1991, has nothing but fond memories of his time in Swift Current.

"We had a really good group of guys and very good team that I have great memories of. I was traded from Seattle, probably the biggest city at the time in the CHL to the smallest city in the CHL, but being raised in a small town in northern Alberta it probably prepared me more for professional hockey being in a small town. The people in Swift Current were great, the billets I lived with, Jim and Sharon Squires were phenomenal people and I still keep in contact with, I actually just talked to Jim a couple of weeks ago. I had a really great time and I still run into the guys like Keith McCambridge and we talk about Swift Current and the fun we had there 4x4ing and shooting gophers."

Moberg's memories are equally as fond of the dominating blueliner both on and off the ice.

"The one thing that always comes to mind for me was game seven of the Western Hockey League final, tied three games apiece, and back here for game seven. He scored the first goal of the game when he walked in over the blueline and took a wrist shot that beat the Portland goalie, pretty sure it was blocker side low and it was the first goal and the Broncos ended up winning 6-0. It was a tight game and the tension was there because it was game seven of the league final and he kind of broke the ice in that game. He was a big teddy bear of a guy, he was always smiling, always laughing around. He came with a real good personality but he played like a pro, when it was time to play he was serious, he was just a very good-natured individual."

Bilodeau enjoyed a long professional career that spanned 12 seasons, nine teams, and four different leagues. Along the way he had many different highlights in his hockey career.

"I think that playing in a couple of cities that an average kid out of northern Alberta or Saskatchewan wouldn't get a chance to play in. I got to play in San Francisco, Las Vegas for a little bit, Kansas City, San Antonio, and I got to live in Texas for a while. Just being able to play in different cities, meeting people, and being able to travel that has been the highlight. You meet so many great people along the way. Playing in Johnstown, Pennsylvania is close to like Swift Current, a small town where you get to know people and become really good friends with them."

In 2005 Bilodeau moved behind the bench and explained that the transition was fairly seamless.

"The transition maybe wasn't as hard as it would be for some people. I knew my time was done. I was too sore and didn't like getting up in the morning and not being able to walk and hold my kids and was one of those things that was not a relief but nice to get up in the morning and be able to function. I still go the rink and am involved in hockey but yet not have to go through the rigors of the pain and practice. I definitely miss the competitiveness of it and being out there in the last few minutes preserving a one-goal lead when the chips are down and you're there to stop someone from scoring."

Bilodeau explained that Las Vegas is a great hockey market.

"It is actually a really good hockey market with great fans. People always ask how do you control your players with Vegas being such a party life. First of all it is expensive to party in Vegas. Second, all the type of players that we bring in are not unlike the type of players that you would bring into a really small organization because you have to have quality people and great guys. They know there is a time to go out and have fun and there is a time for hockey. In the three years I have been here we have never had an off-ice issue."

The native of Clyde, Alberta is married to former Women's National Basketball League player Cass Bauer and have twin boys.

The Wranglers are currently playing the Alaska Aces in the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs. Behind the bench for the Aces is former Broncos teammate Keith McCambridge. Up front the Aces are led by former Broncos star Kimbi Daniels.

Bilodeau was part of the famed 1991 draft class that included top 10 picks Eric Lindros, Scott Niedemayer, Peter Forsberg, and Richard Matvichuk from the Saskatoon Blades. Selected with the two picks ahead of Bilodeau were current NHLers Alex Kovalev and Markus Naslund. Despite appearing pro-ready during his time with the Broncos, Bilodeau never played a regular season NHL game.

"I think that everything happens for a reason. Me not playing in the NHL was maybe a combination of a few things, maybe a couple of little injuries and not knowing the pro game. When I was drafted by Montreal I never had anyone tell me what I had to do, I basically was on my own. I lived and worked on a farm and was busy with the farm. Nowadays, and even guys that started when I was playing had their own personal trainers and lived in the city where they could train and work out and I didn't do that I would come to the gym and maybe wasn't in as great a shape as I should have been."

Bilodeau however has no regrets about the path his hockey career took him down.

"In the same sense I know I could play there, I played a number of exhibition games and was fine. It is just kind of one thing were I had one chance and I didn't take advantage of it. It wasn't one thing it was a combination of a couple of different things. I am not going to say I got screwed over or anything like that. I think it is one of those things where you have got to live with the decisions you have made and things that have happened. Everything happens for a reason. Me not playing in the NHL do I lose sleep over it at night? No because a lot of other great things have happened to me since then."

smah@swbooster.com


http://swbooster.com/index.cfm?sid=131075&sc=36