| Jean-Sébastien Giguère | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giguère with theColorado Avalanche in 2013 | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1977-05-16)May 16, 1977 (age 48) Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Goaltender | |||||||||||||
| Caught | Left | |||||||||||||
| Played for | Hartford Whalers Calgary Flames Anaheim Ducks Toronto Maple Leafs Colorado Avalanche | |||||||||||||
| National team |  Canada | |||||||||||||
| NHL draft | 13th overall,1995 Hartford Whalers | |||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1997–2014 | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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Jean-Sébastien Giguère (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃sebastjɛ̃ʒiɡɛʁ]; born May 16, 1977) is a Canadian former professionalice hockeygoaltender. He played with theHalifax Mooseheads in theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and was drafted 13th overall by theHartford Whalers in the1995 NHL Entry Draft. He played in theCalgary Flames organization for three seasons before joining theMighty Ducks of Anaheim in2000.
In the2003 NHL playoffs, Giguère anchored the seventh-seeded Mighty Ducks on their run to the Stanley Cup Finals, where he became the fifth player in NHL history to win theConn Smythe Trophy despite not winning theStanley Cup in the same season. Giguere ultimately won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in2007.
His later career included stints inToronto andColorado. Giguère holds the Anaheim Ducks' franchise record for career wins and shutouts and was the last active NHL player who had played for the Hartford Whalers.
As a youth, Giguère played in the 1990 and 1991Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with aminor ice hockey team from theMille Îles area ofLaval, Quebec.[1]
After his four-year major junior career that included QMJHL Second Team All-Star honours in 1997, theHartford Whalers drafted Giguère 13th overall in the1995 NHL Entry Draft with a pick acquired from theNew York Rangers in exchange forPat Verbeek.[2] Giguère made his NHL debut with the Whalers, playing eight games at the end of the1996–97 season.
On August 25, 1997 (by which time the Whalers had relocated to become the Carolina Hurricanes), Giguère was traded to theCalgary Flames, along with centreAndrew Cassels, for forwardGary Roberts and goaltenderTrevor Kidd.[2] Giguère then played the entirety of the1997–98 season in theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) with Calgary's minor league affiliate, theSaint John Flames. He recorded a 2.46goals against average (GAA) and a .926save percentage in 31 games in his professional rookie season with Saint John. Giguère spent a total of four seasons in the Flames organization, making brief 15- and seven-game appearances with Calgary in1998–99 and1999–2000, respectively, while spending most of his time in the AHL.
On June 10, 2000, Giguère was traded to theMighty Ducks of Anaheim in exchange for a second-round pick in2000 (later traded to theWashington Capitals; the Capitals selectedMatt Pettinger).[2] He began the2000-01 season with the Mighty Ducks' farm team, theCincinnati Mighty Ducks, until he was recalled from the AHL. Giguère eventually took overDominic Roussel's backup position to starterGuy Hebert.[3] Due to only brief stints in the NHL during his tenures with Hartford and Calgary, the 2000–01 season qualified as Giguère's rookie NHL season. He played in 34 games, posting a 2.57 GAA and .911 save percentage.
In the off-season, he was re-signed by the Mighty Ducks on August 17, 2001.[2] Giguère continued to improve in2001–02, his first full season with the Ducks, recording a 2.13 GAA and .920 save percentage in 53 games. In the2002–03 season, he posted his first winning season with a 34–22–6 record, as well as a career-high eightshutouts.
Giguère's first winning season in the NHL helped the Mighty Ducks enter the2003 playoffs as the seventh seed in theWestern Conference. From that point, Giguere delivered one of the greatest playoff performances in NHL history as he helped lead the team on aCinderella run to their firstStanley Cup Finals. Facing the defendingStanley Cup champions and second-seededDetroit Red Wings in the opening round, Giguère set an NHL record for most saves by a goaltender in their playoff debut with 63 in the Mighty Ducks' 2–1 triple overtime win in Game 1, surpassingToronto Maple Leafs goaltenderJiří Crha's mark by two saves.[3] This record would later be broken by theVancouver Canucks'Roberto Luongo, who stopped 72 shots in his playoff debut against theDallas Stars in 2007. The Ducks would proceed to shock the hockey world by sweeping the Red Wings in four games, with Giguère labelled as the star of the series. The Mighty Ducks then faced Dallas. Giguère stopped 60 of 63 Dallas shots in the series opener, a five-overtime Anaheim win. He recorded his firstshutout of the playoffs in Game 4, stopping 28 shots. The Mighty Ducks eventually eliminated the Stars in six games, and moved on to the Western Conference Finals to face theMinnesota Wild. Giguère held the Wild to an all-time, best-of-seven-series low of one goal in the entire series, which included a franchise-record shutout streak of 217 minutes and 54 seconds (later surpassed byIlya Bryzgalov in2006).[4]
However, the Mighty Ducks' dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup was stopped by theNew Jersey Devils, to whom Anaheim lost in a seven-game series. Giguère finished the playoffs undefeated in seven overtime games, setting a record for the longest playoff overtime shutout streak at 168 minutes and 27 seconds.[3] He finished with a 15–6 record overall, a 1.62 GAA and .945 save percentage, as well as fewer losses than Finals counterpartMartin Brodeur. He was the fifth player to receive theConn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP as part of the losing team[3] and the first sincePhiladelphia Flyers goaltenderRon Hextall won in 1987. Along with the Conn Smythe, he received the 2003ESPY award for Best Hockey Player. The only other goalie ever to do so isDominik Hašek.
Giguère's playoff MVP performance was rewarded in the off-season with a four-year contract extension, signed on September 10, 2003.[2] However, his performance was inconsistent throughout much of the2003–04 season as the Mighty Ducks missed the2004 playoffs. Giguère posted a 17–31–6 record and his GAA increased to 2.62. Due to the2004–05 NHL lock-out that cancelled the entire2004–05 NHL season, Giguère went overseas to play for theHamburg Freezers inGermany.
Giguère returned to an improved Mighty Ducks squad as NHL play resumed in2005–06. Anaheim returned to the playoffs and made it to the Western Conference Finals, where they were eliminated by theEdmonton Oilers. Giguère, however, appeared in just four games, as Russian rookie backupIlya Bryzgalov took over the starting position during the post-season. Giguère missed the first game of the opening round against Calgary due to injury, but returned for Games 2 through 5. During Game 5, Giguère was pulled after allowing three goals on eight shots, where Bryzgalov took over and subsequently reeled off three-straight shutouts spanning the first and second rounds against Calgary and theColorado Avalanche, tying an NHL playoff record and breaking Giguère's 2003 club record of consecutive playoff shutout minutes.[4]
Entering the final season of his contract in2006–07, Giguère reclaimed the starter's role. In the first month of the season, October 2006, he did not lose a single game in regulation.[5] He proceeded to put up a career-high 36 wins in 56 games. Prior to the beginning of the2007 playoffs, Giguère and his wife welcomed a newborn son. Giguère missed the Ducks' last three regular season games as well as the first three games of their opening round matchup with Minnesota, with Bryzgalov taking over in Giguère's absence. Giguère returned late in the series and was the Ducks' starter the rest of the way. During the second round against Vancouver, his eight-game overtime winning streak in the playoffs was snapped on April 27, 2007, in a 2–1 defeat in Game 2.[6] Nevertheless, Giguère and the Ducks went on to eliminate the Canucks en route to the2007 Stanley Cup Finals, where they won their first-ever Stanley Cup championship in a 6–2 Game 5 win over theOttawa Senators on June 6.
On June 21, 2007, the Ducks announced that they had re-signed Giguère to a multi-year contract. Giguère posted a 35–17–6 record with a career-best 2.12 GAA in the2007–08 season. Despite his personal numbers, however, the defending champion Ducks were defeated in the first round of the2008 playoffs by the Dallas Stars in six games.
Giguère recorded sub-par numbers during the2008–09 season, going 19–18–6 with a 3.10 GAA, sharing an increased amount of playing time to his backupJonas Hiller. This did not deter him from being voted into the2009 NHL All-Star Game in his hometown ofMontreal. As Hiller outplayed Giguère throughout the season, he was chosen over Giguère to start during the2009 playoffs. Giguère's only appearance for the Ducks in the playoffs was in relief of Hiller in the third period of Game 4 of the Ducks' second round series with the Detroit Red Wings, to whom the Ducks would eventually fall in seven games.
Giguère suffered a groin strain early in the2009–10 season on October 24, 2009. With Hiller's continued emergence as a bona fide starter, Giguère publicly toldL.A. Daily News on November 10 that he "would rather retire than be a backup goalie," fuelling a goaltending controversy on the team.[7] Losing his starting position to Hiller, he did not record his first win of the season until November 23 in a 3–2 shootout victory over the Calgary Flames.[8]
Giguère was traded to theToronto Maple Leafs on January 31, 2010, in exchange for goaltenderVesa Toskala and forwardJason Blake.[9] Three days later, Giguère played his first game for the Maple Leafs and recorded a 30-save shutout against theNew Jersey Devils. He registered another shutout in his next game against Ottawa on February 6 to become the first goalie in franchise history to record shutouts in his first two games.[10] This accomplishment led Giguère to be named the NHL's Second Star of the Week on February 8.[11] After having recorded a 3.14 GAA and .900 save percentage in 20 games with the Ducks before being traded, he improved to a 2.49 GAA and .916 save percentage in 15 games with Toronto.
The following season, Giguère suffered a groin injury in mid-November 2010, sidelining him for three weeks. Upon his return, he played in several games before re-injuring his groin. During that time, the Leafs were in need of a goaltender, forcing them to call-upJames Reimer from the AHL'sToronto Marlies, who took over the starter's position in Giguère's absence.
On July 1, 2011, free agent Giguère signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract with theColorado Avalanche.[12][13] He embraced his role in the Colorado locker room as the veteran mentor, especially for young starting goaltenderSemyon Varlamov. Giguère's leadership was key in a four-game home stand in mid-December when Varlamov was sidelined with a back ailment; Giguère started all four games and won them all, securing the Avalanche a team-record, eight-straight wins at home. It was the most consecutive home wins the franchise had seen since theQuebec Nordiques won ten-straight in1995 before the club moved toDenver later that year to become the Avalanche. Giguère was named one of the three NHL's three stars of the week for late December. A groin pull on February 15, 2012, during a losing effort to the Vancouver Canucks, however, sidelined Giguère, allowing Varlamov the opportunity to redeem himself and reclaim the starting position in net for the remainder of the race to the2012 playoffs, which Colorado ultimately did not qualify for. On August 13, 2012, Giguère signed a one-year,US$1.5 million contract extension through the2013–14 season.[13][14]
On May 26, 2014, reports surfaced that Giguère was prepared to retire, and had likely played in his final NHL game, amidst much speculation.[15] In what proved to be his final NHL start, Colorado's regular season finale in Anaheim, he received a video tribute and warm ovation from the crowd. At the end of the game, Giguère shared a victory lap with former teammateTeemu Selänne, who had already confirmed his own retirement and was playing in his final regular season game.[16] On August 21, Giguère formally announced his retirement.[17] He was the last active NHL player to have played for the Hartford Whalers.[18]
Giguère was born inMontreal,Quebec, but grew up inBlainville, Quebec. Giguère's father died of cancer on December 15, 2008, and this greatly affected his performance for the rest of the season. Giguère went into the All-Star Game that year with a very weak record, with only one win in his last nine games.[19] Giguère's mother died in late February 2013.
Giguère suffers from a rare gastric condition that causes his body to take in too much air when he drinks fluids. As a result, his body has difficulty absorbing water, leading to severe dehydration when he sweats.[20] He would drink from a water bottle fitted with a straw while playing hockey.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1992–93 | Laval-Laurentides | QMAAA | 27 | 12 | 11 | 2 | — | 1498 | 76 | 0 | 3.04 | — | 12 | 6 | 5 | 654 | 38 | 0 | 3.49 | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Verdun Collège Français | QMJHL | 26 | 13 | 7 | 2 | — | 1288 | 69 | 1 | 3.21 | .878 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 4.14 | .889 | ||
| 1994–95 | Halifax Mooseheads | QMJHL | 47 | 14 | 27 | 5 | — | 2755 | 181 | 2 | 3.94 | .889 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 417 | 17 | 1 | 2.45 | .934 | ||
| 1995–96 | Halifax Mooseheads | QMJHL | 55 | 26 | 23 | 2 | — | 3230 | 185 | 1 | 3.44 | .894 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 354 | 24 | 0 | 4.07 | .874 | ||
| 1996–97 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 394 | 24 | 0 | 3.65 | .881 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Halifax Mooseheads | QMJHL | 50 | 28 | 19 | 3 | — | 3014 | 170 | 2 | 3.38 | .902 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 954 | 58 | 0 | 3.65 | .899 | ||
| 1997–98 | Saint John Flames | AHL | 31 | 16 | 10 | 3 | — | 1758 | 72 | 2 | 2.46 | .926 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 536 | 27 | 0 | 3.02 | .897 | ||
| 1998–99 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 15 | 6 | 7 | 1 | — | 860 | 46 | 0 | 3.21 | .897 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Saint John Flames | AHL | 39 | 18 | 16 | 3 | — | 2145 | 123 | 3 | 3.44 | .905 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 304 | 21 | 0 | 4.14 | .859 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 330 | 15 | 0 | 2.73 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Saint John Flames | AHL | 41 | 17 | 17 | 3 | — | 2243 | 114 | 0 | 3.05 | .897 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 178 | 9 | 0 | 3.03 | .880 | ||
| 2000–01 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 34 | 11 | 17 | 5 | — | 2031 | 87 | 4 | 2.57 | .911 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | AHL | 23 | 12 | 7 | 2 | — | 1306 | 53 | 0 | 2.43 | .917 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 53 | 20 | 25 | 6 | — | 3127 | 111 | 4 | 2.13 | .920 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 65 | 34 | 22 | 6 | — | 3775 | 145 | 8 | 2.30 | .920 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 1407 | 38 | 5 | 1.62 | .945 | ||
| 2003–04 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 55 | 17 | 31 | 6 | — | 3210 | 140 | 3 | 2.62 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Hamburg Freezers | DEL | 6 | — | — | — | — | 301 | 12 | 0 | 2.39 | .925 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100 | 7 | 0 | 4.20 | .881 | ||
| 2005–06 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 60 | 30 | 15 | — | 11 | 3381 | 150 | 2 | 2.66 | .911 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 318 | 18 | 0 | 3.40 | .864 | ||
| 2006–07 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 56 | 36 | 10 | — | 8 | 3245 | 122 | 4 | 2.26 | .918 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1067 | 35 | 1 | 1.97 | .922 | ||
| 2007–08 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 58 | 35 | 17 | — | 6 | 3310 | 117 | 4 | 2.12 | .922 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 358 | 19 | 0 | 3.18 | .898 | ||
| 2008–09 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 46 | 19 | 18 | — | 6 | 2458 | 127 | 2 | 3.10 | .900 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | ||
| 2009–10 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 20 | 4 | 8 | — | 5 | 1108 | 58 | 1 | 3.14 | .900 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 15 | 6 | 7 | — | 2 | 915 | 38 | 2 | 2.49 | .916 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 33 | 11 | 11 | — | 4 | 1633 | 78 | 0 | 2.87 | .900 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 32 | 15 | 11 | — | 3 | 1820 | 69 | 2 | 2.27 | .919 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 18 | 5 | 4 | — | 4 | 908 | 43 | 0 | 2.84 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 22 | 11 | 6 | — | 1 | 1212 | 53 | 2 | 2.62 | .913 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 597 | 262 | 216 | 25 | 50 | 33,717 | 1423 | 38 | 2.53 | .913 | 52 | 33 | 17 | 3167 | 110 | 6 | 2.08 | .925 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Canada | WC | DNP | 5th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2002 | Canada | WC | 6th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 254 | 8 | 0 | 1.89 | .921 | |
| 2004 | Canada | WC |  | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 1 | 1 | 0.50 | .975 | |
| Senior totals | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 374 | 9 | 1 | 1.44 | — | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| QMJHL | ||
| Second All-Star Team | 1997 | |
| AHL | ||
| Hap Holmes Memorial Award | 1998 | |
| NHL | ||
| Conn Smythe Trophy | 2003 | [21] |
| Best NHL Player ESPY Award | 2003 | |
| Stanley Cup champion | 2007 | |
| NHL All-Star Game | 2009 | |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Hartford Whalers first round draft pick 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Conn Smythe Trophy winner 2003 | Succeeded by |
