Boutilier passes away at 63

Paul Boutilier, a former assistant coach and consultant with the Saint John Sea Dogs, has died. He was 63.

Boutilier, a Sydney, NS native, played in the QMJHL, worlds juniors and NHL before a lengthy coaching career.

From the NHL Alumni Association:

The NHL Alumni Association is deeply saddened to learn that Paul Boutilier has passed away at the age of 63.

A defenseman, Paul played major junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Castors beginning in 1980, and was selected by the New York Islanders in the first round of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Paul made his NHL debut later that year, skating in his first career game on October 31, 1981, with the Islanders at the Montreal Forum, later returning to Sherbrooke for the remainder of the season.

Paul split time between the NHL and the QMJHL during the 1982-83 season, appearing in 29 games for the Islanders, and scored his first NHL goal on November 18, 1982, at home at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Playing in his final season of major junior hockey, Paul served as team captain for the newly relocated Saint-Jean Castors. Paul joined the Islanders for the 1983 Stanley Cup Playoffs, appearing in two games as the Islanders captured the final of their four consecutive Stanley Cups. 

After 213 regular-season games with the Islanders from 1981 to 1986, Paul would go on to play for the Boston Bruins and Minnesota North Stars the following season, and later for the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets, respectively.

From Sydney, Nova Scotia, Paul returned to his home province after the conclusion of his playing career, accepting a position as an assistant coach for Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, serving in the role from 1991 to 1993 before being promoted to head coach, a position he held until 1997.

With a wealth of knowledge and experience, Paul later served in a multitude of coaching and front office positions across the collegiate, junior, and professional levels of hockey.

Internationally, Paul proudly represented Canada on multiple occasions and at both the junior and senior levels, highlighted by a gold medal at the 1982 World Junior Hockey Championships.

We send our deepest condolences to Paul’s family, friends, and former teammates during this incredibly difficult time.

Boutilier spent a couple seasons behind the Sea Dogs bench as an assistant, helping the team win a QMJHL championship in 2017. He was hired again by Saint John as a defense consultant during the 2021-22 season, helping the club win the Memorial Cup on home ice.

Boutilier has spent the past couple seasons as a defense consultant with the Moncton Wildcats. He also worked with the Quebec Remparts this past season.

Even after his stints in Saint John, Boutilier has continued to work with some Sea Dogs alumni individually, most notably Thomas Chabot and Yan Kuznetsov. 

Boots was also one of this blog's biggest fans and would regularly send me Sea Dogs alumni notes or comments about arenas I was visiting. It was easy to keep track of Kuznetsov's progress this season because of the updates Boots would send me.

Whether it was at the practice rink in Windsor, the press box in Saint John, a sidewalk in Halifax (where we coincidentally lived down the street from each other for a brief time) or text exchange, Boots was always willing to offer his expertise and time. I will miss him – and I know many others will too.