Éric Fichaud is a professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 goaltender

Goaltender

In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

. He was selected in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft

1994 NHL Entry Draft

The 1994 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Hartford Civic Center on June 28–29, 1994.-Selections by round:Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...

, 16th overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

. He has a wealth of goaltending experience, having played in leagues across North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 and also briefly in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

Junior career

Fichaud played net for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens

Chicoutimi Saguenéens

The Chicoutimi Saguenéens are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team is based out of Chicoutimi, Quebec . The team plays its home games at the Centre Georges-Vézina.-History:...

 in the QMJHL

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...

. In his draft year, he led his team to the Memorial Cup

Memorial Cup

The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...

 finals, winning a host of awards, including the top goaltender and playoff MVP awards. A classic butterfly goaltender in the Patrick Roy

Patrick Roy

Patrick Edward Armand Roy is a former Canadian ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Saint Patrick," Roy split his professional career between the Montreal Canadiens, whom he played with for 10 years, and the Colorado Avalanche, whom he played with for 8 years, both of the National Hockey League...

 mold, Fichaud looked to be a future NHL starting netminder.

Professional career

Fichaud never lived up to the lofty expectations his fantastic junior career had led to, bouncing between the minor leagues and the NHL. Shoulder injuries played a key role, and despite Fichaud's best efforts, he was unable to recapture his previous form. Eventually, Fichaud settled into the role as the starting goalie for the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.

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