Jocelyn Thibault

Jocelyn Thibault (born January 12, 1975) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. He is currently the Goaltender coach for the Colorado Avalanche.

He is currently leading a group out of Sherbrooke, Canada to create an expansion team in the QMJHL

Playing career
He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques 10th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play for the Nordiques, continuing for a short time after they moved to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche. In 1995, midway through the Avalanche's first season in Denver, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in the trade that moved Patrick Roy to the Avalanche. Thibault played two seasons with the Canadiens before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in November 1998.

Thibault played his longest stretch with any one team with the Blackhawks—five seasons. His best season was the 2002–03 season when he recorded eight shutouts and made an appearance in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game. He recorded his career best GAA of 2.37 and a save percentage of .915.

After the lockout, Thibault was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins in August 2005, for a fourth round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft on a two-year contract worth $3m. However, a hip injury contributed to a bad beginning, with the veteran losing twelve of thirteen starts. He was replaced as the starter by Marc-André Fleury in late November and put on waivers. In January 2006, he underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left hip.

He was signed as an unrestricted free agent on July 5, 2007, by the Buffalo Sabres. He played one season with Buffalo as the backup to Ryan Miller and was not re-signed.

He has the distinction of being the winning goaltender of the last game at the Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens and the Capital Centre.

Personal
Thibault has three daughters, Noemie, Zoe and Annabel. They currently reside in Littleton, Colorado.

Transactions

 * June 26, 1993 – Drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the first round (10th overall) in 1993 draft.
 * June 21, 1995 – Rights transferred to the Colorado Avalanche after the Nordiques franchise relocated.
 * December 6, 1995 – Montreal Canadiens traded Patrick Roy and Mike Keane to the Avalanche for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Ručínský and Thibault.
 * November 16, 1998 – Chicago Blackhawks traded Jeff Hackett, Eric Weinrich, Alain Nasreddine and fourth-round selection (previously acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning – Chris Dyment) in 1999 draft to the Canadiens for Thibault, Dave Manson and Brad Brown.
 * August 10, 2005 – Traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fourth-round selection in 2006 draft.
 * July 5, 2007-	Signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Buffalo Sabres.