Jonathan Girard
| Jonathan Girard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
May 27, 1980 Rawdon, QC, CAN | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Boston Bruins | ||
| NHL Draft |
48th overall, 1998 Boston Bruins | ||
| Playing career | 1998–2006 | ||
Jonathan Girard (hockey player) (born May 27, 1980) is a former Canadian ice hockey player, who played for the Boston Bruins of the NHL. His career was cut short by a car accident in 2003. Girard was born in Rawdon, Quebec and raised in Joliette, Quebec.
Career
A defenceman, Girard played junior hockey for the Laval Titan Collège Français (later the Acadie-Bathurst Titan) of the QMJHL and was drafted in the second round, 48th overall, by the Bruins in 1998).
He played 150 games over five seasons with Boston, scoring 10 goals and recording 34 assists. He also spent time with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL and the Providence Bruins, Boston's AHL affiliate.
On July 24, 2003, Girard was driving with friends near his hometown in Quebec when he lost control of his car and it flipped over. Girard required surgery for a broken pelvis and to remove fluid from his lungs. While at the time it was not known if Girard would ever play hockey again, he showed tremendous resilience in returning to skating at the Bruins' practice facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts in March, 2004. However, the loss of the 2004–05 NHL season due to a lockout nullified his attempt at a return to hockey that year.
Girard played one game with Providence in the AHL on October 15, 2005, before returning to Quebec to consult with his doctors. On November 30, Girard announced his decision to retire, having fully recovered from his injuries but unable to play professional hockey again.