He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, won four Stanley Cups, was captain of the Canadiens for eight years, and was voted to the NHL All-Star team four times.

In his early years in the NHL, Bouchard, among other players, made a major contribution to reinvigorating what was at the time an ailing Canadien franchise.

[5] Bouchard was determined, strong and developed enough skills to impress coach Dick Irvin in the Canadiens' 1940–41 training camp after which he was signed as a free agent.

[9] Bouchard had arrived at training camp in peak condition, which was unusual for National Hockey League (NHL) players of the time.

[2] To attend this first training camp he rode a bike 50 miles (80 km), which also allowed him to pocket the travel expenses the Canadiens had allotted.

While still in high school he was working alongside an inspector with the Department of Agriculture when he came across a bee ranch owned by a priest who had just died.

[6][13][14] It was due to this business acuity that before signing with the Canadiens he uncovered what Ken Reardon and Elmer Lach, already playing with the Montreal, were currently earning.

[16] Moreover, since he also practiced heavy weight training in an era before NHL players were concerned about upper body strength[17] he became a very effective defensive presence.

"[3] By the time of Bouchard's arrival to the Montreal Canadiens, the club had not won the championship for 10 years and attendance at the Forum was very low, often less than 3,000 a game,[3][18] and there was talk of folding the franchise.

[19] After finishing last or near the bottom of the league for several years, the apathy of the fans was matched by the players themselves who had accepted losing as a way of hockey life.

Bouchard's presence reinvigorated the Canadiens and he is credited with playing an important part in keeping the franchise from leaving Montreal.

[7] Despite his role as a stay-at-home defenceman, due to his skills for the long breakout pass, he was a contributor to the style of firewagon hockey[20] for which the Canadiens exemplified.

Richard was not just an exciting player to watch which served to increase attendance, but also had the offensive skills needed to turn the Canadiens into an exceptional team.

While the "Punch Line" of Richard, Toe Blake and Lach provided the offensive power it was Bouchard and goal-tender Bill Durnan who kept the goals out.

[29] Then there was the time in March 1947, in a game in Boston, as the Canadiens were coming back onto the ice for the beginning of the third period, a female fan attacked Bouchard spearing him with a hat pin.

Within a couple of years, Harvey would become the best offensive-oriented defenceman in the NHL and he and Bouchard would form a long-time and very effective defensive pairing.

[21][31] Never afraid to speak up to management, in 1950 on Bouchard's recommendation to Selke to "give the kid a shot", Bernie Geoffrion was given a tryout and eventually joined the Canadiens.

In what may have been the first time in legal history, evidence was taken during a trial from someone witnessing an event on television as the fan's friend testified he had seen Bouchard strike the blow.

Bouchard won the case when Otis Guernsey, president of Abercrombie and Fitch, who was at the game, testified he heard "vile language" and saw the fan raise his fist and not wave.

In the first round of the playoffs, the heavily favoured Detroit Red Wings were upset by the Boston Bruins and Montreal won a close seven-game series over the Chicago Black Hawks.

As the final seconds counted down, with Montreal up 3–1, Blake put Bouchard on the ice and he was able to end his career with one more Stanley Cup celebration.

On 22 March 1953, while Bouchard was travelling to Detroit for the last game of the season, the restaurant was gutted by a fire started in a basement at 3:22am soon after employees and patrons had left.

[21][39] He was also president of the Montreal Royals Triple-A baseball club, elected to the Longueuil municipal council, on the board of directors of Ste.

[2] On 15 October 2008, the Montreal Canadiens celebrated their 100th season by unveiling the Ring of Honour, an exhibit along the wall of the upper deck of the Bell Centre, paying tribute to their 44 players and 10 builders who are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bouchard along with Elmer Lach, the two oldest surviving members, were on hand to drop the ceremonial puck at centre ice.

During the Quebec provincial election Independent candidate Kevin Côté made one of his platforms to force Canadiens into retiring the number.

[2][50][51] On 30 December 2009, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions to sports, particularly professional hockey, and for his commitment to his community".