From Liberty Club Sports
By Ted Allen
Marc-André Bourdon (‘17), who spent the 2021-22 season as executive director and general manager of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) after serving four years on their coaching staff, was named an amateur recruiting scout for the NHL’s 2020-21 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Lightning last week.
“It is definitely an honor to be hired by a good organization such as the Lightning,” said Bourdon, noting he will be one of the team’s 15-20 scouts, with several stationed throughout Europe, the United States, and other parts of Canada. “They have a recipe for success, and I hope I can be a part of that and help the team reach success again, to work hard to help the Lightning win more Stanley Cups.”
Bourdon, 32, who had his playing career with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers shortened by concussion in 2014, served as an assistant coach for Liberty University’s ACHA Division I team from 2015-17 while earning his B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies with emphases in biology, exercise science, and psychology.
“My first coaching job was at Liberty and I am proud to be a representative as a Liberty alumnus, to work in the NHL and bring my Liberty background with me,” he said.
Bourdon will be recruiting from the 18 teams in the QMJHL, being responsible for scouting an area that encompasses Quebec and the Maritime provinces, which includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
“They hired me because I know the region really well here,” Bourdon said, noting that he will be recruiting junior and amateur players, mostly between the ages of 17-19. “Now, instead of scouting for juniors players to play for the Huskies, I am going to be looking at players to recruit out of the entire league for the NHL.”
He signed a contract and officially starts on Sept. 7, but prior to that he will help run the training camp for the Huskies, who were the 2019-20 Canada Hockey League President’s Cup and Memorial Cup champions.
“I am proud to leave that organization healthy with many prospects, good veterans, and several draft picks to work in the coming years,” Bourdon said. “It is definitely a step forward in my career, and I am really thankful for the opportunity to get back to the NHL. It is a good situation for our family and myself in professional advancement. My passion for hockey is still strong, and as long as God allows me and my family to do that, I am going to keep at it.”
Bourdon met his wife, Sibylle, at Liberty, where she competed on the figure skating team. Her mom, Dawn Harter, serves as head coach of the Lady Flames, and has family in Canada as well as in the Orlando, Fla., area.
“My wife and I have been praying a lot about the future, the last 4-5 years,” Bourdon said. “God always opens a door and we follow the path that He is putting in front of us .”
The couple welcomed their first son, Jackson, in early July. Bourdon said he won’t push his son to play hockey, but he might pick it up on his own.
“If you stay in Canada long-time, you are exposed to the hockey culture,” he said. “We will see if he likes it or not.”
(Originally published at https://www.liberty.edu/club-sports/news/former-flames-di-assistant-coach-hired-as-a-scout-for-the-nhls-tampa-lightning/)
