Francois Beauchemin

Francois Beauchemin, a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, played in the NHL after being selected 75th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1998 draft. His career was largely spent with the Anaheim Ducks, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2007.

Beauchemin spent four seasons in the QMJHL with Laval, Acadie-Bathurst, and Moncton. In his draft year, he put up 47 points in 70 games for Laval. After being drafted, he returned to junior hockey for two more seasons, helping Acadie-Bathurst capture the President's Cup in 1999.

Turning professional in 2000–01 with the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Quebec Citadelles, Beauchemin played 56 games as a bottom-pair defenceman, recording three goals and nine points. After a quiet 2001–02 season, he was briefly loaned to the ECHL's Mississippi Sea Wolves. In 2002–03, he played 75 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs, tallying 28 points and helping the team reach the Calder Cup finals, where they lost in Game 7. He made his NHL debut on February 27, 2003, against the Minnesota Wild, his only NHL game that season. As a restricted free agent, he signed a two-year extension with Montreal in June 2003.

Unable to crack the Canadiens' roster in 2003–04, Beauchemin remained in the AHL as the Bulldogs' top defenceman, posting a career-best 36 points in 77 games. In September 2004, he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Due to the 2004–05 lockout, he spent that season with Columbus's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

Beauchemin started the 2005–06 season with the Blue Jackets, playing 11 games before being traded (along with Tyler Wright) to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for Sergei Fedorov on November 15, 2005. He debuted for Anaheim on November 18 against the Colorado Avalanche and scored his first NHL goal on December 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He became a top-four defenceman, recording 34 points in 61 games after the trade, finishing fourth among rookie defencemen in scoring. In the 2006 playoffs, he led all rookie defencemen with nine points in 16 games.

In his second full season with Anaheim, 2006–07, Beauchemin helped the Ducks win the Stanley Cup, contributing four goals and four assists in the playoffs. The following season, he continued as a top-four defenceman and played his 200th NHL game on February 2, 2008, against the Philadelphia Flyers. On November 14, 2008, he tore his left ACL against the Nashville Predators, sidelining him for most of the 2008–09 regular season, but he returned for the Western Conference Quarterfinal series against the San Jose Sharks.

As an unrestricted free agent on July 6, 2009, Beauchemin signed a three-year, $11.4 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Expected to provide veteran leadership, he played all 82 games in 2009–10, scoring five goals and 26 points while leading the team in ice time and serving as an alternate captain. He played his 300th NHL game on January 26, 2010, against the Los Angeles Kings. In 2010–11, he started on the top defensive pairing with Dion Phaneuf, but with production down and the Leafs missing the playoffs, he was traded back to Anaheim on February 9, 2011, for Joffrey Lupul, Jake Gardiner, and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2013.

Returning to the Ducks, Beauchemin resumed a top-four role and helped the team reach the playoffs. He played his 400th NHL game on March 23, 2011, against the Dallas Stars. In 2011–12, he anchored the defence, leading the NHL in short-handed ice time and setting a Ducks franchise record with nine blocked shots against the Ottawa Senators on January 21. On January 20, 2012, he signed a three-year, $10.5 million extension. He finished the season with eight goals and 22 points in 82 games. During the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, he played all 48 games, led the Ducks in ice time, and topped the blueline in scoring with 24 points. He played his 500th NHL game on February 6, 2013, against the Avalanche, and recorded a career-high four assists in a win over Colorado on February 24.