Jonathan Bernier

Jonathan Bernier (born August 7, 1988) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 11th overall in the first round of the 2006 NHL entry draft by the Los Angeles Kings, he spent his first four NHL seasons with the club. He later played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, and New Jersey Devils. Bernier was a backup goaltender when the Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012.

Bernier played youth hockey in Laval, Quebec, and appeared in the 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. His entire junior career was with the Lewiston Maineiacs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The first goal scored against him in the QMJHL came from his brother, Marc-André Bernier, on September 24, 2004. After being drafted by the Kings in 2006, Bernier returned to Lewiston for the 2006–07 season, winning the President’s Cup with the Maineiacs.

Bernier made his NHL debut on September 29, 2007, in the Kings’ season opener against the Anaheim Ducks in London. He stopped 26 of 27 shots for a 4–1 win and was named the game’s second star. He played four NHL games that season, posting a 1–3 record, before being sent back to Lewiston. After aging out of the QMJHL, he spent the 2008–09 season with the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, where he played 54 games with a 23–24–4 record and a .914 save percentage.

The following season, he was Manchester’s starting goaltender and was selected for the 2010 AHL All-Star Game representing Team Canada. Recalled to the Kings in March 2010 while Jonathan Quick attended the birth of his child, Bernier made his season debut on March 12 with a 2–1 shootout win over the Dallas Stars, stopping six shots in the shootout. He recorded his first career shutout on March 30 against the Nashville Predators. After an 8–3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on April 1, he was sent back to Manchester for the Calder Cup playoffs, playing every postseason game as the Monarchs reached the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost 4–2 to the Hershey Bears.

Bernier spent the next three seasons as the Kings’ backup behind Jonathan Quick. In 2012, the Kings won the Stanley Cup, defeating the New Jersey Devils 4–2, and Bernier’s name was engraved on the Cup despite being an unused backup throughout the playoffs. During the 2012–13 season, he started 14 games and recorded a shutout on April 4 against the Minnesota Wild. His record with the Kings was 29–18–6.

On June 23, 2013, Bernier was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Matt Frattin, goaltender Ben Scrivens, and a conditional second-round draft pick. In a preseason game on September 22, 2013, against the Buffalo Sabres, he fought goaltender Ryan Miller—his first professional fight—and the Leafs won 5–3. During the 2013–14 season, Bernier and James Reimer split playing time early on, but Bernier eventually became the starter. On March 14, in his first return to Los Angeles, he left a game after one period with a lower-body injury, missing five games.

On April 3, he suffered another lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins that required surgery, ending his season. Reimer replaced him, but the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs. In December 2014, Bernier drew media attention after mistakenly calling Nelson Mandela "one of the most known athletes in the world" at a charity event; he later apologized for the error.

On July 8, 2016, with one year left on his contract, Bernier was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional 2017 draft pick (conditions unmet). Reunited with head coach Randy Carlyle, he served as backup to John Gibson for the 2016–17 season. He made his Ducks debut on October 15 in a 3–2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins and earned his first win on November 6 against the Calgary Flames. When Gibson was injured late in the regular season, Bernier started and went 13 straight games without a regulation loss. He finished the season with 21 wins in 39 games, recording shutouts against the Arizona Coyotes on January 14 and the Chicago Blackhawks.