Team Italy shocked the hockey world at the Olympics before turning heads again at the World Championship. Meet Eric Bouchard, the coach behind Italy’s remarkable rise, who could be a perfect fit in the PWHL.
“I can’t say enough good things about Eric. He was the reason why Team Italy had so much success,” Laura Fortino, one of the Team Italy’s leaders from the 2026 Olympics told The Hockey News.
Fortino is a veteran of the women’s game. Before representing Italy in Milan, she played in two Olympics and won gold with Team Canada in 2014. She has seen just about everything.
So how did someone who didn’t even know six months before he would be coaching at the Olympics end up transforming an entire program?
The story goes back to September 2025.
Italy was searching for a new Olympic head coach, and Bouchard’s name quickly surfaced.
Most knew him from the men’s game: four seasons as an assistant coach in the QMJHL, a gold medal with Canada’s U-17 team, and a Junior AAA championship as a head coach in Longueuil.
But he also had strong roots in women’s hockey.
Bouchard had previously worked with the Montreal Canadiennes, trained women’s players at 21.02 Center since 2022, and was deeply familiar with the women’s game.
“I’ve always had tremendous respect for women’s hockey, which played an important role in my career,” Bouchard said. “My time with the Montreal Canadiennes was huge for my development. It was the first time I coached adults, and it gave me a lot more tools afterward.”
Making an Immediate Impact
After receiving permission from the Shawinigan Cataractes, Bouchard joined Team Italy for just two days in Bolzano during the first week of November.
He knew every minute mattered.
“I had a 24-hour window with the players: an evening meeting, two practices, and individual meetings — all squeezed into a 48-hour span,” recalled the Montreal native. “Making a strong first impression was extremely important.”
Since he had never taken a team in the middle of a season, Bouchard consulted several experienced hockey minds who went through situations like this, including Daniel Renaud, Pascal Dupuis, Guy Boucher, and Kevin Dineen.
He also borrowed a page from Martin St. Louis by insisting his first meeting include not only players, but also staff members and federation representatives.
“I told them who I was, what I believed in, and why I was there,” said Bouchard. “I told them we were going to shock the hockey world.”
That first speech was the moment Fortino realized Bouchard was the right person for the job.
“The impact he had on all the girls in the room, the passion in his speech. He showed us that he really wanted to be here, that he was going to give his heart and soul to this group, and we’re going to believe and trust everything he tells us to do,” Fortino said.
Building More Than a Hockey Team
In preparation for the 2026 Olympics, not only did Bouchard travel to Europe, but Team Italy came to Montreal to centralize as a team, train, and play exhibition games against U SPORTS teams.
Soon after, the team centralized in Montreal — and Bouchard quickly realized the program lacked resources. Players still didn’t know where they would stay, they lacked equipment. The stress level was high. So, Bouchard knew he would have to take matters into his own hands.
Alongside strength and conditioning coach Marie-Claude Lapointe, 21.02 Center manager Raphaelle Pouliot, and assistant-coach Alexandre Tremblay, he organized housing and transportation, and even personally bought metro passes for players.
At one point, he drove a U-Haul carrying the team’s equipment from the airport because the team still didn’t have an equipment manager.
And he did that on his birthday.
“I forgot I had a birthday that year,” he laughed.
Bouchard also organized additional exhibition games and helped secure $10,000 in support through local sponsorships, thanks to his friend and mentor, Pierre Petroni.
“Some players didn’t even have a second stick or an extra set of blades. It made no sense to me that future Olympians had to pay for their own sticks,” Bouchard said.
“What he did for us in Montreal, what he did behind the scenes, and how he invested in this group is absolutely incredible,” remembered Fortino. “He went above and beyond the call of duty of what a head coach needs to do. I don’t think I have enough words to say thank you, because what he’s done for us, thank you is not good enough. He’s inspired an entire team.”
Needing another assistant coach, Bouchard brought in close friend Pierre-Alexandre Poulin, while also organizing team-building activities and conferences that helped make the centralization camp a major success.
Creating a Culture
Beyond systems and structure, Bouchard focused heavily on relationships.
“Communicating with each player and getting to know them off the ice was very important,” he explained. “We trained alongside them in the gym. There was a real family atmosphere.”
That culture quickly translated onto the ice.
The 34-year-old pushed the team hard — harder than many players had ever experienced — while still maintaining an honest and human approach.
“We know you’re tired. We are too,” he told them. “What you do when no one is watching, that’s when discipline kicks in. We don’t start winning on February 5th. We start winning now.”
Shocking the Hockey World
At the Olympics in Milan, Bouchard showed an ability to constantly adapt.
Against France, he calmed a nervous team early in the game.
Against Sweden, he shuffled lines, moved defender Nadia Mattivi to forward, and changed goaltenders.
Against the powerhouse United States squad, he focused on disrupting rhythm, slowing the pace, and frustrating opponents whenever possible.
The result was historic.
Italy won two games, qualified for the quarterfinals for the first time ever, and avoided the type of blowout many expected against the Americans, as Team Italy killed off all five American power plays.
Still Working Behind the Scenes
Even after the Olympics, Bouchard’s work continued.
Following exit meetings with players, attention quickly turned toward the Women’s World Championship Division I, Group A tournament in Budapest.
But there was a problem: the tournament overlapped with the QMJHL playoffs.
Bouchard’s availability was uncertain, and players quietly followed Shawinigan’s playoff run hoping he would become available.
That alone spoke volumes about how respected he had become within the group.
When it was confirmed that Bouchard couldn’t travel to Budapest, Alexandre Tremblay was named head coach for the tournament. Still, Bouchard remained heavily involved behind the scenes, speaking with Tremblay several times a day.
Since Poulin couldn’t be there as well, Bouchard even recruited former Montreal Victoire assistant coach and former Montreal Canadiens player, Eric Houde, to join the coaching staff.
“I did it because I fell in love with this group of players. I never expected to become so attached to them. I even told them that, aside from my girlfriend, they were the greatest love story of my life. I never imagined I’d end up forming such a deep bond with them.”
An Emotional Reunion
Once Shawinigan was finally eliminated, Bouchard immediately flew to Budapest with two games still left in the tournament. Only the coaching staff knew he was coming.
When he walked into the video room, players were stunned.
Fortino burst into tears.
“I’m not sure why I was crying. When you are surrounded by someone who cares so much, that’s powerful. I couldn’t believe this guy flew across the world to come here for two days to watch us and be with us. If that doesn’t show how much Eric cared about the team, I don’t know what else does. And it got me emotional. It’s very rare to find that nowadays. He’s so much more than a coach.”
In the end, Team Italy did not capture gold, but still earned a bronze medal — the best result in program history, and an achievement the entire group could be proud of.
Why the PWHL Should Pay Attention
Beyond the medal, Bouchard built something bigger: belief, culture, accountability, and trust.
And that is exactly why he should be a serious candidate for one of the four head coaching openings in the PWHL.
He understands women’s hockey inside and out. He knows how to maximize limited resources. He connects with players. He adapts quickly. And very few available candidates possess a résumé quite like his.
“Any team would be so fortunate to have a coach like him,” concluded Fortino. “Opportunities will come for Eric. I can see him in the NHL, AHL, PWHL. He would make any team successful anywhere he decides to go. His future is very bright.”