 In 1948, Bouchard became the first Quebec-born captain of the Canadiens, a position he retained for eight years until his retirement.At the time of his retirement no player had served more years as captain of the Canadiens than Bouchard.Hall of Famer Jean Béliveau, a teammate of Bouchard for Beliveau's early years with the Canadiens, said Bouchard was the model for his time as captain in the 1960s.