Jesse Boulerice

Jesse James Boulerice (born August 10, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. Primarily playing in an enforcing role, Boulerice played the majority of his National Hockey League (NHL) career for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Background Boulerice was born in Rouses Point, New York, located in the northeasternmost corner of the state, on the Canadian border. In addition to working on his family's farm, young Boulerice loved playing hockey, leading to his father building a rink in their backyard. He played in the World Juniors with Team USA, winning a silver medal in 1997. As a junior, he also spent three years playing with Detroit and Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League.

Playing career Boulerice was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1996 NHL entry draft, 133rd overall. He has played for the Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis Blues and Flyers. He was charged with assault in 1998 while playing with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after a violent stick-swinging incident with Guelph Storm forward Andrew Long.

Boulerice is known for being the victim of an Aaron Downey left hook on February 11, 2003, after failing to land the first punch, which left Boulerice with a broken jaw and a concussion. Boulerice spent the night in the hospital as his Carolina Hurricanes lost in overtime to the Dallas Stars, 2–1.

Boulerice's role as an enforcer was reduced later in his career due to the NHL's stricter penalties for instigating a fight, by a $10,000 fine to the coach if it occurs in the final five minutes of a game.

On October 10, 2007, Boulerice delivered a cross-check to the face of Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler, with his team up 7–2 in the third period. Boulerice received a 25-game suspension as disciplinary action from the league, which is tied for the fourth-longest suspension for an on-ice incident in modern NHL history.

Boulerice started the 2008–09 season with the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). On November 11, 2008, he signed a contract with the Colorado Avalanche and while being reassigned to the Monsters, was claimed off waivers by the Edmonton Oilers. After playing only two games with the Oilers, Boulerice was placed on waivers again, and was re-claimed by the Avalanche on November 21, 2008.

Boulerice was invited to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins training camp for the 2009–10 season. He made his presence felt and remained to sign a one-year contract with the Penguins on October 3, 2009. In 54 games with Wilkes-Barre, Boulerice tied his AHL career high with four goals and led the team with 124 penalty minutes. On July 29, 2010, he re-signed with the Penguins to another one-year deal. On January 7, 2011, Boulerice was suspended for 10 games for deliberately running over an AHL referee.

Personal life After retiring from professional hockey in 2011, Boulerice became a financial advisor with Merrill-Lynch's office in Raleigh, NC. He is also a part-time coach for the Junior Hurricanes of North Carolina. He lives in Raleigh with his wife Cailin and three children. He coaches youth hockey and serves on the board of the Raleigh Youth Hockey Association.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1994–95 Hawkesbury Hawks CJHL 46 1 8 9 160 — — — — — 1995–96 Detroit Whalers OHL 64 2 5 7 150 16 0 0 0 12 1996–97 Detroit Whalers OHL 33 10 14 24 209 — — — — — 1997–98 Plymouth Whalers OHL 53 20 23 43 170 13 2 4 6 35 1998–99 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 24 1 2 3 82 — — — — — 1998–99 New Orleans Brass ECHL 12 0 1 1 38 — — — — — 1999–2000 Trenton Titans ECHL 25 8 8 16 90 — — — — — 1999–2000 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 40 3 4 7 85 4 0 2 2 4 2000–01 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 60 3 4 7 256 10 1 1 2 28 2001–02 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 3 0 0 0 5 — — — — — 2001–02 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 41 2 5 7 204 — — — — — 2001–02 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 15 2 4 6 80 5 0 2 2 6 2002–03 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 48 2 1 3 108 — — — — — 2003–04 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 76 6 1 7 127 — — — — — 2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 26 0 0 0 51 — — — — — 2005–06 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 1 0 2 2 0 — — — — — 2005–06 St. Louis Blues NHL 12 0 0 0 13 — — — — — 2006–07 Albany River Rats AHL 16 4 3 7 36 — — — — — 2007–08 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 5 0 0 0 29 — — — — — 2007–08 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 36 2 4 6 101 7 0 0 0 2 2008–09 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 41 4 3 7 97 — — — — — 2008–09 Edmonton Oilers NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2009–10 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 54 4 3 7 124 4 0 0 0 6 2010–11 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 67 4 7 11 147 7 0 0 0 11 AHL totals 395 29 41 70 1212 37 1 5 6 57 NHL totals 172 8 2 10 333 — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 1997 United States WJC 6 0 1 1 4 1998 United States WJC 5th 7 2 0 2 10 Junior totals 13 2 1 3 14