Playing Career
Growing up in Winnipeg, Courchaine dominated at the minor hockey level with the AAA-midget Winnipeg Warriors, putting up 119 points in 50 games. In 2001–02, he joined the major junior ranks with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He was traded during his rookie season to the Vancouver Giants during their inaugural season and became a cornerstone for the franchise in its beginning years. Courchaine put up a team-high 85 points in his first full season with the Giants, helping them to their first playoff appearance in 2003. His 43 goals established a Giants' franchise record which remained unbroken until Evander Kane surpassed the mark in 2008–09. Courchaine was also named a WHL West Second Team All-Star and was subsequently chosen in the off-season by the Minnesota Wild, 219th overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
He played two more seasons with the Giants, leading them in scoring for a second consecutive season in 2003–04 with 82 points while being named to the WHL West First All-Star Team. In four seasons with the Giants, Courchaine led the team in scoring twice and accumulated a franchise all-time leading 126 goals and 273 points in 241 games until both records were broken in 2012 by Brendan Gallagher. His 147 assists was also a franchise record until it was surpassed by defenceman Jonathon Blum on February 7, 2009.
Graduating from major junior in 2005–06, Courchaine was assigned to the Wild's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Houston Aeros. However, he was a regular healthy scratch and was demoted to the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) where he played with the Pensacola Ice Pilots and Gwinnett Gladiators.
Although Courchaine was signed overseas by Zell Am See of Austria, he spent the 2006–07 season inactive. The following season, Courchaine played in the German Bundesliga with the Duisburg Foxes. He enjoyed more success than his rookie season in the minors and led Duisburg in scoring with 50 points. In the following 2008–09 season, he joined fellow German team, the DEG Metro Stars.
Read more about this topic: Adam Courchaine (ice Hockey B. 1984)
Famous quotes containing the words playing and/or career:
“When as the rye reach to the chin,
And chopcherry, chopcherry ripe within,
Strawberries swimming in the cream,
And school-boys playing in the stream;”
—George Peele (1559–1596)
“I restore myself when I’m alone. A career is born in public—talent in privacy.”
—Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962)