Sébastien Bordeleau (born February 15, 1975) was a Canadian-born French former professional ice hockey forward, whose lengthy career spanned from 1991 to 2012 in various leagues.
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, while his father, Paulin Bordeleau, played for the Canucks, he spent several years growing up in France while his father played pro hockey there. As a youth, he played in the 1987 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a team from France. He also played in the 1989 tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Lanaudière.
After returning to Canada, he spent four years with the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL. After being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens 73rd overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Bordeleau was returned to his junior club to further develop his skills. His most productive year in Hull came in 1994–95 when he notched 52 goals.
During his first three pro seasons he played intermittently with Montreal, splitting his time with the AHL’s Fredericton Canadiens. In the summer of 1998, Bordeleau was traded to the Nashville Predators. His best season in Nashville was 1998-99, in which he scored 16 goals and 40 points for the Predators. He was also was a top penalty killer. Bordeleau continued in the same role the next season but saw less playing time in 2000–01. In the latter stages of the 2000–01 season, Bordeleau was claimed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues yet saw only limited action with the club’s AHL affiliate in Worcester before being claimed in the 2001 Waiver Draft by the Minnesota Wild.
Upon his arrival with the Wild, Bordeleau went on to split his time between the parent club and their AHL affiliate in Houston before being dealt to the Phoenix Coyotes prior to the midway point of the season. Bordeleau went on to play six games with the Coyotes, while seeing most of his action with the club’s AHL affiliate in Springfield, before opting to head overseas for the 2002–03 season.
After competing for seven years in North America, Bordeleau made his debut for SC Bern in the Swiss National League in 2002–03. He played his final season in 2012 for EHC Biel in Switzerland.
Bordeleau represented France at the 2004 World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, and at the 2008 World Championships in Quebec City.
Bordeleau is the son of former NHL player Paulin Bordeleau and the father of current San Jose Sharks forward Thomas Bordeleau.
On a funny note, Bordeleau was a big part of “Check, Please, The Music of the Nashville Predators”, a CD made during the first season that featured original Preds-themed songs and Pete Weber highlights from the season. (Thank you u/SakuraRam1610 for posting the music on the sub and reminding me of the album). Bordeleau was the lead vocalist for the original songs on the album.
SOURCES-NHL.com, Hockey Refence.com.
by 99titan
