Prior to a successful four year stint at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), forward Joe Juneau had played ice hockey with the Ste-Foy Gouverneurs from 1983 through 1985 and Levis-Lauzon College from 1985-1987. At RPI he not only excelled at his sport, joining the Canadian national squad in 1990, but also graduated with a perfect GPA and a degree in aeronautical engineering despite being unable to speak English when he first arrived. He had been drafted by the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins in 1988, but he stuck with Team Canada through the 1992 Winter Olympics, where he played in eight games, scored six goals, and took home a silver medal. It was Canada’s first Olympic podium finish since 1968. After an initial contract dispute with the Bruins he played 14 games with the team in 1992, and then spent the next two seasons with them, setting an NHL record for assists in a season by a left wing by the end of 1993, a record that still stands. Late in the 1993-1994 season he was traded to the NHL’s Washington Capitals and suited up for them until 1999, where he spent the last nine games of the year with the league’s Buffalo Sabres. After year-long stints with the Ottawa Senators and the Phoenix Coyotes, he joined the Montreal Canadiens in 2001 and skated with them until his 2004 retirement. Since then he has worked as a partner and account manager at Harfan Technologies in Quebec City and has also spent time promoting hockey among youth in Alaska and Quebec. For his efforts, he was awarded Radio-Canada’s Personality of the Year Award in 2007.
Canada