Bruno Gervais

2006-07 Update: May 1, 2007: Bruno Gervais was assigned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL on Apr. 4th after missing a month and a half with a re-aggravated sprained ankle. The former Sound Tiger played Apr. 4th at the Philadelphia Phantoms. He played in three games with Bridgeport including Apr. 6th vs. Providence and Apr. 7th at Albany. The Sound Tigers went 1-1-1 in those three games. Gervais was called up to the Islanders on Apr. 10th to prepare for the Islanders Eastern Conference playoff series vs. the Buffalo Sabres. With recent signee Deron Quint not allowed under the CBA to play in the NHL playoffs, Gervais' return was much needed. Playoffs: Gervais went 1-1-2 in 5 games played against the Sabres. His goal came in game 2 at the HSBC Arena to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead. The Islanders went on to win the game 3-2 to even the series 1-1. Gervais' assist came in game 5 on a goal by Trent Hunter cutting the Islanders deficit in the game to 4-2. He also had a breakaway attempt in the game and a team leading 5 shots on goal. The Islanders lost the game 4-3 and the series 5 games to 1. Gervais performed very well for the Islanders in the series.

April 1, 2007: Bruno Gervais missed the entire month of March (15 games) with the New York Islanders as he continued to recover from a re-aggravated ankle sprain. The Islanders are being very cautious with Bruno's return as they don't want him to suffer long term damage. Gervais has been practicing for the last few weeks but it is unknown if or when he will return.

March 1, 2007: Bruno Gervais was held scoreless in 5 games played with the New York Islanders during the month of February. After missing the last 4 games of January with a sprained ankle sustained Jan. 16th in Pittsburgh, Gervais returned to the Islanders lineup Feb. 7th vs. Philadelphia after missing the first three games of February (Total missed: 7 games): 2/1 at Atlanta, 2/3 at Montreal and 2/4 at Washington. After 5 games, Gervais re-aggravated his ankle sprain early in the first period Feb. 15th vs. Boston. He would go on to miss the last 5 games of February: 2/17 vs. New Jersey, 2/19 vs. Pittsburgh, 2/22 vs. Toronto, 2/24 vs. Montreal and 2/27 vs. Philadelphia. Gervais missed a total of 8 games in February. After re-aggravating his ankle he was projected for a 1-2 week return which should be some time in early March.

February 1, 2007: Bruno Gervais recorded 2 assists in 9 games played with the New York Islanders during the month of January. He sprained his ankle on Jan. 16th in Pittsburgh and missed the last 4 games of the month: 1/18 at Philadelphia, 1/26 at Atlanta, 1/27 vs. Buffalo, and 1/30 vs. Detroit. Gervais recorded an assist in the Islanders 5-4 win in Boston Jan. 11th. In that game against Boston Gervais saw over 29 minutes of ice time. His assist snapped a 12 game streak in which he did not register a point. Gervais' other assist came in the Islanders 5-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Jan. 16th, the same game he got hurt. On the month he was a -5 and he is now -11 on the season.

January 1, 2007: Bruno Gervais played in all 13 games for the New York Islanders during the month of December. He recorded 4 assists in that span and was a -3. He is a -6 on the season. In his 26th game of the season, he recorded his first assist & point of the 2006-07 season in the Islanders 7-4 win at the New York Rangers on December 3, 2006. The next game, Gervais recorded another assist in the Islanders 4-2 loss vs. the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 5th. On Dec. 15th, Bruno recorded 2 assists in the Islanders 7-4 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since then he's gone 7 games without a point. 

December 1, 2006: Bruno Gervais played in all 13 games for the New York Islanders during the month of November. He did not register a point and was a -3. Islanders coach Ted Nolan has been happy with Gervais' play and doesn't want to change his defense corp. As for Chris Campoli, he was re-assigned to Bridgeport. Gervais switched his number with the Islanders to #8 from the #6 he wore in 2005-06. Sean Hill currently wears #6 for the Islanders.

November 1, 2006: Bruno Gervais played in all 11 games for the New York Islanders during the month of October. He did not register a point and was a -4. There is some uncertainty whether he will remain with the Islanders once Chris Campoli returns from his conditioning assignment at Bridgeport. His regular defense partner has been Tom Poti.

When Rick DiPietro was asked to describe what separates this team from the last time the Islanders were in the playoffs, the word he used was "experience."

He must not have been thinking about Bruno Gervais and Chris Campoli at that moment.

On a team rife with veterans the two young defensemen - whose combined age of 44 (that's 22 each) is only a dog's year older than fellow defenseman and mentor Sean Hill (37) - are feeling their way through their first quest for the Stanley Cup.

Not that they've been muddling. Gervais scored a goal in Saturday's win over the Sabres, his first this season, and Campoli showed a feistiness in the first two games of this first-round series.

Nor have they seemed ill-prepared for the stage upon which they now perform ... and have long yearned for. Each logged more than 13 minutes per game in the first two contests.

"You grew up playing playoff hockey in the streets, and everywhere you play hockey it's all about the NHL playoffs," Gervais said yesterday before a 3-2 loss to Buffalo in Game 3 of the series at Nassau Coliseum. "It's a big dream that we've realized and so far it's been great."

The Islanders are using those young, speedy legs to slow down the Buffalo attack.

"One thing about Buffalo, we all know they can skate," Isles coach Ted Nolan said. "Gervais and Campolis both relish that opportunity to skate with them."

The chance to be a part of this series is especially sweet for Gervais, who missed the final 24 regular-season games and 31 of the last 36 with an ankle sprain. He had to watch as the team stumbled to the finish line.

Toward the end of the season, it seemed that neither Gervais nor the Islanders would be in any sort of playoff form, but both have shown up to play.

"Coming back in a playoff series like this against the best team in the NHL is something special, that's for sure," Gervais said.

Gervais and Campoli aren't the only Islanders in their inaugural playoff series. Goaltender Wade Dubielewicz also is a long-time listener, first-time caller, though the Islanders hope he won't have to take the ice again this spring (meaning DiPietro remains healthy).

Campoli said going through the playoffs with Gervais is easier than doing it alone.

"I don't know if we lean on each other, but it is new to both of us, so we can relate," he said.

He also noted that Hill, who sits between Gervais and Campoli in the changing room, has been an especially supportive resource the last few days.

"He just told me don't worry about it, it's the same game, it's just a little louder, a little quicker and a little more physical," Campoli said of Hill's advice. "He's been through it, he's won a Stanley Cup, and anything a guy like him has to offer to me, I'm going to listen. Hopefully, I can bring it to the game and it can help me."

BRIDGEPORT — In a few more days, players like Bruno Gervais and Rick Berry will have the answers they have waited for since the beginning of the New York Islanders' training camp. The wait just may tear Berry's heart out in the meantime. "I'll probably be jumping every time the phone rings," said the defenseman, 27, who signed with the Islanders this summer. The NHL regular season begins Thursday, and the Islanders have three more cuts to make before flying to Arizona for their first game. Gervais and Berry are among the players seeking the final few spots on defense, and both played Saturday night in the Islanders' exhibition-finale 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils in front of 4,714 fans at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Those who don't make the cut will come to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who open on the road a week from today. "I'm just going to jump on the bus and see what happens from there," said Gervais, who represented the Sound Tigers in last year's AHL All-Star Game. "That's what I've learned from the last couple of camps."

Gervais earned special-teams time Saturday night and looked quick and confident. Though Gervais looked bigger from the press box, he said he actually dropped 10 pounds over the summer. He said he's playing at a lean 207. "The big difference is I'm in really, really good condition," said Gervais, who turns 22 Tuesday. "That helps my game. I want to try to be explosive and keep going to the end of the shift."

2005-06 Update: May 1, 2006 Update: Bruno Gervais went 1-1-2 in 9 games played with the New York Islanders during the month of April. The assist came in a 5-4 shootout win vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 15th. Gervais scored the Islanders last goal of the 2005-06 season vs. the Philadelphia Flyers on April 18th. Bruno was re-assigned to Bridgeport on April 19th for their first round playoff series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Gervais most likely will become a regular with the Islanders in 2006-07. As he gains more confidence at the NHL level, the offense should come more regularly. He finished tied for second in the AHL with most goals scored by a defenseman with 16 goals in only 55 games played. Andy Delmore of Syracuse led with 17 goals in 66 games played.

Playoffs: "We need it going right away," Gervais said. "We can't take two or three games to get used to each other." Gervais led the Sound Tigers defensemen in scoring during their playoff series loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins going 1-2-3 in 7 games played. He was a team worst -5. He assisted on Masi Marjamaki's game winning goal in Bridgeport's 3-2 Game 2 win. Gervais scored a power play goal with 2:51 remaining in Game 7 to pull the Sound Tigers to within 4-3 of the Penguins. Bridgeport went on to lose the game 5-4.

April 1, 2006 Update: Bruno Gervais recorded 4 assists in 5 games played with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the month of March. He entered the month with 17 goals, but had one taken away from Jan. 17th later on after a review and changed to an assist. He was called up to the Islanders on March 15th with the season ending injury to Alexei Zhitnik and went 2-2-4 in 9 games played during March. He scored a power play goal on a 5 on 3 advantage in a 5-1 win vs. Atlanta on March 25th. Gervais scored his first career NHL goal off a bank shot in a 4-2 loss at Tampa Bay on March 19th against John Grahame. He will likely spend the rest of the NHL season with the Islanders and return to Bridgeport for the playoff run. Bruno was impressive at times and showed some flashes of things to come with the Islanders as he grew more comfortable and gained more confidence at the NHL level. He has been more impressive than his previous two callups.

March 1, 2006 Update: Bruno Gervais went 2-5-7 in 12 games played with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the month of February. He began the month with an appearance in the AHL All-Star Game and was a +1 for the Canadian All-Stars as they defeated the Planet USA All-Stars 9-4 on February 1, 2006. He still leads all AHL defensemen in goals with 17 and is in the top ten among AHL defensemen in scoring. Gervais already has 7 more points than he did all of 2004-05, in 26 less games.

Final AHL Defensemen Goal Scoring 2005-06
as of Apr. 16, 2006

February 1, 2006 Update: Bruno Gervais went 4-2-6 in 8 games played with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the month of January. He was called up by the Islanders on January 10, 2006, the same day the Islanders traded defenseman Janne Niinimaa to the Dallas Stars for defenseman John Erskine. The Islanders believed at the time Bruno was ready to remain in the NHL possibly for the rest of the season. He played in the next 5 games for the Islanders. Gervais recorded his first NHL point which was an assist on an Arron Asham goal in a 4-3 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on January 19, 2006. The Islanders felt he needed some more time in the AHL so they re-assigned him on January 20, 2006. He returned to the Sound Tigers on the 21st and recorded an assist in a 7-0 win at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He currently leads all AHL defensemen in goals with 15. Gervais has reached 30 points in just his 38th game of the season. Last year he recorded 30 points in 76 games played. He's almost doubled his goal output of 2004-05.

January 1, 2006 Update: Bruno Gervais spent most of the first half of Decmeber with the New York Islanders. He was called up on December 3, 2005 and made his NHL debut December 4, 2005 at the Detroit Red Wings. He went on to play in the next three games with the Islanders at St. Louis, at Columbus, and home vs. Edmonton. He was returned to the AHL's Sound Tigers on December 12, 2005. In his 9 games with Bridgeport during the month of December Gervais record 4 goals and 8 points. On December 23, 2005 he recorded his AHL career high 9th goal of the season in a 3-2 shootout loss vs. the Hartford Wolfpack. He's 7th in the AHL among defensemen in scoring with 23 points and his 11 goals leads all AHL defensemen.

December 1, 2006 Update: It's now been two years since Bruno Gervais tore the ligaments in his knee. With that ordeal long behind him Gervais is still considered one of the Islanders top prospects. His defense partner from last season, Chris Campoli, is thriving on Long Island and Gervais hopes his time will soon come. He hasn't come as close as he did in 2003 when he was the final cut to make the Islanders following training camp. Bruno has gotten off to a great start in his second year of pro. Entering the month of December he is currently tied for the team lead with 7 goals. He scored 8 all of 2004-05.

Highlights:

* Named 2nd star with 2 goals( 1 PP, 1 SH) in a 4-3 loss vs. the Springfield Falcons on Nov. 19, 2005. 

* Named 2nd star with a goal in a 4-0 win at the Lowell Lock Monsters December 2, 2005.

* Named 2nd star with 3 assists in a 5-2 win vs. the Lowell Lock Monsters December 16, 2005.

* Named 2nd star with lone goal in a 1-0 win vs. the Philadelphia Phantoms January 4, 2006.

* Named 2nd star with a goal(PP) in a 4-1 win vs. the Providence Bruins February 4, 2006.

* Named 2nd star with a goal(PP) and an assist in a 5-1 win vs. Atlanta Thrashers March 25, 2006.

GERVAIS ALL-STAR — Bridgeport defenseman Bruno Gervais got one honor Tuesday, when he was recalled to the New York Islanders. He got another Thursday, when he was named to the AHL's Canadian All-Star team.

Gervais was the only Sound Tiger selected for the game, which will be played Feb. 1 at Winnipeg, Manitoba. He leads AHL defensemen with 13 goals and was second on the Sound Tigers with 27 points when he was recalled.

BRIDGEPORT, CT - The American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, have announced defenseman Bruno Gervais has been named to the Canadian Team for the 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic that will take place in Winnipeg, Manitoba on January 31st and February 1st.

Gervais, 21, leads the Sound Tigers and all AHL defensemen with 13 goals and tied for sixth among the league's blueliners with 27 points this season. The 6'1'' 197-pounder from St. Hyacinthe, Quebec also has 14 assists and 50 penalty minutes in 33 AHL games with the Sound Tigers, as well as two penalty minutes in five NHL games with the Islanders this season. Gervais was recalled by the Islanders Tuesday.

Gervais was the Islanders' sixth pick, 182nd overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He was second in scoring among all Sound Tigers rookies and defenseman with eight goals, 22 assists and 30 points in 76 AHL games last season. Gervais played the previous three years (2001-04) with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League totaling 30 goals, 46 assists, 76 points and 143 penalty minutes in 160 career games with the team, including 22 goals, 28 assists and 50 points in 72 games the season before he was drafted.

The 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic will take place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, home of the AHL's Manitoba Moose. The event will begin on Tuesday, January 31st with the CCM All-Star Skills Competition. The annual All-Star Game will follow on Wednesday, February 1st.

2004-05 Update:

Most of the talk this past season was centered around the play of rookie defenseman Chris Campoli. But his defense partner for most of the 2004-05 season, Bruno Gervais, had a very successful rookie year as well. Bruno produced 8 goals which included 4 on the powerplay and 2 shorthanded. He totaled 30 points for fifth in scoring on the Sound Tigers, which is even more impressive considering he just came off a season in which he had reconstructive knee surgery. He'll only get better as he gains more experience.

Highlights: * With 20 seconds left to play, Bruno Gervais one-timed a slap-shot on the power play past Hartford netminder Steve Valiquette for the 3-2 victory on March 26, 2005. Gervais' seventh goal of the season came off assists from Chris Campoli and Justin Papineau.

* Bruno scored a shorthanded goal and added two assists for three points in a 5-2 win over Binghamton on April 3, 2005.

Excerpt from NHL.com article by John McGourty, March 16, 2005

It's an honor for any player to be chosen to play for his national team and it's also a credit to the NHL team that drafts such a player, but this is the second-straight year that a top Islanders' prospect has been hurt at a national-team training camp. Defenseman Bruno Gervais, taken with the sixth pick, 182nd overall in 2003, suffered a knee injury a year ago while training for Canada's World Junior team. That followed a season in which he led all Quebec Major Junior Hockey League defensemen with 22 goals. He was also plus-47 for the season. He's having a good year at Bridgeport and appears NHL-bound.

"We knew he could shoot the puck," Feltrin said. "He's intelligent and has good poise. He's playing a big role and getting lots of minutes at Bridgeport. He has met and exceeded our expectations. He's going to have a chance to play in the NHL as an intelligent puck-moving defenseman. He doesn't have a really big body and he will have to continue to develop his strength, but we like his willingness to engage the opponent. With his point shot and sense, we expect he will do well on one of the power-play units."

	Gervais Signs, Goes Back to Q
	Oct 4, 2003: Following an impressive training camp and preseason debut, defenseman Bruno Gervais (6th Round selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft) has signed a three-year contract with the New York Islanders.

- With his first NHL deal in hand, the Isles prospect was returned to his junior team, the Acadie Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL. Gervais will once again take over as captain of the team, which has struggled to a 2-8-1-0 record in his absence.

Gervais will find out in December whether he was selected for the Canadian World Junior Championship team.

Isles select D Bruno Gervais 182nd

June 22: The Isles finally got around to selecting a defenseman in the sixth round as they tabbed the captain of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Bruno Gervais. The Quebec Junior is considered one of the best defenseman in the league. Bruno was ranked 78th by the CSB.

Islanders Scouting Report:

Defenseman Bruno Gervais is a big shot, a big shot in terms of how he can put the puck in the net from his defensive position. Not only does Gervais have offensive skill, he has some intangibles that make him an interesting pick.

"Bruno was the captain of his team at [age] 18, and they had a good veteran club," said Islanders' Quebec talent hound Mario Saraceno. "He's got terrific character and can hold his own in the defensive zone and one-on-one.

The 6-0, 188 pound defenseman from Acadie-Bathurst of the Quebec League posted an impressive league-leading 22 goals from the blueline along with 50 points in 72 games. Gervais also was an incredible +47 as he notched 17 powerplay goals and was fifth in the league in defensive scoring. He was named second-team all QMJHL this past season and posted 73 penalty minutes. In the postseason this past year, Gervais posted three goals and eight points in 11 matches.

"He's got a very powerful shot, and a righthanded one, which is very nice," said Saraceno. "It's a booming shot that helped him score lots of goals, most on the powerplay where he's very effective. He's got decent size and will grow. His whole family is very big. I think he'll be a solid 6-1 or 6-2 with good upside."

Gervais was ranked 78th overall in the NHL Central Scouting's final rankings and has been invited to Team Canada's camp roster for the 2004 World Junior Championships.

"He needs to get stronger," said Saraceno. "He's got good quick feet, but needs to work on his overall speed. But he's quick and agile. I'm confident that he'll improve a lot."

Titan Rally to Beat Mooseheads, Force Game 7
Bathurst Rallies Back from 4-2 Deficit in Third Period

by Willy Palov - Halifax Herald, 4/14/03
( Gervais notes extracted )

Bathurst captain Bruno Gervais scored on two identical one-timers from the point on third-period power plays to pull the Titan into a 4-4 tie. Shawn Doucet then scored the winner with just 2:32 to go in the game after a Halifax turnover at centre ice.

The Titan finished the night three-for-nine on the power play, even though Halifax actually did a decent job on the penalty kill. It was mostly a matter of Gervais getting into the right place on the ice to unload his two precise shots.

 The Titan only had three shots on net through the first 15:06 of the third period and Gervais scored on two of them.

 "Both times I was in good position and the puck was coming to me at a good speed so I just tried to put a shot on net," said Gervais. "I guess I was just lucky they went in."

"We all really wanted to go back to Halifax for Game 7. It's been a great, tight series and we never stopped thinking we could win that game today," said Gervais. "It was a really emotional game and tough physically so we are going to try and get some rest and be ready for Tuesday."
islesinfo.com note: Acadie-Bathurst lost Game Seven 4-0 in Halifax.

Extract from Le Courrier, 1/8/03

The young man hopes for one day to play in the national League, like Raymond Bourque and Scott Niedermayer, his two idols. He is perhaps not very far from his dream since which he is eligible for the upcoming Draft and two NHL teams have had an eye on him.

"Islanders and the Predators already told me that they were both interested in my services. Other teams could be added during the season", thinks Bruno Gervais who would like to be drafted by the Montreal Canadiens or Edmonton Oilers.

islesinfo.com: I find it amazing that the Islanders told this kid that they were interested in him back before January 8, 2003. If the Predators and perhaps more teams by June were interested in this kid I'm glad we got him. He is the captain of his team and has won awards for being the best defenseman on Bathurst as well as numerous academic awards. So he has a brain too. Didn't like that he preferred to be drafted by a Canadian team but hopefully he is happy to come to the NY and the Islanders organization. 

- Even though the QMJHL is normally known as an offensive league, you got to be impressed by his improvement from 4 goals and 16 points in 2001-02 to 22 goals and 50 points in 2002-03.

- Gervais went 3-5-8 in 11 playoff games with Acadie-Bathurst in 2003.

QMJHL Player of the Week Gervais, 12/9/02

The right-handed defenseman Bruno Gervais from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan is the best defensive player of the week in the QMJHL. In 2 games, the player who's from Longueuil, scored 2 goals, got a +7 and no penalty minutes.

In a trouncing win of 7-0 over the Tigres in Victoriaville last Tuesday, Bruno played very well with a +5. He stopped the six Victoriaville power plays and it was Adam Russo 4th shutout of the season. Back in Bathurst last Friday, the Titan was hosting the Montreal Rocket. In a 7-2 victory over the Rocket, Gervais scored 2 goals, included the winning goal scored in power play at the beginning of the 2nd period, the Titan was leading 3-0.

Bruno Gervais Wins Awards  -  Le Courrier ( translated from French ), 4/25/01
Bruno Gervais Top Defenseman  -  Le Courrier ( translated from French ), 1/8/03