Jay Bouwmeester

Jay Daniel Bouwmeester (born September 27, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a first round selection, third overall, of the Florida Panthers at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2003 and played seven seasons in the Panthers organization before being traded to the Calgary Flames in 2009, with which he played four seasons. Bouwmeester was then traded to the Blues in 2013. He held one of the longest iron man streaks in NHL history as he appeared in 737 consecutive regular season games between 2004 and 2014. He played in the 2007 and 2009 NHL All-Star Games.\n', ' Internationally, Bouwmeester has represented Canada numerous times. He appeared in three consecutive World Junior Championships between 2000 and 2002, winning a silver and two bronze medals. He made his debut with the senior national team in 2003, winning the first of two consecutive World Championship titles. Bouwmeester was a member of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey championship team and won a gold medal with Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics. In 2019, he won a Stanley Cup as a member of the St. Louis Blues, becoming the thirtieth member of the Triple Gold Club. \n', ' Bouwmeester was born September 27, 1983, in Edmonton, Alberta. He is the son of Dan and Gena Bouwmeester, and has an older sister, Jill. His father is a school teacher and coach in Edmonton, and played defence for the University of Alberta Golden Bears hockey team. Bouwmeester was a naturally gifted player; his father said he could handle a hockey stick at an early age, and learned to skate shortly after he learned to walk. An all-around athlete, Bouwmeester also played baseball and soccer competitively, and ran track, played volleyball and basketball at school. However, he had natural talent for hockey and learned to play on a backyard hockey rink his father maintained and in the basement of the family home. As a youth, he played in the 1996 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Edmonton.\n', '