In 1948, Bouchard became the first Quebec-born captain of the Canadiens, a position he retained for eight years until his retirement. At the time of his retirement no player had served more years as captain of the Canadiens than Bouchard. Hall of Famer Jean Béliveau, a teammate of Bouchard for Beliveau's early years with the Canadiens, said Bouchard was the model for his time as captain in the 1960s. Bouchard was a well-respected leader and played a role in supporting and mentoring the younger players. Never afraid to speak up to management, in 1950 on Bouchard's recommendation to Selke to "give the kid a shot", Bernie Geoffrion was given a tryout and eventually joined the Canadiens. Geoffrion won the Calder for rookie of the year and would be near the top of league scoring for years to come. Bouchard commenting on the fact that he was nominated for captain by his teammates: "I don't agree with management nominating you. I can respond to players, not be a yes-man for the proprietor." He missed a large part of the 1948–49 season after a severe knee injury which threatened his career. Despite medical opinion that he might not be able to continue to play he trained hard and was able to strengthen the knee enough to return to the Canadiens.