Vincent Riendeau
Goalie and Russia Pro Scout
Goalie and Russia Pro Scout
Vincent Riendeau was named Director of Goalie Development and Pro Scout in July 2017. He originally joined the Montreal Canadiens organization on June 20, 2012 as a member of the Bulldogs coaching staff.
A native of St-Hyacinthe, Vincent Riendeau began his professional hockey career with the Canadiens after signing a free agent contract with the club in 1986. Riendeau had previously completed his junior career minding the net of the Verdun Junior of the QMJHL, the Sherbrooke College and the Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL). In his first campaign in pro hockey, with the Sherbrooke Canadiens, he earned the Hap Holmes award as the AHL top goaltender.
Following two seasons in the AHL, he made the jump to the NHL where he would play 184 games over eight seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins recording 85 wins, 65 losses, 20 ties and five shutouts. He spent parts of five seasons in the AHL playing in 98 games and recording 61 wins, 31 losses, three ties and six shutouts. Riendeau resumed his career playing in Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain before becoming the first North American-born goaltender to mind the net in the Russian Superleague playing with HC Lada Togliatti.
He joined the Toronto Maple Leafs after his retirement in 2001 as a goaltending consultant. From 2003 to 2008, he was the goaltending coach of the QMJHL Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, and also acted as the team's assistant general manager from 2005 to 2008. Since 2005, Riendeau worked with several different European teams on a consulting basis, including Mannheim, Germany (2005-2007), Fribourg, Switzerland (2007), Kassel (2008-2009) and the Hamburg Freezers, in Germany, where he was goaltending coach and assistant general manager (2010 to 2012). Riendeau (51) owns a goaltending school with summer camps in several Quebec areas, and runs a week of goaltending hockey school at the North American Hockey Academy, in the State of Vermont.