Bouchard was a top prospect for the Boston Bruins, who selected him in the second round (No. 27) of the 1970 NHL Draft. He won 27 games for Boston's American Hockey League affiliate in 1971-72, but the Bruins lost him to the Atlanta Flames in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft.

The Flames were competitive in their first season and made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their second, largely because of their goaltending combination of Bouchard and Phil Myre.

Bouchard helped the Flames qualify for the playoffs from 1975-76 through 1979-80, though they were unable to win a series. In 1978-79, he led the NHL in games played (64) and wins (32). He made the move with the Flames to Calgary for the 1980-81 season but was traded to the Quebec Nordiques on Jan. 30, 1981.

The native of Val-d'Or, Quebec, thrived after being traded back home. He went 19-5 with five ties in 1980-81, helping the Nordiques qualify for the playoffs for the first time, and in 1982 was key to Quebec's first dose of postseason success when they got to the Wales Conference Final before being swept by the New York Islanders.

Bouchard played three more seasons with Quebec, winning 29 games in 1983-84, and one with the Winnipeg Jets before retiring after the 1985-86 season. He was 286-233 with 113 ties, a 3.27 goals-against average, .890 save percentage and 27 shutouts in 656 regular-season games in 14 seasons, and 13-30 with a 3.47 GAA, .880 save percentage and one shutout in 43 playoff games.