George Boucher played forward up until 1920. After Sprague Cleghorn left, he switched back to defence in the 1920-21 season.
In the 1920 Stanley Cup finals, Ottawa played 5 forwards - Frank Nighbor, Jack Darragh, Punch Broadbent, George Boucher, and Cy Denneny. Nighbor played centre, and the other four played primarily wing. I'm not sure who played centre when Nighbor was off - I would guess Darragh, who was probably their next best all-around forward at that point.
In Game 1, Darragh and Broadbent started. But all four wingers were mentioned prominently in the game summary, and it mentioned that Boucher played much of the third period, when Ottawa finally managed to carry the play after spending two periods on the defensive.
Game 2 was played under Coast rules, meaning it was seven man hockey. Boucher played rover, and he was the star of the game. Ottawa Citizen, Mar 24, 1920:
George Boucher, the individual star of the big match, was cheered to the echo throughout...
While all of the Ottawas played good hockey under the circumstances...one player stood out brightly in the big struggle viz: George Boucher. For the full hour the husky New Edinburgh boy was up and down the ice like a flash. He rushed in dazzling style, backchecked with great effect, and became the most consistent puck carrier on the ice. Boucher stickhandled in and out of the maze of Seattle players like a wizard, and time after time he brought the crowd to its feet.
In Games 3 and 4, Boucher and Darragh were the starting wingers, and Broadbent and Denneny subbed. Again, it looks as if all 4 wingers got a lot of play.
Boucher started the 1920-21 season as a sub also, behind Gerard and Cleghorn. But, after the third game of the season, the NHL ruled that Sprague Cleghorn had to leave Ottawa and report to Toronto. Boucher moved back to fill the vacant defence position. A game recap in the Ottawa Citizen from Jan 13, 1921 places him at point and Eddie Gerard at cover point. Later recaps place them both at defence.
The Citizen mentioned on Mar 3, 1921 that "Boucher...had struggled along for most of the second half (ed. of the season) with a very painful hip, and was out of the game altogether."
By the 1921 Stanley Cup finals, Boucher was solidly entrenched alongside Eddie Gerard on the back line. Ottawa signed Sprague Cleghorn was signed for the playoffs, and played him as a substitute behind the starters Gerard and Boucher. During the games where seven man hockey was played, Cleghorn played rover and Boucher remained on defence.
Overall, Boucher's career looked like this:
1915-16 to 1919-20 (age 19 -23): Winger, mostly a substitute behind Cy Denneny and Jack Darragh. In the final one of those seasons he took on a prominent role in the Cup finals, playing rover in the 7-man games and starring.
1920-21 to 1926-27 (age 24-30): High-scoring star defenceman. He played the first three seasons alongside Eddie Gerard, and Ottawa won the Stanley Cup in two of those seasons. He played one season with Lionel Hitchman, and then King Clancy became his regular partner. Boucher's scoring dropped toward the latter part of this period - he was probably losing his speed at this point, and Clancy was developing into the main offensive option from the back. His PIM also rose in the last three seasons during this stretch - possibly an indicator that he was less mobile? 1926-27 was the last season that Boucher finished top 10 in Hart voting.
1927-28 (age 31): Starting defenceman, but probably not a star anymore.
1928-29 to 1931-32 (age 32-35): Substitute defenceman. Behind King Clancy and Alex Smith in Ottawa, then with the Maroons for two years and Chicago for one year.
