Marc Chouinard was born in Charlesbourg, Quebec on May 6, 1977. During a strong junior career that included stops in Beauport and Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Chouinard was the Winnipeg Jets' second selection in the 1995 Entry Draft. In February 1996, while finishing his junior career, Chouinard became the answer to a trivia question when he was traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim with Teemu Selanne and a draft pick, while Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky and a draft choice went to Winnipeg. Chouinard toiled in Cincinnati until 2000-2001 when he made his NHL debut with the Mighty Ducks on December 15, 2000 in a game against the the New York Rangers. Chouinard split the remainder of the season between Cincinnati and Anaheim.



In 2001-02, Chouinard became a full-time Mighty Duck, and went on to play one more season in Anaheim, helping the team capture its first Western Conference Championship and reach its first Stanley Cup Final only to fall in seven games to the New Jersey Devils. After six seasons in the Anaheim organization, Chouinard was acquired by the Minnesota Wild in the summer of 2003. Upon his arrival with the Wild, Chouinard went on to register 21 points (11-10-21) in 45 games.