Dan LaCouture

Last updated

Dan LaCouture
Born (1977-04-18) April 18, 1977 (age 47)
Hyannis, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Edmonton Oilers
Pittsburgh Penguins
New York Rangers
HC Davos
Boston Bruins
New Jersey Devils
HC Lugano
Carolina Hurricanes
Barys Astana
Lørenskog IK
National teamFlag of the United States.svg  United States
NHL draft 29th overall, 1996
New York Islanders
Playing career 19972011

Daniel Scott LaCouture (born April 18, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). LaCouture is a graduate of South Hadley High School, in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Contents

Playing career

As a youth, LaCouture played in the 1991 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Boston Bruins minor ice hockey team. [1]

LaCouture was drafted 29th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. The Islanders traded LaCouture to the Edmonton Oilers for Mariusz Czerkawski on August 25, 1997. Initially, he played primarily for the Hamilton Bulldogs, Edmonton's American Hockey League affiliate, but became more of a regular in the NHL while playing for the Oilers in the 2000–01 season. On October 17, 2000, Dan scored his first career NHL goal against Andrew Raycroft and the Boston Bruins in a 6-1 Oilers victory. [2]

The Pittsburgh Penguins dealt for LaCouture on March 13, 2001, sending Sven Butenschon to the Oilers. Lacouture had his most productive season, scoring six goals along with eleven assists, and playing in all 82 games in 2001–02. He played for Pittsburgh until 2003. On February 10 of that year he was traded along with Alexei Kovalev, Janne Laukkanen, and Mike Wilson to the New York Rangers in exchange for Joel Bouchard, Richard Lintner, Mikael Samuelsson, Rico Fata, and cash. [3]

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, the Providence Bruins signed LaCouture to a contract. He played for the NHL's Boston Bruins and Switzerland's HC Davos in 2005–06. An unrestricted free agent in the 2006 offseason, LaCouture signed with the New Jersey Devils, playing in six games with the NHL club and thirty-nine with the Lowell Devils of the AHL. He signed with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, but was suspended by the team after he failed to report to Anaheim's AHL affiliate in Portland, Maine. LaCouture returned to the Swiss League and played 15 games for HC Lugano in the 2007–08 season. After a tryout that made an impression on the Hurricanes organization, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL. He was called to Albany River Rats, but left the club on December 27, 2008, and signed a contract with Barys Astana of the KHL. [4] [5]

He completed his final professional season with Norwegian club Lørenskog IK, of the GET-ligaen, in 2011.[ citation needed ]

On April 10, 2014, LaCouture was revealed as one of nine former NHL players to file a major class action lawsuit against the NHL, alleging that the league has generated billions of dollars while subjecting its players to "the imminent risk of head trauma" leading to "devastating and long-term negative health consequences." [6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1992–93 Natick High School HS-MA 2038347246
1993–94Natick High SchoolHS-MA21524910158
1994–95Springfield OlympicsNEJHL52445610098
1995–96Springfield OlympicsNEJHL29243559791312132523
1996–97 Boston University HE 3113122518
1997–98 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 771510253151010
1998–99 Hamilton BulldogsAHL721714317392132
1998–99 Edmonton Oilers NHL 30000
1999–00 Hamilton BulldogsAHL702317408562130
1999–00 Edmonton OilersNHL50001010000
2000–01 Edmonton OilersNHL3724629
2000–01 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL110001450002
2001–02 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL826111771
2002–03 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL4422472
2002–03 New York Rangers NHL241450
2003–04 New York RangersNHL5952782
2004–05 Providence Bruins AHL641215275261124
2005–06 HC Davos NLA 42134
2005–06 Boston Bruins NHL5522453
2006–07 Lowell Devils AHL39831133
2006–07 New Jersey Devils NHL60007
2007–08 HC Lugano NLA1511218
2008–09 Carolina Hurricanes NHL1120210
2008–09 Albany River Rats AHL121567
2008–09 Barys Astana KHL 122135130000
2009–10 Providence BruinsAHL92027
2010–11 Lørenskog IK NOR 3016132918
AHL totals3437764141280266396
NHL totals33720254534860002

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
1997 United States WJC 61014
2002 United States WC 72240
Junior totals61014
Senior totals72240

References

  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  2. "Boston Bruins at Edmonton Oilers Box Score, October 17, 2000". Hockey-Reference.com. October 17, 2000. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  3. "Penguins send Kovalev to Broadway". Waterloo Region Record . New York. Canadian Press. February 11, 2003. p. 40. Retrieved June 3, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  4. Alexander, Chip (October 4, 2008). "Gillies hopes to make an impact". The News & Observer . Raleigh, North Carolina. p. 37. Retrieved June 3, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  5. McKay, Garry (January 13, 2009). "Dogs: From NHLers to Big Easy SWAT Team". The Hamilton Spectator . p. 40. Retrieved June 3, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Nine former players file concussion lawsuit against NHL". The Sports Network. April 10, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.