Leclaire was selected in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets and played in the Blue Jackets' organization for seven seasons. He was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2009 and played in 48 regular season games with Ottawa over two seasons before retiring.
On June 30, 2006, Denis was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Leclaire was promoted to starting goaltender. However, during the 2006–07 season, Leclaire suffered from a leg injury and backup goaltender Fredrik Norrena took over and eventually played in 55 games out of 82. In 2007–08, Leclaire had an outstanding season and regained the startong goaltender job. He set new team records with nine shutouts (second in the league only to Henrik Lundqvist), ranked second in the NHL in goals against average, and third in save percentage. Leclaire finished second in fan voting among Western Conference goaltenders for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, but was not named to the final team.[2]
In the 2008–09 season, Leclaire injured his ankle, sidelining him for the season and the Blue Jackets promoted rookie Steve Mason. Mason's play was outstanding, leading the Western Conference in several categories. In a playoff race, the Blue Jackets traded Leclaire to the Ottawa Senators, along with a 2009 second-round pick in exchange for Antoine Vermette on March 4, 2009.[3] As expected, Leclaire assumed the role of starting goaltender with the Senators in 2009–10, once he had fully recovered from ankle surgery.[4] However, Leclaire finished the season backing up Brian Elliott in the Ottawa net, due to inconsistent play and injuries, including a broken cheekbone suffered from being hit by an errant puck while sitting on the bench during a game. The inconsistency and injuries worsened considerably in 2010–11 with Leclaire playing 14 NHL games and the Senators finishing the year with a top 2 tandem of goaltenders other than those who started the season with the team. During the season he underwent hip surgery.[5]
On November 12, 2012, Leclaire announced his retirement from ice hockey. He had undergone three operations on his right hip, from which he was not able to recover.[6]
On October 5, 2005, Leclaire allowed the first career NHL goal scored by Alexander Ovechkin who would eventually have the record for the most goals in NHL history.
International play
Leclaire with Team Canada at the 2008 IIHF World Championships
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