John LeClair

Last updated
John LeClair
John LeClair (1).jpg
LeClair with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006
Born (1969-07-05) July 5, 1969 (age 54)
St. Albans, Vermont, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
National teamFlag of the United States.svg  United States
NHL Draft 33rd overall, 1987
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 1991–2006
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing the Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2002 Salt Lake City Team competition

John Clark LeClair (born July 5, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins from 1991 to 2006. With the Flyers, LeClair became the first American-born player to score 50 goals in three consecutive NHL seasons while playing on the Legion of Doom line with Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg. LeClair was a member of the Montreal Canadiens' Stanley Cup winning team in 1993.

Contents

Early life

LeClair was born on July 5, 1969, in St. Albans, Vermont, a town close to the Canada–US border. He is the son of Robert "Butch" LeClair, a manager of a paint store, and Beverly (Clark), a surgical nurse. [1] LeClair has three older sisters, Mary Kay, Nancy, and Susan, and a younger brother, Joseph. [2]

Although familiar with hockey, LeClair's father Butch never actually played the sport himself. Until the 1960s, there was no organized hockey in the Saint Albans area. Despite this, LeClair took notice and asked his father for a pair of hockey skates at age six. Butch recalls how the kids in the area first played:

At first, they played in an old railroad shed. Then they got a bunch of people who signed a note and built Coote Field Arena. It was just a metal shack with a lunch bar and an old tractor to scrape the ice. It was kind of primitive, but it worked very well. It produced some good hockey. [2]

Richard Benoit, the father of John's friend Jeremy, created a homemade rink for the kids in his backyard by flooding his volleyball court. Benoit added boards around the edge and installed lights so they could play at night. There was also a shack complete with a heater for the kids to go to warm up if needed. [2]

High school and college years

When LeClair was a freshman at Bellows Free Academy, he didn't make the very competitive high school team. So, he continued to play in community leagues. In his sophomore year, LeClair made the team and earned attention. "We'd be dumping the puck in (during a line change), and there would be John, in the corner on his knees and hands, five against one, somehow getting the puck out of the corner," recalls Luke Cioffi, a teammate and childhood friend of LeClair's. [2]

Soon, the young LeClair was attracting attention. College scouts began to take notice when he participated as a junior in Hockey Night in Boston, a showcase for young talent. LeClair decided to pursue college, and he was accepted at the University of Vermont (UVM). [2] At UVM, LeClair's college career was hampered by injuries. Over the course of his sophomore and junior years, he appeared in only 28 games. After missing the first month of his senior season due to meningitis, he finished the season strong with 25 goals and 20 assists in only 33 games. [2]

Playing career

Montreal Canadiens

LeClair was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 33rd pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft after graduating from Bellows Free Academy (B.F.A.) High School in St. Albans, Vermont. One of the most highly recruited hockey players in New England, LeClair put his NHL aspirations on hold to attend the University of Vermont on a full scholarship. His fans didn't have to wait long to see him score in his first collegiate game. After the final game of his senior year he signed with the Canadiens and, less than a week later, played and scored in his first NHL game. As a member of the Canadiens, LeClair was on the Stanley Cup-winning team in 1993, where he scored two overtime game-winning goals during the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals.

Philadelphia Flyers and the Legion of Doom

On February 9, 1995, a Montreal team desperate to salvage a difficult season traded LeClair, along with Éric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Mark Recchi and Philadelphia's third round choice in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft (Martin Hohenberger). LeClair gelled immediately with new line-mate Eric Lindros and quickly became one of the NHL's most feared goal scorers.

With the Flyers, he played left-wing on the famed "Legion of Doom" line, centered by Lindros and Mikael Renberg on right-wing. The trio was not only effective at scoring but they were also a dominant physical presence on the ice. In 1998, LeClair became the first American-born NHL player to record three consecutive 50-goal seasons and the second Flyer to do so, behind Tim Kerr. Following the 1997–98 NHL season, LeClair had two consecutive 40-goal seasons.

During his first five seasons with the Flyers, LeClair was named to the season-ending NHL All-Star team, twice to the first team and three times to the second team. That is currently the highest total among retired players eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame who have not been inducted.

LeClair played for the Flyers for 10 seasons and was one of the most productive players in franchise history, scoring 333 goals and an additional 35 in the playoffs, statistics good enough to place him in the top 10 Flyers' career goal scorers.

Pittsburgh Penguins

On July 23, 2005, as a result of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement which finally introduced a salary cap to the NHL, the Flyers were forced to part ways with their longtime alternate captain, and they bought out LeClair's contract to create cap space. [3] Rumors had LeClair going to the Boston Bruins or perhaps the Toronto Maple Leafs. Instead, LeClair signed a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins on August 15, 2005. [4] LeClair had a successful season in Pittsburgh during the 2005–06 NHL season, finishing fourth on the team in scoring as he passed the 400-goal mark and had his ninth 50+ point season.

Other information

LeClair signing autographs at Dick's Sporting Goods in 2014. John Leclair.jpg
LeClair signing autographs at Dick's Sporting Goods in 2014.

LeClair is president of the John LeClair Foundation which awards grants to non-profit Vermont organizations that sponsor programs for children. He currently divides his time between Haverford Township, Pennsylvania and his hometown of St. Albans, Vermont. LeClair was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame in 2014.

Awards and honors

College

AwardYear
All-ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team 1987–88 [5]
All-ECAC Hockey Second team 1990–91 [6]

Professional

AwardYear
Stanley Cup champion 1993
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy 1995
NHL first All-Star team 1995, 1998
NHL second All-Star team 1996, 1997, 1999
Bobby Clarke Trophy 1997, 1998
NHL Plus/Minus Award 1997, 1999
NHL All-Star 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

International

AwardYear
World Cup All-Star team 1996
Olympic Tournament All-Star team 2002

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1985–86 Bellows Free Academy HS-VT 2241286914—————
1986–87Bellows Free AcademyHS-VT2344408414—————
1987–88 University of Vermont ECAC 3112223462—————
1988–89 University of VermontECAC189122140—————
1989–90 University of VermontECAC101061638—————
1990–91 University of VermontECAC3325204558—————
1990–91 Montreal Canadiens NHL 10257230000
1991–92 Montreal CanadiensNHL59811191481124
1991–92 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 877141020004
1992–93 Montreal CanadiensNHL721925443320461014
1993–94 Montreal CanadiensNHL741924433272138
1994–95 Montreal CanadiensNHL914510—————
1994–95 Philadelphia Flyers NHL37252449201557124
1995–96 Philadelphia FlyersNHL82514697641165116
1996–97 Philadelphia FlyersNHL8250479758199122110
1997–98 Philadelphia FlyersNHL825136873251128
1998–99 Philadelphia FlyersNHL7643479030630312
1999–00 Philadelphia FlyersNHL82403777361867136
2000–01 Philadelphia FlyersNHL167512061232
2001–02 Philadelphia FlyersNHL822526513050002
2002–03 Philadelphia FlyersNHL35181028161323510
2003–04 Philadelphia FlyersNHL7523325551182248
2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL7322295161—————
2006–07 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL2125712—————
NHL totals96740641381950115442478994

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
1988 United States WJC 742612
1989 United StatesWJC7641012
1996 United States WCH 764106
1998 United States OLY 40110
2002 United StatesOLY66172
Junior totals141061624
Senior totals17126188

All-Star Games

YearLocation GAP
1996 Boston 011
1997 San Jose 213
1998 Vancouver 101
1999 Tampa Bay 000
2000 Toronto 000
All-Star totals325

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References

  1. ↑ Robert LeClair Obituary Legacy.com
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Powell, Phelan (1999). "Chapter 2: Home, Sweet Home". In Reginald, Stephen (ed.). John LeClair profile . Ice Hockey Legends. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN   0-7910-5016-5.
  3. ↑ "Flyers buy out LeClair, Amonte". cbc.ca. 2005-07-23. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  4. ↑ "Penguins sign free agent left wing John LeClair". penguins.nhl.com. 2005-08-15. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  5. ↑ "ECAC All-Rookie Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  6. ↑ "ECAC All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the NHL Plus/Minus Award
1997
1999 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy
1997, 1998 		Succeeded by
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