John LeClair
history| birth_place = St. Albans, VT, USA | career_start = 1991 | career_end = 2006 | draft = 33rd overall | draft_year = 1987 | draft_team = Montreal Canadiens }} John Clark LeClair (born July 5, 1969 in St. Albans, Vermont) is an American professional ice hockey player. He most recently played left wing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL), who released him on December 14, 2006. He is currently an unrestricted free agent and although he has not officially announced his retirement, a return to the NHL as a player is unlikely.
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 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 Γric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Mark Recchi and Philadelphia's 3rd round choice (Martin Hohenberger) in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. 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 1997β98 NHL season, LeClair had two consecutive 40 goal seasons. LeClair played for the Flyers for 10 seasons and was one of the most productive players in franchise history, scoring 333 career goals and an additional 35 in the playoffs, statistics good enough for top 10 in the history of Flyers 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 and teammate Tony Amonte's contracts to create cap space. Rumors had LeClair going to the Boston Bruins or perhaps the Toronto Maple Leafs. Instead, LeClair signed a two year deal with the arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins on August 15, 2005. LeClair had a fairly successful season in Pittsburgh during the 2005β06 NHL season, finishing third on the team in scoring as he passed the 400-goal mark and had his eighth 50+ point season. After stuggling early in the 2006β07 season, LeClair was released by the Penguins on December 14, 2006 after only 21 games.
Other information
LeClair is president of the John LeClair Foundation which awards grants to non-profit Vermont organizations that sponsor programs for children. In addition, he and former teammate Chris Therien operate a shipping logistics company together called LT Lines (LeClair-Therien Lines). He currently divides his time between Haverford, Pennsylvania and his hometown of St. Albans, Vermont. LeClair was also inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.
- ECAC Second All-Star Team (1991)
- NHL First All-Star Team (1995, 1998)
- NHL Second All-Star Team (1996, 1997, 1999)
- World Cup All-Star Team (1996)
- Bud Ice Plus/Minus Award (1997)
- Bud Light Plus/Minus Award (1999)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
- 2002 Olympics First All-Star team
Career statistics
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" width="85%"
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! ALIGN="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! ALIGN="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! ALIGN="center" colspan="5" | Regular season
! ALIGN="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! ALIGN="center" colspan="5" | Playoffs
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season
! Team
! League
! GP
! G
! A
! Pts
! PIM
! GP
! G
! A
! Pts
! PIM
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1987β88
| University of Vermont
| ECAC
| 31
| 12
| 22
| 34
| 62
| β
| β
| β
| β
| β
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1988β89
| University of Vermont
| ECAC
| 18
| 9
| 12
| 21
| 40
| β
| β
| β
| β
| β
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1989β90
| University of Vermont
| ECAC
| 10
| 10
| 6
| 16
| 38
| β
| β
| β
| β
| β
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1990β91
| University of Vermont
| ECAC
| 33
| 25
| 20
| 45
| 58
| β
| β
| β
| β
| β
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1990β91
| Montreal Canadiens
| NHL
| 10
| 2
| 5
| 7
| 2
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1991β92
| Montreal Canadiens
| NHL
| 59
| 8
| 11
| 19
| 14
| 8
| 1
| 1
| 2
| 4
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1991β92
| Fredericton Canadiens
| AHL
| 8
| 7
| 7
| 14
| 10
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 4
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1992β93
| Montreal Canadiens
| NHL
| 72
| 19
| 25
| 44
| 33
| 20
| 4
| 6
| 10
| 14
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1993β94
| Montreal Canadiens
| NHL
| 74
| 19
| 24
| 43
| 32
| 7
| 2
| 1
| 3
| 8
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1994β95
| Montreal Canadiens
| NHL
| 9
| 1
| 4
| 5
| 10
| β
| β
| β
| β
| β
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1994β95
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 37
| 25
| 24
| 49
| 20
| 15
| 5
| 7
| 12
| 4
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1995β96
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 82
| 51
| 46
| 97
| 64
| 11
| 6
| 5
| 11
| 6
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1996β97
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 82
| 50
| 47
| 97
| 58
| 19
| 9
| 12
| 21
| 10
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1997β98
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 82
| 51
| 36
| 87
| 32
| 5
| 1
| 1
| 2
| 8
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1998β99
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 76
| 43
| 47
| 90
| 30
| 6
| 3
| 0
| 3
| 12
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1999β00
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 82
| 40
| 37
| 77
| 36
| 18
| 6
| 7
| 13
| 6
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2000β01
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 16
| 7
| 5
| 12
| 0
| 6
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 2
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2001β02
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 82
| 25
| 26
| 51
| 30
| 5
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 2
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2002β03
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 35
| 18
| 10
| 28
| 16
| 13
| 2
| 3
| 5
| 10
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2003β04
| Philadelphia Flyers
| NHL
| 75
| 23
| 32
| 55
| 51
| 18
| 2
| 2
| 4
| 8
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2005β06
| Pittsburgh Penguins
| NHL
| 73
| 22
| 29
| 51
| 61
| β
| β
| β
| β
| β
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2006β07
| Pittsburgh Penguins
| NHL
| 21
| 2
| 5
| 7
| 12
| β
| β
| β
| β
| β
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals
! 967
! 406
! 413
! 819
! 501
! 154
! 42
! 47
! 89
! 94
|}