Quintin Laing Quintin Laing ( born June 8 , 1979 in Harris , Saskatchewan , is a Canadian ice hockey player for the Washington Capitals organization of the National Hockey League . Career . Originally a draft choice of the Detroit Red Wings , Laing made his NHL debut for the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2003 - 2004 season , but only skated in three games . Laing has spent a great deal of time playing minor league hockey , most recently with the Hershey Bears , but has stood out to his team and fans alike as a player with great work ethic and commitment to the game . Washington Capitals . During the 2007 - 2008 season , Laing was called up to replace the injured Boyd Gordon because of his penalty killing abilities . On his way to the airport , Laing made a promise to himself : play each shift as if it were his last . Laing made an immediate impact on the team , and his outstanding effort was rewarded as he remained on the team after Gordon returned from his injury . Laing scored his first NHL goal , a game winner , on December 10 , 2007 , against Kevin Weekes of the New Jersey Devils , however he well known for his shot blocking skills , and led the NHL in blocked shots per game for a large portion of the season . Opponents scored fewer goals and took fewer shots per sixty minutes of ice time when Laing was on the ice than any other Capital . Laing is the Masterton Trophy nominee from the Capitals for the 2007 - 2008 season , which is awarded to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance , sportsmanship and dedication to hockey . His teammates have offered glowing reviews of his dedication to the game : " He ' s a heart - and - soul guy , " Capitals winger Brooks Laich said of Laing . " He lays his body out there , relentlessly and religiously in front of pucks . He does the little things that help you win . " Goalie Brent Johnson added : " He ' s an old - time hockey player . People want to see scoring , but as a goaltender you appreciate guys like him . He went down and blocked a shot with his chest . I went up to him afterward , and said , ' Seriously , you keep that up and you ' re going to be here . ' " On October 6 , 2008 , Laing was put on waivers and sent to the Hershey Bears , the Washington Capitals AHL affiliate , as the Capitals were simply too deep at forward . Capitals coach , Bruce Boudreau said that it was one of toughest cuts he had ever had to make because , " Quintin was so proud to be a Washington Capital . " Laing was injured while playing with the Bears during the 2008 - 2009 season . After recovering , he was almost immediately called up to the Capitals due to multiple injuries in Washington ' s forward corps . His first NHL game of the year , against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 19 , 2009 , resulted in an assist and a blocked shot in 10 minutes of ice time . However , after the game he began complaining of abdominal pain and the Capitals ' trainer realized that he had a serious injury . He was taken to the hospital where it was discovered that he had torn his spleen . He was placed in intensive care and immediately ruled out for the remainder of the season . However , Laing returned for Hershey in game 3 of the AHL Eastern Conference finals . Laing was the third NHL player to be diagnosed with swine flu within the same week . Capitals spokesman Nate Ewell reported that Laing was being treated for H1N1 while being kept well away from his fellow Capitals players . Laing sat out the next few games until he was well enough to return on Sunday , November 1st . Laing scored his first goal of the season the night of his return . In a November 17 , 2009 tilt against the New York Rangers at [ MSG ] , Laing , while sprawling on the ice to block a passing lane , suffered a broken jaw after a slapshot caught his face . He was placed on the long - term IR the next day and was expected to miss upwards of 6 - 8 weeks .