John LeClair

John Clark LeClair (born July 5, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. 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.
==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.Robert LeClair Obituary Legacy.com LeClair has three older sisters, Mary Kay, Nancy and Susan, and a younger brother, Joseph.
While familiar with the game of hockey, LeClair's father Butch had 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 the age of 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.
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.
==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.
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). 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.
==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 3rd 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 he 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. 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. 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 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===
Award 	Year 	
All-ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team	1987–88	
All-ECAC Hockey Second Team 	1990–91	
===Professional===
Award 	Year
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===
Award 	Year
World Cup All-Star team 	1996
Olympic Tournament All-Star team	2002
==Career statistics==
===Regular season and playoffs===
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1985–86 	Bellows Free Academy 	HS-VT 		22 	41 	28 	69 	14 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1986–87 	Bellows Free Academy 	HS-VT 		23 	44 	40 	84 	14 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1987–88 	University of Vermont	ECAC 		31 	12 	22 	34 	62 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1988–89 	University of Vermont	ECAC 		18 	9 	12 	21 	40 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1989–90 	University of Vermont	ECAC 		10 	10 	6 	16 	38 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1990–91 	University of Vermont	ECAC 		33 	25 	20 	45 	58 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1990–91 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 		10 	2 	5 	7 	2 		3 	0 	0 	0 	0
1991–92 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 		59 	8 	11 	19 	14 		8 	1 	1 	2 	4
1991–92 	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL 		8 	7 	7 	14 	10 		2 	0 	0 	0 	4
1992–93 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 		72 	19 	25 	44 	33 		20 	4 	6 	10 	14
1993–94 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 		74 	19 	24 	43 	32 		7 	2 	1 	3 	8
1994–95 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 		9 	1 	4 	5 	10 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1994–95 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		37 	25 	24 	49 	20 		15 	5 	7 	12 	4
1995–96 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		82 	51 	46 	97 	64 		11 	6 	5 	11 	6
1996–97 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		82 	50 	47 	97 	58 		19 	9 	12 	21 	10
1997–98 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		82 	51 	36 	87 	32 		5 	1 	1 	2 	8
1998–99 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		76 	43 	47 	90 	30 		6 	3 	0 	3 	12
1999–2000 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		82 	40 	37 	77 	36 		18 	6 	7 	13 	6
2000–01 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		16 	7 	5 	12 	0 		6 	1 	2 	3 	2
2001–02 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		82 	25 	26 	51 	30 		5 	0 	0 	0 	2
2002–03 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		35 	18 	10 	28 	16 		13 	2 	3 	5 	10
2003–04 	Philadelphia Flyers 	NHL 		75 	23 	32 	55 	51 		18 	2 	2 	4 	8
2005–06 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	NHL 		73 	22 	29 	51 	61 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	NHL 		21 	2 	5 	7 	12 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals		967 	406 	413 	819 	501 		154 	42 	47 	89 	94
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
===International===
Year 	Team 	Event 		GP	G 	A	Pts	PIM
1988 	United States	WJC 		7 	4 	2	6 	12
1989 	United States	WJC 		7 	6 	4	10 	12
1996 	United States	WCH 		7 	6 	4	10 	6
1998 	United States	OG 		4 	0 	1	1 	0
2002 	United States	OG 		6 	6 	1	7 	2
Junior totals	Junior totals	Junior totals		14	10	6	16 	24
Senior totals	Senior totals	Senior totals		17	12	6	18 	8
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
===All-Star Games===
Year 	Location 	  	G	A	P
1996 	Boston 	  	0	1	1
1997 	San Jose 	  	2	1	3
1998 	Vancouver 	  	1	0	1
1999 	Tampa Bay 	  	0	0	0
2000 	Toronto 	  	0	0	0
All-Star totals	All-Star totals	All-Star totals	3	2	5
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
 	 	  	 	 	
==References==
==External links==
*
*Vermont Sports Hall of Fame Bio
Category:1969 births
Category:American men's ice hockey left wingers
Category:Fredericton Canadiens players
Category:Ice hockey people from Vermont
Category:Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Category:Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Category:Montreal Canadiens draft picks
Category:Montreal Canadiens players
Category:National Hockey League All-Stars
Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in ice hockey
Category:Philadelphia Flyers players
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players
Category:Stanley Cup champions
Category:United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Category:Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey players
Category:Retired in 2006