Al Montoya

**Al Montoya** (born Alvaro Montoya on February 13, 1985 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL for the Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers.

Montoya was drafted in the first round (6th overall) by the New York Rangers.

## Playing Career

### Early Playing Career

As a youth, Al played in the 1999 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Chicago Young Americans minor ice hockey team. He later played for the Loyola Academy, and the Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League (NAHL).

He spent the 2000–01 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program and began attending the University of Michigan and playing for the Wolverines ice hockey team in 2002–03.

He enjoyed success at Michigan, especially during his final season in 2004–05, where he posted a record of 30–7–3.

### Professional

After being signed by the New York Rangers to a three-year entry-level contract in the summer of 2005, Al made his professional debut with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL the team where he would spend the majority of the next three seasons. Overall, he posted a 66–34–4 record with the Wolf Pack, along with a 5–5 playoff record.

With the emergence of Henrik Lundqvist as an All-Star caliber goaltender, he became expendable to the Rangers. On February 26, 2008, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes, (along with Marcel Hossa) in exchange for Fredrik Sjostrom, David LeNeveu and Josh Gratton.

After re-signing with the Coyotes on July 2, 2008, Al started the 2008–09 season with the San Antonio Rampage, the Coyotes' AHL affiliate.

Later that season, on April 1, 2009, he made his NHL debut with the Coyotes, recording a shutout in a 3–0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. He went on to appear in five games for the Coyotes in 2008–09, posting a 3–1 record.

That spring, he was named to the American roster for the 2009 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland where he started one game at the tournament, a 6–2 win over France. On February 9, 2011, he was traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2011.

With Islanders' goaltenders Rick DiPietro and Kevin Poulin sidelined with injuries, Al was provided with an opportunity to play regularly in the NHL for the first time. He went on to play 21 games for the Islanders, posting a 9–5–5 record with a .921 save percentage and one shutout. On March 29, the Islanders re-signed him to a one-year contract extension and he recorded a 9–11–5 record during the 2011–12 season.

On July 4, 2012, he was signed by the Winnipeg Jets to back-up starter Ondrej Pavelec on a one-year contract for the 2012–13 season, worth $601,000 after being released by the New York Islanders.

On July 1, 2014, he was signed as a free agent by the Florida Panthers to a two-year contract with an annual salary of $1.05 million.

On July 1, 2016, he was signed as a free agent by the Montreal Canadiens to a one-year contract with an annual salary of $950,000. He was the backup to starter Carey Price.

During a November 2016 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Al allowed 10 goals in a 10-0 Canadiens loss, making it the largest margin of losing by Montreal since December 1995. He kept a positive attitude about the embarrassing loss, saying that the setback only made him stronger.

On January 2, 2017, Al signed a new two-year contract to last until 2019. On January 4, 2018, the Canadiens traded him to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

## International Play

Al represented the United States twice at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, backstopping the team to its first gold medal at the 2004 tournament in Finland; he was named to the tournament All-Star team.

The 2005 tournament (hosted by the United States) was a disappointing one for him and the United States as they failed to earn a medal, losing to the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game.

## Personal Life

Al was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in Glenview, Illinois. He is the first Cuban-American to play in the NHL.