John LeClair

For the Canadian politician, see John LeClair (politician).

John LeClair
LeClair in November 2013
Born	(1969-07-05) July 5, 1969 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 team	United States
NHL draft	33rd overall, 1987 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1991–2006
Medal record Men's ice hockey Representing the United States Olympic Games 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.

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. LeClair has three older sisters, Mary Kay, Nancy, and Susan, and a younger brother, Joseph.

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.

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 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

LeClair with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006

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 season, finishing fourth on the team in scoring as he passed the 400-goal mark and had his ninth 50+ point season.

LeClair struggled in the first quarter of the 2006–07 season, scoring only two goals and five assists through 21 games. On December 14, 2006, he and the Penguins agreed to a mutual release from his contract. LeClair retired following the season.

Other information

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.

In June 2023, LeClair was hired by the Flyers as a special advisor to hockey operations.

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						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
1999–00	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				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	OLY		4	0	1	1	0
2002	United States	OLY		6	6	1	7	2
Junior totals				14	10	6	16	24
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			3	2	5

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Vermont Sports Hall of Fame Bio