John LeClair
LeClair in November 2013
Born	(1969-07-05)July 5, 1969 (age 56) 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'sice hockey Representingthe United States Olympic Games 2002 Salt Lake City Team competition

John Clark LeClair (born July 5, 1969) is an American former professionalice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in theNational Hockey League (NHL) with theMontreal Canadiens,Philadelphia Flyers, andPittsburgh Penguins from 1991 to 2006. LeClair was a member of the Montreal Canadiens'Stanley Cup winning team in 1993, scoring two overtime game-winning goals in consecutive games during theFinals. With the Flyers, LeClair became the first American-born player to score 50 goals in three consecutive NHL seasons while playing on theLegion of Doom line withEric Lindros andMikael Renberg.

LeClair was born on July 5, 1969, inSt. Albans, Vermont, a town close to theCanada–US border. He is the son of Robert "Butch" LeClair, a manager of a paint store, and Beverly (Clark), asurgical nurse.^[1] LeClair has three older sisters, Mary Kay, Nancy, and Susan, and a younger brother, Joseph.^[2]

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.^[2]

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.^[2]

When LeClair was a freshman atBellows 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.^[2]

Soon, the young LeClair was attracting attention. College scouts began to take notice when he participated as a junior inHockey Night in Boston, a showcase for young talent. LeClair decided to pursue college, and he was accepted at theUniversity of Vermont (UVM).^[2] 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 tomeningitis, he finished the season strong with 25 goals and 20 assists in only 33 games.^[2]

LeClair was drafted by theMontreal Canadiens with the 33rd pick in the1987 NHL Entry Draft after graduating fromBellows Free Academy (B.F.A.) High School inSt. Albans, Vermont. One of the most highly recruited hockey players in New England, LeClair put his NHL aspirations on hold to attend theUniversity 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 theStanley Cup-winning team in1993, where he scored two overtime game-winning goals during the1993 Stanley Cup Finals. LeClair became the firstVermont-born player to have his name engraved on theStanley Cup as a result.

On February 9, 1995, a Montreal team desperate to salvage a difficult season traded LeClair, along withÉric Desjardins andGilbert Dionne to thePhiladelphia Flyers in exchange forMark Recchi and Philadelphia's third round choice in the1995 NHL Entry Draft (Martin Hohenberger). LeClair gelled immediately with new line-mateEric 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 andMikael Renberg on right-wing. The trio was not only effective at scoring but they were also a dominant physical presence on the ice. In1998, LeClair became the first American-born NHL player to record three consecutive 50-goal seasons and the second Flyer to do so, behindTim Kerr. Following the1997–98 NHL season, LeClair had two consecutive 40-goal seasons. A healthy 2001-02 swason was sandwiched by a disc problem in his back and shoulder injuries.^[3]

During his first five seasons with the Flyers, LeClair was named to the season-endingNHL 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 theHockey 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.

On July 23, 2005, as a result of a newCollective Bargaining Agreement which finally introduced a salary cap to the NHL, the Flyers were forced to part ways with their longtimealternate captain, and they bought out LeClair's contract to create cap space.^[4] Rumors had LeClair going to theBoston Bruins or perhaps theToronto Maple Leafs. Instead, LeClair signed a two-year deal with thePittsburgh Penguins on August 15, 2005.^[5] LeClair had a successful season in Pittsburgh during the2005–06 season, finishing fourth on the team in scoring as he passed the 400-goal mark and had his ninth 50+ point season.^[6]

LeClair struggled in the first quarter of the2006–07 season, scoring only two goals and five assists through 21 games.^[7] On December 14, 2006, he and the Penguins agreed to a mutual release from his contract.^[8] LeClair retired following the season.^[9]

LeClair is president of theJohn LeClair Foundation which awards grants to non-profit Vermont organizations that sponsor programs for children. He currently divides his time betweenHaverford Township, Pennsylvania and his hometown ofSt. Albans, Vermont. LeClair was inducted into theUnited States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, theVermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, and thePhiladelphia Flyers Hall of Fame in 2014.

In June 2023, LeClair was hired by the Flyers as a special advisor to hockey operations.^[10]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJohn LeClair.

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

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