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| Paul Laus | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1970-09-26)September 26, 1970 (age 54) Beamsville,Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Florida Panthers | ||
| NHL draft | 37th overall,1989 Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
| Playing career | 1990–2002 | ||
Paul Laus (born September 26, 1970) is aCanadian formerprofessionalice hockeydefenceman who played in theNational Hockey League for theFlorida Panthers. Laus was the last original member of the Panthers.[citation needed]
Born inBeamsville,Ontario, Laus was aJunior B standout with theSt. Catharines Falcons before joining theOntario Hockey League. He spent three years with theHamilton Steelhawks/Niagara Falls Thunder franchise and was selected 37th overall by thePittsburgh Penguins at the1989 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his first three years as a pro in theInternational Hockey League andECHL, including a stint with the short-livedAlbany Choppers.
The rugged blueliner was claimed by theFlorida Panthers in the1993 NHL Expansion Draft. His solid defensive work and willingness to take on the toughest players in the league made him a valuable player on the club as it set an NHL record forexpansion teams with 83 points. Two years later, he scored two goals and was a workhorse in 21 games as the Panthers reached theStanley Cup finals. Laus continued to be anenforcer and team leader through the end of the 2000–01 season and was the only person to play in all of the club's first eight seasons.[citation needed] His grit and determination made him a fan favourite and he is still one of the most beloved all-time Panthers[citation needed] along withScott Mellanby.
In the1996–97 NHL season Laus set an NHL record with 39 fighting majors in 77 games while also setting career highs in assists, points, plus/minus, and penalty minutes.
However, injuries limited Laus to only 70 games over his last two seasons. After his latest wrist injury, in 2002, he never played another professional game. Eventually, Laus officially retired and moved back to Ontario.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1986–87 | St. Catharines Falcons | GHL | 40 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Hamilton Steelhawks | OHL | 56 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 171 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | ||
| 1988–89 | Niagara Falls Thunder | OHL | 49 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 225 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 56 | ||
| 1989–90 | Niagara Falls Thunder | OHL | 60 | 13 | 35 | 48 | 231 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 71 | ||
| 1990–91 | Albany Choppers | IHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Knoxville Cherokees | ECHL | 20 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 35 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 103 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 1991–92 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 75 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 248 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 70 | ||
| 1992–93 | Cleveland Lumberjacks | IHL | 76 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 427 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | ||
| 1993–94 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 39 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 109 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 37 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 138 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 78 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 236 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 62 | ||
| 1996–97 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 77 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 313 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 77 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 293 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 75 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 218 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 77 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 172 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2000–01 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 45 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 157 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 530 | 14 | 58 | 72 | 1702 | 30 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 74 | ||||
| Preceded by | Florida Panthers captain 2001–02 withPavel Bure | Succeeded by |
