University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
John LeClair 1991 - Hockey
An ECAC All-Star while at Vermont, John LeClair, a 2001 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, went on to become one of the premier hockey players in both the National Hockey League and the world. On March 28, 2006, he scored his 400th career goal becoming the seventh American in NHL history to reach that plateau.
A five-time NHL All-Star, LeClair became first former Catamount to play in the Olympics, skating for the United States in Nagano, Japan in 1998. He also skated for the U.S. in the 2002 Olympics.
A classmate at BFA-St. Albans of UVM hoop star and fellow Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Matt Johnson, LeClair was the Vermont high school player of the year in 1987 and was a second-round pick (33rd overall) of the Montreal Canadians in that June's NHL Entry Draft. One of the most heavily recruited players ever landed by Coach Mike Gilligan, LeClair came south from his native St. Albans and made an immediate impact at Vermont. After scoring a goal on his first shot as a Catamount at Gutterson against Northeastern in November of 1987, LeClair went on to tally 12 goals and 22 assists in his freshman season.
That December, he represented the United States in the World Junior Championships playing on a line with fellow NHL stars, Mike Modano and Jeremy Roenick. LeClair also returned to the tournament the next winter with the Americans. Injuries limited him to just 28 games his next two seasons, but he exploded as a senior leading the Cats in scoring with 25 goals and 45 points in 1990-91. For his efforts, he was a ECAC All-Star Second-Team selection and picked up the John C. Cunningham Most Valuable Player award.
In the week after his final game with UVM, LeClair signed with the Canadiens and he scored a goal in the first National Hockey League game against Vancouver on March 9, 1991 at the Montreal Forum. By 1993, he was a regular for the Canadiens and made hockey history that June becoming the second player ever to score two overtime goals in the same Stanley Cup final series. He ended games four and five of the 1993 finals as Montreal went on to defeat the Los Angeles Kings and captured the Stanley Cup.
On February 9, 1995, LeClair was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers and developed into one of the best left wings in the game. After ten seasons with the Flyers, he ranks in the top ten in franchise history in goals and points. Starting in 1995-96, his first full season in Philadelphia, he became the first American-born player in NHL history to score 50 or more goals three straight years. In 1997 he also led the National Hockey League with a plus-44 plus-minus rating. He scored He played in the NHL All-Star game five straight years from 1996 to 2000 and after the 1995 and 1998 seasons, he was named the NHL All-Star First Team at left wing.
LeClair moved across the state for the 2005-06 season to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had a solid first season for the Pens and was given the team's Player's Player Award by his teammates for leadership, both on and off the ice, and dedication to teamwork. During the 2005-06 season he reached four prestigious NHL statistical plateaus: 400 goals, 400 assists, 800 points and 900 games played. In addition to playing in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics, LeClair was a standout as the United States won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey upsetting Canada.
Sports Illustrated selected LeClair as one of the Top 50 Vermont athletes of the 20th Century. The magazine's editors composed a list of the "Top 50 Athletes" in each state in its December 27, 1999 issue to commemorate the millennium. LeClair ranked fourth among the Top 50 Vermonters. Still holding strong ties to his native Green Mountain State, he established the John LeClair Foundation, which benefits youth charities in Vermont.
