Sam St. Laurent
Encyclopedia
Sam St. Laurent is a retired ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

 that has played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 as well as on the Canadian national men's hockey team
Canadian national men's hockey team
The Canadian national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation, and participates in international competitions. From 1920 until 1963, Canada's international representation was by senior...

. St. Laurent serves the distinction of being the last NHL goaltender to wear a goalies mask made entirely out of fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...

http://www.acomba.net/images_WA/categ/Perso/9909588_KQ_goaler_droite.jpghttp://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/stlaurent.html.

Playing career

St. Laurent began his career playing for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Chicoutimi Saguenéens
The Chicoutimi Saguenéens are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team is based out of Chicoutimi, Quebec . The team plays its home games at the Centre Georges-Vézina.-History:...

 of the QMJHL
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...

 from the 1975–76 season until the 1978–79 season, playing in 70 games during his final season in the juniors.

On 10 October 1979, St. Laurent signed with the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 organization. From the 1979–80 seasons until the 1983–84 seasons, he would spend his time assigned to the minors. St. Laurent would play for both the Toledo Goaldiggers
Toledo Goaldiggers
The Toledo Goaldiggers was an International Hockey League franchise that played in Toledo, Ohio from 1974 to 1986. Prior to the Goaldiggers, the city's hockey team was the Toledo Blades, which played under that name from its founding in 1963 until 1970, when it changed its name to the Toledo...

 of the IHL and the Maine Mariners
Maine Mariners
The Maine Mariners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Portland, Maine, USA at the Cumberland County Civic Center.-History:...

 of the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

, where he was part of the Calder Cup
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League. The trophy is the world's second oldest continuous professional ice hockey championship, having first been awarded in 1937 following the 1936-37 AHL season, and continuously being awarded every year.The cup...

-winning team during the 1983–84 season.

The Flyers traded St. Laurent to the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 on 27 September 1984 for future considerations. For the 1984–85 season, he remained with the Mariners of the AHL.

The 1985–86 season would be one of accomplishments for St. Laurent. His first taste of NHL action was on 4 January 1986, where he replaced (and was subsequently replaced by) Glenn "Chico" Resch
Chico Resch
Glenn Allan "Chico" Resch is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender and television sportscaster. Resch played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1973 to 1986, winning one Stanley Cup with the New York Islanders in 1980...

 in a stunning 9–3 loss to the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...

. After a brief re-assignment to the minors, St. Laurent was called back up and started his first NHL game 27 March 1986, making 24 saves to earn a 1–0 shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....

 victory. He would go on to post a 2–1 record with the Devils that season. On a minor league level, he would go on to win the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award for the AHL's best goaltender and would share the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award with Karl Friesen
Karl Friesen
Karl Friesen is a retired ice hockey goaltender. Friesen played mostly in Germany and the American Hockey League, but he also played four games in the National Hockey League with the New Jersey Devils....

 for having the lowest team GAA
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....

 in the AHL.

The Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

 would go on to acquire St. Laurent from New Jersey for Steve Richmond
Steve Richmond
Steven L. Richmond is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 159 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, and Los Angeles Kings...

 on 18 August 1986. St. Laurent enjoyed a particular level of success with their minor league affiliate Adirondack Red Wings
Adirondack Red Wings
The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, USA at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League...

 of the AHL, winning the Calder Cup with them during the 1988–89 season, as well as receiving the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for the MVP during the Calder Cup playoffs that same year. From the 1986–87 season to the 1989–90 season, St. Laurent would post a cumulative 5–11–4 record with 3.42 GAA and a .887 save percentage
Save percentage
Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops...

 in 30 regular season appearances with the Detroit Red Wings. He would appear in a playoff game on 14 April 1988, where he was pulled in favor of Greg Stefan
Greg Stefan
Gregory Steven Stefan was a professional ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League.Drafted in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Greg Stefan became known for using his stick to clear skaters in front of the net, many times receiving penalties, and sometimes suspensions...

 after allowing one goal in what eventually became a 5–3 Red Wings victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

.

With the emergence of Tim Cheveldae
Tim Cheveldae
Timothy M. Cheveldae is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender. During his ten year National Hockey League career, he played with the Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets, and Boston Bruins.-Playing career:...

 from the Red Wings' depth chart, St. Laurent was traded to the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

 for cash on 26 June 1990. For the 1990–91 season, St. Laurent would spend his time with the Binghamton Rangers
Binghamton Rangers
The Binghamton Rangers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.-History:The market was previously served by:-Playoffs:-Single Season:...

 of the AHL. During the 1991–92 season, his last as a professional, he appeared in one game for the Binghamton Rangers, and one game for the silver medal winning Canadian National Team at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics was held at the Méribel Ice Palace in Méribel, a ski resort about 45 km from host city Albertville. The competition, held from 8 to 23 February, was won by the Unified Team.-Final rankings:# # # # # # #...

, during which time he switched from his mask made entirely of fiberglass to a modern-era goaltender's mask http://www.acomba.net/images_WA/categ/Perso/9909588_EL_goaler_face.jpg.

He retired from his playing career after participating in the Olympics.

Coaching career

St. Laurent went on to become a goaltender coach/consultant for the Rangers organization from 1993–2004, helping the organization develop such goalies as Mike Richter
Mike Richter
Michael Thomas Richter is a former ice hockey goaltender. One of the most successful American-born goaltenders in history, he is best known for having led the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup title in 1994 and for repeatedly representing the United States in international play. Due to his...

, Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy in his first three seasons in the NHL, finishing third all three times, and is the only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in...

, and Dan Cloutier
Dan Cloutier
Dan Cloutier is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender. In his 10-year National Hockey League career, Cloutier played with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, and Los Angeles Kings, spending the majority of his career in Vancouver...

. Jason Labarbera
Jason LaBarbera
Antonio Jason LaBarbera is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League...

, who began his career as a member of the Rangers organization, credits St. Laurent for his development in the Rangers organization despite the presence of highly-regarded goaltender coach Benoit Allairehttp://ordinaryleastsquare.typepad.com/blueshirtbulletin/2004/11/index.html. He was also a consultant for the Sinupret Ice Tigers
Sinupret Ice Tigers
The Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Nürnberg are a professional ice hockey club located in Nuremberg, Germany. They play in the country's premier league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-History:...

 of the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga for the 2005–06 season.

St. Laurent now offers his services privately via his website.

Regular season

   
Season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...

Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....

SV%
1975–76
1975–76 QMJHL season
The 1975–76 QMJHL season was the seventh season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league inaugurates the Emile Bouchard Trophy to be awarded to the "Defenceman of the Year." Ten teams played 72 games each in the schedule....

Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Chicoutimi Saguenéens
The Chicoutimi Saguenéens are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team is based out of Chicoutimi, Quebec . The team plays its home games at the Centre Georges-Vézina.-History:...

QMJHL
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...

17 889 81 0 5.47
1976–77
1976–77 QMJHL season
The 1976–77 QMJHL season was the eighth season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The leagues renames its division in honour of Robert Lebel and Frank Dilio, two lifetime contributors to ice hockey in Quebec. The East Division becomes the "Dilio Division" and the West Division...

Chicoutimi Saguenéens QMJHL 21 901 0 81 5.39
1977–78
1977–78 QMJHL season
The 1977–78 QMJHL season was the ninth season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league inaugurates two awards, the Robert Lebel Trophy for the team with best goals against average, and the Guy Lafleur Trophy for the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. Ten teams played...

Chicoutimi Saguenéens QMJHL 60 3251 351 0 6.48
1978–79
1978–79 QMJHL season
The 1978–79 QMJHL season was the tenth season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The QMJHL unveils a new logo for its tenth anniversary, using the letters of league's french acronym shaped as an ice skate. Ten teams played 72 games each in the schedule...

Chicoutimi Saguenéens QMJHL 70 3806 290 0 4.57
1979–80
1979–80 AHL season
The 1979–80 AHL season was the 44th season of the American Hockey League. Ten teams were scheduled to play 80 games each. The New Haven Nighthawks finished first overall in the regular season...

Maine Mariners
Maine Mariners
The Maine Mariners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Portland, Maine, USA at the Cumberland County Civic Center.-History:...

AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

5 2 1 0 229 17 0 4.45 .879
1979–80 Toledo Goaldiggers
Toledo Goaldiggers
The Toledo Goaldiggers was an International Hockey League franchise that played in Toledo, Ohio from 1974 to 1986. Prior to the Goaldiggers, the city's hockey team was the Toledo Blades, which played under that name from its founding in 1963 until 1970, when it changed its name to the Toledo...

IHL 38 2143 138 2 3.86
1980–81
1980–81 AHL season
The 1980–81 AHL season was the 45th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season...

Maine Mariners AHL 7 3 3 0 363 28 0 4.63 .855
1980–81 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 30 1614 113 1 4.20
1981–82 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 4 248 11 0 2.66
1981–82
1981–82 AHL season
The 1981–82 AHL season was the 46th season of the American Hockey League. Eleven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The New Brunswick Hawks finished first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:...

Maine Mariners AHL 25 15 7 1 1396 76 0 3.27
1982–83 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 13 785 52 0 3.97
1982–83
1982–83 AHL season
The 1982–83 AHL season was the 47th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season, and won their fourth Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:...

Maine Mariners AHL 30 12 12 4 1739 109 0 3.76
1983–84
1983–84 AHL season
The 1983–84 AHL season was the 48th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league initiates two new awards. The Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award is first awarded to the league's "best goaltender." The Jack A...

Maine Mariners AHL 38 14 18 4 2158 145 0 4.03 .866
1984–85
1984–85 AHL season
The 1984–85 AHL season was the 49th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Binghamton Whalers finished first overall in the regular season...

Maine Mariners AHL 55 26 22 7 3245 168 4 3.11 .886
1985–86 New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

4 2 1 0 188 13 1 4.15 .883
1985–86
1985–86 AHL season
The 1985–86 AHL season was the 50th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season...

Maine Mariners AHL 50 24 20 4 2862 161 1 3.38 .882
1986–87 Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

NHL 6 1 2 2 342 16 0 2.81 .881
1986–87
1986–87 AHL season
The 1986–87 AHL season was the 51st season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league institutes awarding one point in the standings, for an overtime loss...

Adirondack Red Wings
Adirondack Red Wings
The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, USA at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League...

AHL 25 7 13 0 1397 98 1 4.21 .885
1987–88 Detroit Red Wings NHL 6 2 2 0 294 16 0 3.27 .892
1987–88
1987–88 AHL season
The 1987–88 AHL season was the 52nd season of the American Hockey League. Fourteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league abandoned shootout, but continues to award points for an overtime loss...

Adirondack Red Wings AHL 32 12 14 4 1826 104 2 3.42 .884
1988–89 Detroit Red Wings NHL 4 0 1 1 141 9 0 3.83 .901
1988–89
1988–89 AHL season
The 1988–89 AHL season was the 53rd season of the American Hockey League. Fourteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league abandoned awarding points for an overtime loss. The Sherbrooke Canadiens finished first overall in the regular season...

Adirondack Red Wings AHL 34 20 11 3 2054 113 0 3.30 .895
1989–90 Detroit Red Wings NHL 14 2 6 1 607 38 0 3.76 .883
1989–90
1989–90 AHL season
The 1989–90 AHL season was the 54th season of the American Hockey League.Fourteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Sherbrooke Canadiens repeated finishing first overall in the regular season...

Adirondack Red Wings AHL 13 10 2 1 785 40 0 3.06 .901
1990–91
1990–91 AHL season
The 1990–91 AHL season was the 55th season of the American Hockey League. Fifteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season...

Binghamton Rangers
Binghamton Rangers
The Binghamton Rangers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.-History:The market was previously served by:-Playoffs:-Single Season:...

AHL 45 19 16 4 2379 138 1 3.48 .894
1991–92
1991–92 AHL season
The 1991–92 AHL season was the 56th season of the American Hockey League. The league realigns from divisions into three divisions, creating the new Atlantic division. Fifteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Fredericton Canadiens finished first overall in the regular season...

Binghamton Rangers AHL 1 0 0 0 20 2 0 6.00 .800
NHL totals 34 7 12 4 1572 92 1 3.51 .886

Post season

   
Season Team League GP W L MIN GA SO GAA
1975–76 Chicoutimi Sagueneens QMJHL 1 40 9 0 13.50
1976–77 Chicoutimi Sagueneens QMJHL 4 200 19 0 5.70
1978–79 Chicoutimi Saguenéens QMJHL 1 47 8 0 10.21
1979–80 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 4 0 4 239 24 0 6.03
1981–82 Maine Mariners AHL 4 1 3 240 18 0 4.50
1982–83 Maine Mariners AHL 17 8 9 1012 54 0 3.20
1983–84 Maine Mariners AHL 12 9 2 708 32 1 2.71
1984–85 Maine Mariners AHL 10 5 5 656 45 0 4.12
1986–87 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 3 0 2 105 10 0 5.71
1987–88 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 0 0 10 1 0 6.00
1987–88 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 1 0 1 59 6 0 6.10
1988–89 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 16 11 5 956 47 2 2.95
1990–91 Binghamton Rangers AHL 3 1 2 160 11 0 4.13
NHL totals 1 0 0 10 1 0 6.00

External links

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