Pascal Leclaire | |||
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Leclaire tending goal as a member of the Ottawa Senators.
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Born |
Repentigny, QC, CAN |
November 7, 1982 ||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb) | ||
Position | Goaltender | ||
Caught | Left | ||
Played for |
Columbus Blue Jackets Ottawa Senators |
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National team | Canada | ||
NHL Draft | 8th overall, 2001 Columbus Blue Jackets |
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Playing career | 2002–2010 |
Medal record | ||
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Representing Canada | ||
IIHF World Championship | ||
2008 Canada |
Pascal Leclaire (born November 7, 1982) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. Leclaire played three years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and was selected eighth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. After playing in the Blue Jackets' organization for seven seasons, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2009 and spent the following two seasons in the organization. Internationally, he has represented Canada on the national junior and men's teams.
Leclaire played junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Halifax Mooseheads and the Montreal Rocket between 1998 and 2002. Leclaire was the first goaltender selected in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, chosen eighth overall by the Blue Jackets. He subsequently bounced back and forth between Columbus and their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, from 2002 to 2005 before finally sticking with the Blue Jackets for good in 2006, serving as a backup to Marc Denis.
On June 30, 2006, Denis was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Leclaire was promoted to starting goalie. However, during the season, Leclaire suffered from a leg injury and backup goaltender Fredrik Norrena took over and eventually played 55 games out of 82. In 2007–08, Leclaire had an outstanding season and regained the number one job. He set new team records with nine shutouts (second in the league only to Henrik Lundqvist), ranked second in the NHL in goals against average, and third in save percentage. Leclaire finished second in fan voting among Western Conference goaltenders for the 56th NHL All-Star Game, but was not named to the final team.