David Leggio

David Leggio
Born	(1984-07-31) July 31, 1984 Williamsville, New York, United States
Occupation	Ice hockey goaltender (retired)
Years active	2007–2019
Known for	Deliberately knocking his net off its moorings to halt play during breakaways

David Leggio (born July 31, 1984) is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who primarily competed in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is particularly known for his deliberate strategy of knocking his own net off its moorings to halt play during breakaway situations, a move that prompted regulatory revisions in both the AHL and the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

Playing career

Leggio spent four seasons at Clarkson University, compiling a 59–29–12 record, a .922 save percentage, and eight shutouts. He played a key role in Clarkson’s capture of the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament championship in 2007, as well as securing the regular season crown in 2008.

His professional journey commenced with an amateur tryout contract with the Binghamton Senators near the conclusion of the 2007–08 season. The following year, he guarded the net for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, sharing goaltending responsibilities while contributing to their capture of the Brabham Cup as regular-season leaders.

In the 2009–10 season, Leggio signed with Finnish SM-liiga powerhouse TPS, a league that prohibits intentionally dislodging nets. He featured in 30 regular-season contests and posted a league-best 1.57 goals-against average during the playoffs, aiding TPS in clinching the championship title.

On August 8, 2010, he inked a one-year deal with the AHL’s Portland Pirates, an affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. Although Buffalo upgraded his contract to an NHL two-way agreement, he remained with Portland. During the 2010–11 campaign, Leggio appeared in 36 regular-season and nine playoff games. After re-signing with Buffalo in June 2011, he was assigned to their new AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, where he achieved personal bests with 28 wins in 2011–12 and improved to 38 wins in 2012–13.

On July 8, 2013, Leggio agreed to a one-year two-way contract with the Washington Capitals, spending that season with their AHL team, the Hershey Bears. The following year, on July 1, 2014, he secured a similar contract with the New York Islanders, playing for their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. On November 2, 2014, Leggio attracted considerable attention for deliberately knocking his net off during a two-player breakaway to trigger a penalty shot, which he successfully defended. This incident led to an immediate rule modification in the AHL imposing a game misconduct penalty for such conduct.

Leggio was traded on March 2, 2015, to the Arizona Coyotes and reassigned to Portland. As a free agent in August 2015, he accepted a tryout invitation from the Winnipeg Jets, but after being released, he signed a one-year deal with German DEL team EHC München on October 22, 2015.

While playing for München, Leggio repeated his tactic of intentionally dislodging his net during a December 9, 2017 match against the Fischtown Pinguins. The DEL swiftly responded by updating its regulations to award an automatic goal if this occurs and levied a fine against Leggio.

On March 3, 2018, Leggio sustained a serious concussion while attempting this maneuver, which prematurely ended his season. Following his recovery, he joined Grizzlys Wolfsburg, compiling 12 victories over 31 games during the 2018–19 DEL season before departing as a free agent on March 8, 2019.

International play

Leggio was a member of the United States ice hockey team during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Personal life

In 2008, Leggio completed his business studies at Clarkson University. Beginning in February 2020, he has been employed as a business banking relationship manager at Five Star Bank. Additionally, he operates a business that provides specialized training clinics for ice hockey goaltenders aiming to enhance their skills.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season										Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	OT	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%		GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2004–05	Clarkson University	ECAC		5	2	1	0	182	9	0	2.97	.908		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Clarkson University	ECAC		23	11	9	3	1446	62	1	2.57	.913		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Clarkson University	ECAC		37	24	7	5	2167	78	2	2.16	.930		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Clarkson University	ECAC		38	22	12	4	2211	81	5	2.20	.920

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	W	L	OT	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2014	United States	WC	Finished sixth		1	0	0	0	29	1	0	2.08	.875
Senior totals					1	0	0	0	29	1	0	2.08	.875

Awards and honors

Season	Award
2006–07 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season	NCAA (ECAC) Champion; Clarkson Team Most Valuable Player; All-ECAC Hockey First Team selection; Goaltender of the Year awardee
2007–08 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season	'’NCAA (ECAC) Knight Club Award; named to All-ECAC Hockey Second Team
'’2008–09	'’ECHL Goaltender of the Month (January); Goaltender Of The Week (01/12–01/18)
'’2009–10	'’SM-liiga Champion
'’2012–13	'’AHL Goalie of the Month (March)