Sam St. Laurent
Sam St. Laurent | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1959 Arvida, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Ice hockey goaltender |
| Years active | 1979–1992 |
| Known for | NHL goaltender, final NHL goalie to use a fiberglass mask, 1992 Winter Olympics silver medalist |
Sam St. Laurent (born February 16, 1959) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who participated in 34 games within the National Hockey League from 1986 to 1990 and also represented the Canadian men's national squad. Notably, he was the final NHL goaltender to utilize a mask constructed entirely from fiberglass.
Junior Career
Hailing from Arvida, Quebec, St. Laurent took part in the 1972 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament as a member of a local minor team from Arvida. His junior hockey tenure began with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL, where he competed from the 1975–76 season through 1978–79, playing in 70 games during his last junior year.
Philadelphia Flyers
St. Laurent signed with the Philadelphia Flyers organization on October 10, 1979. Between the 1979–80 and 1983–84 seasons, he mainly played in minor leagues, representing the Toledo Goaldiggers (IHL) and the Maine Mariners (AHL). He contributed to the Mariners' triumph in securing the Calder Cup during the 1983–84 campaign.
New Jersey Devils
After being traded to the New Jersey Devils on September 27, 1984, St. Laurent continued playing with their AHL affiliate, the Mariners. His NHL debut occurred on January 4, 1986, when he replaced Glenn "Chico" Resch in a game that ended in a 9–3 defeat against the Washington Capitals. Following a short reassignment to the minors, he earned his first NHL start on March 27, 1986, delivering a shutout with 24 saves in a narrow 1–0 win. He closed that season with a 2–1 record at the NHL level. In the AHL, he was honored with the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the league’s top goaltender and shared the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award alongside Karl Friesen for achieving the lowest team goals-against average.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings acquired St. Laurent from New Jersey in exchange for Steve Richmond on August 18, 1986. He experienced success with their AHL team, the Adirondack Red Wings, capturing the Calder Cup during the 1988–89 season and receiving the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP. Between 1986–87 and 1989–90, St. Laurent appeared in 30 regular-season NHL games for Detroit, compiling a record of 5–11–4 with a goals-against average of 3.42 and a save percentage of .887. He also played one playoff match on April 14, 1988; however, after conceding one goal and sustaining an injury, he was replaced by Greg Stefan, while Detroit secured a 5–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
New York Rangers
With Tim Cheveldae emerging as Detroit’s goaltending prospect, St. Laurent was traded to the New York Rangers for cash considerations on June 26, 1990. He spent most of the 1990–91 season with their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Rangers, and appeared in a single game during the following season before concluding his professional hockey career.
International career
St. Laurent joined the ranks of the Canada men's national ice hockey team aiming to compete at the 1992 Winter Olympics, as NHL players were not permitted until 1998. Moving away from his traditional fiberglass mask, he adopted a contemporary style mask while serving as Team Canada’s experienced third-string goaltender behind starters Sean Burke and prospect Trevor Kidd. The team earned a silver medal—their first Olympic hockey podium finish since 1968. St. Laurent retired from professional play following this Olympic appearance.
Coaching career
Between 1993 and 2004, St. Laurent held the position of goaltending coach and consultant within the Rangers organization, playing a key role in mentoring goalies such as Mike Richter, Henrik Lundqvist, and Dan Cloutier. Despite competing with esteemed coach Benoit Allaire, Jason Labarbera acknowledges St. Laurent’s significant influence on his development. Additionally, during the 2005–06 season, he provided consulting services to Germany's Sinupret Ice Tigers competing in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
Regular season and playoffs
... [Statistics table continues unchanged] ...| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1975–76 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens | QMJHL | 17 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 889 | 81 | 0 | 5.47 | .851 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 9 | 0 | 13.50 | .667 | ||
| 1976–77 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens | QMJHL | 21 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 901 | — | — | 5.39 | .851 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 200 | 19 | 0 | 5.70 | .835 | ||
| 1977–78 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens | QMJHL | 60 | 12 | 35 | 9 | 3251 | — | — | 6.48 | .834 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens | QMJHL | 70 | 23 | 31 | 9 | 3806 | 290 | 0 | 4.57 | .871 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 8 | 0 | 10.21 | .750 | ||
| 1979–80 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 229 | 17 | 0 | 4.45 | .879 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Toledo Goaldiggers | IHL | 38 | 2143 | 138 | 2 | 3.86 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 239 | 24 | 0 | 6.03 | |||||||
| 1980–81 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 363 | 28 | 0 | 4.63 | .855 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Toledo Goaldiggers | IHL | 30 | 1614 | 113 | 1 | 4.20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| NHL totals | 34 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 1572 | 92 | 1 | 3.51 | .886 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 5.82 | .857 | ||||
External links
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Adirondack Red Wings players
- Binghamton Rangers players
- Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
- Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) players
- Detroit Red Wings players
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Maine Mariners (AHL) players
- New Jersey Devils players
- Ice hockey people from Saguenay, Quebec
- Toledo Goaldiggers players
- Undrafted National Hockey League players
- 20th-century Canadian sportsmen