Marc Lamothe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marc Lamothe |
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Lamothe in 2003
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| Born | February 27, 1974 New Liskeard, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Goalie | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | Chicago Blackhawks Detroit Red Wings Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Severstal Cherepovets SKA St. Petersburg Barys Astana Pelicans Hamburg Freezers |
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| NHL Draft | 92nd overall, 1992 Montreal Canadiens |
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| Playing career | 1994–2011 | ||
Marc Lamothe, born on February 27, 1974, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played for many teams during his career, including the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. He finished his career playing in Germany for the Hamburg Freezers in the 2010-2011 season.
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Marc Lamothe's Hockey Journey
Starting with the Montreal Canadiens
Marc Lamothe began his junior hockey career with the Kingston Frontenacs. He was then chosen by the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 92nd player picked overall.
When he became a professional player in the 1994-1995 season, the Canadiens sent him to their minor league team. This team was the Wheeling Thunderbirds in the ECHL. He also played in 9 games for the Fredericton Canadiens that year.
In the 1995-1996 season, Montreal gave him a spot on their main minor league team. However, he did not play much, appearing in only 23 games. After this season, it was clear he was not part of the Canadiens' future plans. He then became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team.
Playing for the Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks signed Marc Lamothe on August 21, 1996. He spent the next three seasons with Chicago's main minor league team, the Indianapolis Ice. This team played in the IHL. With Indianapolis, Lamothe worked hard to improve his game. He was waiting for his chance to play in the NHL.
At the start of the 1999-2000 season, Lamothe moved to play for the Cleveland Lumberjacks. However, the Blackhawks still owned his rights. Early in that season, the Blackhawks called him up to the NHL. They needed him to be a backup goalie because their main goalie, Jocelyn Thibault, was injured.
Lamothe made his NHL debut just four minutes into the game. Thibault got injured, and Lamothe had to step in. The St. Louis Blues were very strong that night. They scored seven goals and won the game 8-3. Despite this tough start, Lamothe turned things around a week later. He stopped 22 of 25 shots against the Boston Bruins. This game gave him his first NHL victory.
Time with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Edmonton Oilers
After the 1999-2000 season, Lamothe signed a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets on September 1, 2000. He spent the entire year playing in the minor leagues. He played for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL.
After one year with Columbus, Lamothe signed another minor league contract. This time it was with the Edmonton Oilers organization for the 2001-2002 season. He played well during training camp. However, the Oilers decided to use another goalie as a backup. This meant Lamothe played the entire season with the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Success with the Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings signed Marc Lamothe on August 5, 2002. He signed a one-year contract. When he joined the team, he was sent to their minor league team, the Grand Rapids Griffins. His job was to help guide a younger goalie named Joey MacDonald.
Lamothe had a great season in the AHL that year. He won the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award. This award is given to the best goalie in the AHL. He also shared the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award with MacDonald. They won this award for having the lowest number of goals scored against them in the AHL.
The Red Wings noticed his hard work. On July 1, 2003, Lamothe signed another one-year contract with them. He started the season again with the Griffins. However, as the season went on, two of the Red Wings' main goalies, Dominik Hašek and Curtis Joseph, got injured. This led the Red Wings to call up Lamothe to help Manny Legace.
Lamothe was not needed to play in relief during games. But he did get to start a game against his old team, the Edmonton Oilers, on February 23, 2004. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. The next morning, newspapers shared Lamothe's story. It was about how he spent 10 years mostly in the minor leagues. Then he finally got to start in goal for one of hockey's most famous teams. Lamothe started one more game before the season ended. He made 26 saves and helped his team win 3-2 against the St. Louis Blues.
Playing Hockey in Europe
At the end of that season, the NHL faced financial problems. This led to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, where no games were played. Even though Lamothe had done well in the AHL, he had not become a full-time NHL goalie before the lockout.
However, teams in the Russian Super League were interested in him. This league offered a higher level of competition and better pay than the AHL. On June 14, 2004, Lamothe moved overseas. He signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. He played in 54 games for them that season.
On July 22, 2005, Lamothe signed with Severstal Cherepovets. He played in 83 games for them over two seasons. He also played in 8 playoff games. With Severstal, Lamothe won the LenVO Cup in August 2005. On July 16, 2007, Lamothe signed with SKA Saint Petersburg. He played with them for the rest of that season. After the season, Lamothe left and signed with Barys Astana for the 2008-2009 season.
Lamothe left Russia in the 2009-2010 season. He signed a one-year contract with Pelicans in Finland. Lamothe played in 14 games with Pelicans. His season ended early when he tore a ligament in his knee.
On April 7, 2010, Lamothe signed a one-year contract with the Hamburg Freezers in Germany. He played for them during the 2010-2011 season. However, he was not playing as well as before. He became a backup goalie and was not used much after 15 games. The Freezers released him, and he returned to North America on November 23, 2010.
