Michael Leighton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michael Leighton |
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Leighton in 2016
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| Born | May 19, 1981 Petrolia, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | Chicago Blackhawks Nashville Predators Philadelphia Flyers Carolina Hurricanes HC Donbass |
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| NHL Draft | 165th overall, 1999 Chicago Blackhawks |
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| Playing career | 2001–2019 | ||
Michael W. Leighton (born May 19, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several teams. These included the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Carolina Hurricanes.
Contents
Michael Leighton's Hockey Journey
Early Years and Junior Hockey
Michael Leighton grew up playing hockey in his hometown of Petrolia, Ontario. He played for local teams like the Petrolia Oilers. At age 16, he joined the Petrolia Jets Jr.B. team.
In 1998, the Windsor Spitfires picked him in the OHL draft. He played well for the Spitfires. This caught the eye of professional scouts.
Starting in the NHL
The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Michael in 1999. He was the 165th player picked overall. After playing two more seasons in junior hockey, he signed with the Blackhawks.
Michael started his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL). He played for the Norfolk Admirals. He made his NHL debut on January 8, 2003. In this game, he achieved a shutout, meaning he didn't let the other team score. This was a special start to his NHL career!
Moving Between Teams
Michael played for the Blackhawks for a few years. Then, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2005. He spent time in the AHL with their team, the Rochester Americans.
In 2006, he signed with the Anaheim Ducks. He was then claimed by the Nashville Predators. Later, the Philadelphia Flyers picked him up in 2007. Michael moved between the NHL and AHL teams. He played for the Flyers' AHL team, the Philadelphia Phantoms.
He also played for the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes. In 2008, he set an AHL record. He made an amazing 98 saves in one playoff game! This game went into five overtimes.
Return to the Flyers and Stanley Cup Run
In 2009, Michael returned to the Philadelphia Flyers. He became an important player for them. During the 2009–10 season, he got a chance to play a lot. He even started in the 2010 Winter Classic, a big outdoor game.
The 2010 playoffs were a huge moment for Michael. The Flyers were down 3-0 in a series. This meant they had to win four games in a row. Michael stepped in as goalie due to injuries. He helped the team make an incredible comeback! They won the series, which is very rare in hockey.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, Michael was outstanding. He allowed only seven goals in five games. He also had three shutouts. This helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Finals. They played against his old team, the Chicago Blackhawks. The Flyers lost the series, but Michael's performance was memorable.
Later Career and Retirement
After the Stanley Cup run, Michael signed a new contract with the Flyers. He faced some injuries and competition for the goalie spot. He played for the Adirondack Phantoms in the AHL.
In 2013, he played in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for HC Donbass. He then returned to North America. He signed with the Chicago Blackhawks again in 2014. He mostly played for their AHL team, the Rockford IceHogs.
Michael continued to play in the AHL for several teams. These included the Charlotte Checkers, Syracuse Crunch, and Chicago Wolves. He also had short stints with the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins organizations.
In 2018, he joined the Ontario Reign and later the Utica Comets. He signed a final NHL contract with the Vancouver Canucks in 2019. On October 7, 2019, Michael Leighton announced his retirement. He played professional hockey for 18 seasons.
Personal Life
Michael Leighton moved to Sarnia, Ontario, when he was four years old. For the past ten years, he has lived in LaSalle, Ontario. He lives there with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children. All three of his children play hockey. Michael helps coach their teams.
Hockey Records
Michael Leighton holds several impressive records:
- NHL record for most shutouts in one Stanley Cup Playoffs series: 3 (tied with others)
- Norfolk Admirals team record for most career regular season wins: 75
- Norfolk Admirals team record for most career regular season shutouts: 18
- First goalie in Chicago Blackhawks history to get a shutout in his very first game
- Most saves in an AHL game: 98
- HC Donbass team record for most regular season shutouts in a season: 6
- HC Donbass team record for most career regular season shutouts: 6
- Played in the second longest game in AHL history
- Played in the second longest game in KHL history
- AHL record for most career shutouts: 50
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1997–98 | Petrolia Jets | OHA-B | 30 | — | — | — | 1583 | 87 | 2 | 3.30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1998–99 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 28 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 1389 | 112 | 0 | 4.84 | .867 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 10 | 0 | 7.50 | .884 | ||
| 1999–00 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 42 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 2272 | 118 | 1 | 3.12 | .889 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 616 | 32 | 0 | 3.12 | .915 | ||
| 2000–01 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 54 | 32 | 13 | 5 | 3035 | 138 | 2 | 2.73 | .910 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 519 | 27 | 1 | 3.12 | .906 | ||
| 2001–02 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 52 | 27 | 16 | 8 | 3114 | 111 | 6 | 2.14 | .920 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 238 | 8 | 0 | 2.02 | .927 | ||
| 2002–03 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 36 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 2184 | 91 | 4 | 2.50 | .912 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 240 | 7 | 1 | 1.75 | .931 | ||
| 2002–03 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 447 | 21 | 1 | 2.82 | .913 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1081 | 33 | 1 | 1.83 | .926 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 212 | 2 | 2 | 0.56 | .978 | ||
| 2003–04 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 34 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 1988 | 99 | 2 | 2.99 | .900 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 41 | 20 | 16 | 3 | 2319 | 78 | 7 | 2.02 | .921 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 40 | 15 | 22 | 1 | 2316 | 124 | 2 | 3.21 | .887 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 16 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 962 | 37 | 2 | 2.31 | .910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 6.00 | .800 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 270 | 7 | 0 | 1.56 | .948 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 195 | 12 | 0 | 3.69 | .882 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 58 | 28 | 25 | 4 | 3451 | 121 | 7 | 2.10 | .931 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 510 | 10 | 2 | 1.18 | .968 | ||
| 2007–08 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 158 | 7 | 0 | 2.66 | .897 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 19 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1029 | 50 | 0 | 2.92 | .901 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 350 | 25 | 0 | 4.28 | .850 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 27 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 1449 | 60 | 1 | 2.48 | .920 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 757 | 31 | 3 | 2.46 | .916 | ||
| 2010–11 | Adirondack Phantoms | AHL | 30 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 1783 | 66 | 5 | 2.22 | .926 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | .889 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 70 | 4 | 0 | 3.43 | .862 | ||
| 2011–12 | Adirondack Phantoms | AHL | 56 | 28 | 26 | 1 | 3237 | 139 | 2 | 2.58 | .918 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 5 | 0 | 5.08 | .808 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Adirondack Phantoms | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 119 | 4 | 0 | 2.02 | .933 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Donbass | KHL | 42 | 20 | 15 | 6 | 2448 | 71 | 6 | 1.74 | .933 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 467 | 20 | 0 | 2.57 | .908 | ||
| 2014–15 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 42 | 22 | 13 | 4 | 2391 | 90 | 5 | 2.26 | .920 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 440 | 19 | 0 | 2.59 | .919 | ||
| 2015–16 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 46 | 28 | 8 | 8 | 2585 | 105 | 5 | 2.44 | .918 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1.52 | .941 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 23 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1326 | 48 | 3 | 2.17 | .921 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 1.15 | .933 | ||
| 2016–17 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 211 | 12 | 0 | 3.43 | .870 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 476 | 24 | 0 | 3.03 | .868 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 247 | 14 | 1 | 3.40 | .869 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 383 | 17 | 0 | 2.67 | .913 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 162 | 12 | 0 | 4.46 | .859 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Utica Comets | AHL | 19 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 1065 | 48 | 0 | 2.70 | .901 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 507 | 250 | 186 | 50 | 29,471 | 1,169 | 50 | 2.38 | .916 | 28 | 13 | 12 | 1,692 | 47 | 5 | 1.67 | .946 | ||||
| NHL totals | 110 | 37 | 43 | 14 | 6,004 | 298 | 4 | 2.98 | .900 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 827 | 35 | 3 | 2.54 | .913 | ||||
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| All-Star Team West | 2000 | |
| AHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2002 | |
| Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award | 2008 | |
| First All-Star Team | 2008 | |
