Norm Maracle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Norm Maracle |
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Maracle playing for HDD Olimpija Ljubljana
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| Born | October 2, 1974 Belleville, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | Detroit Red Wings Atlanta Thrashers Metallurg Magnitogorsk Avangard Omsk Iserlohn Roosters HDD Olimpija Ljubljana Kölner Haie |
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| NHL Draft | 126th overall, 1993 Detroit Red Wings |
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| Playing career | 1994–2012 | ||
Norm Maracle (born October 2, 1974) is a former professional ice hockey goaltender from Canada. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Atlanta Thrashers. Later in his career, he played hockey in Europe.
Contents
Playing Career
Early Hockey Days
Norm Maracle started his hockey journey with the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League (WHL) during the 1991–92 season. He played with them until the 1993–94 season. In 1994, he won the Del Wilson Trophy as the best goaltender in the WHL.
Before the 1993–94 season, the Detroit Red Wings picked Maracle in the 5th Round of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 126th player chosen overall.
Playing Professionally
Detroit Red Wings
In the 1994–95 season, Maracle joined the Detroit Red Wings. He was sent to their minor league team, the Adirondack Red Wings, in the American Hockey League (AHL). He shared goaltending duties there. For the next two seasons, Maracle stayed in the AHL. He had many wins and a high save percentage. However, the Red Wings had many strong goalies already. He was behind Mike Vernon, Chris Osgood, and Kevin Hodson.
In 2018, Maracle was honored into the Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame. This was for his great time with the Adirondack Red Wings.
Maracle became the main goalie for Adirondack in the 1997–98 season. He was called up to the Red Wings and played four NHL games. He won two games and tied one. He did not play in the playoffs that year. The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup championship. Maracle was in the team picture and got a Stanley Cup ring. However, his name is not on the Stanley Cup because he did not play enough games.
For the 1998–99 season, Maracle tried to become the backup goalie for Detroit. He played well and became the backup to Chris Osgood. Maracle played in 16 regular season games. He won 6 games, lost 5, and tied 2. His save percentage was 91.8%.
Later that season, the Red Wings traded Kevin Hodson to get Bill Ranford. Ranford played well, so Maracle became the third goalie. In the playoffs, Osgood got hurt. Ranford became the starter, and Maracle was the backup. Maracle played in two playoff games. The Red Wings were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche. After the season, Ranford left the team. Maracle was also criticized for his playoff performance.
On June 25, 1999, the Atlanta Thrashers picked Maracle in the 1999 NHL Expansion Draft. He was left unprotected by Detroit. Maracle earned the nickname "Miracle." This was because he sometimes had amazing games, even though he was not always a top starter. He even had three games where he made over 50 saves.
Atlanta Thrashers
The 1999–2000 season was the first for the Atlanta Thrashers in the NHL. The team was still figuring things out. Maracle started more games than any of Atlanta's other four goalies. However, he finished the season with 4 wins, 19 losses, and 2 ties. His save percentage was .890. The team did not make the playoffs.
In 2000–01, Maracle was sent to the Orlando Solar Bears. This was Atlanta's minor league team in the IHL. He played very well there, with 33 wins, 13 losses, and 3 ties. He had eight shutouts, which was a team record. He also helped the Solar Bears win their first and only Turner Cup.
His strong play in the minor league earned him 13 games with the Thrashers that season. His record was 2 wins, 8 losses, and 3 ties. His save percentage improved slightly.
Maracle played his last NHL game on November 10, 2001. It was a 3–0 loss to the Washington Capitals. He spent the rest of the 2001–02 season with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. He was the starting goalie there.
For the 2002–03 season, Maracle stayed in the minor leagues. He decided to leave North America to play hockey. On June 8, 2003, Maracle signed with Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the RSL.
Playing in Europe
In Europe, Maracle was in better shape and played in a new system. He played 46 games for Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the 2003–04 season.
He signed with the Nurnburg Ice Tigers in Germany in 2004. But he never played a game for them. On November 5, 2004, Maracle joined Avangard Omsk in Russia. He helped them win the European Cup Championship. Maracle was the main goalie for Avangard in the 2005–06 season too.
In 2006–07, Maracle was the backup goalie for Avangard. The team finished third in the league. They lost in the semi-finals of the Russian Super League Championships.
For the 2007–08 season, Maracle signed with the Iserlohn Roosters in Germany. He became a favorite among fans. He was known for his fun moves on the ice, like break dancing.
Maracle joined HDD Olimpija Ljubljana in Austria for the 2009–10 season. From January to April 2010, he moved back to Germany to play for Kölner Haie.
In July 2010, Maracle signed with Starbulls Rosenheim in Germany's second-tier league. He was their main goalie for two seasons. On May 25, 2012, the Starbulls announced that Maracle would not return to the team. This was due to personal reasons.
Personal Life
Norm Maracle was born in Belleville, Ontario. He grew up in Calgary, Alberta. For four years, he coached young hockey players in Whapmagoostui, in northern Quebec. Maracle is a Mohawk from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. This is an Indigenous Reserve near Belleville, Ontario.
Awards
- WHL East Second All-Star Team – 1993
- WHL East First All-Star Team – 1994
