André Racicot, Jr., (born June 9, 1969) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

goaltender, most famous for his time with the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

with whom he won the

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

as the backup goaltender to

Patrick Roy Patrick Jacques Roy (; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, executive and former player who is the head coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Roy previously served as head coach for ...

Career

Racicot started his

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) career in 1989 with the Montreal Canadiens. He had been selected in the 4th round, 83rd overall, of the

1989 NHL Entry Draft The 1989 NHL entry draft was the 27th NHL entry draft. It was held on June 17 at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. The Detroit Red Wings' 1989 draft has been noted as exceptionally successful, with 5,955 total NHL games played by the p ...

following a successful career in the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

with the

Granby Bisons The Granby Bisons were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Granby, Quebec, and played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The team was founded in 1981 after they moved from Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, where they had previously been k ...

. Montreal already had established first-team duo Patrick Roy and

Brian Hayward Brian George Hayward (born June 25, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who is a color commentator for Anaheim Ducks broadcasts on Victory+ and KCOP-TV. Playing career Hayward played college hockey at Cornell Universi ...

who had won three

William M. Jennings Trophy The William M. Jennings Trophy is an annual National Hockey League (NHL) award given to "the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it ... based on regular-season play." From 1946 until ...

in a row from 1986 to 1989. As a result, Racicot's first season was spent largely on the

Sherbrooke Canadiens The Sherbrooke Canadiens were a professional ice hockey team in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. They played their home games at the Palais des Sports. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1984 to 1990, and were a farm team of the M ...

farm team, but he finally made his NHL debut on December 9, 1989, against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

, when he allowed three goals on six shots in just less than 13 minutes before being replaced. It was his only NHL appearance of the

1989–90 NHL season The 1989–90 NHL season was the 73rd season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup winners were the Edmonton Oilers, who won the best of seven series 4–1 against the Boston Bruins. The championship was the Oilers' fifth Stanley Cup i ...

. He shared the

Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award The Hap Holmes Memorial Award is an ice hockey trophy awarded annually to the goaltenders of the American Hockey League (AHL) team with the lowest goals against average, and who have appeared in at least 25 regular season games. Prior to 1972, only ...

for fewest goals allowed in the AHL in 1990 with fellow understudy

Jean-Claude Bergeron Jean-Claude Joseph "J. C." Bergeron (born October 14, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 72 games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Los Angeles Kings between ...

. The 1990–91 season saw regular understudy Hayward traded to the

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

. As a result, Racicot split time with the

Fredericton Canadiens The Fredericton Canadiens, or the 'Baby Habs', were a professional ice hockey team in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Canadiens played their home games at the Aitken Centre. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1990 to 1999, and ...

and Montreal, as he battled with Jean-Claude Bergeron and

Frédéric Chabot Joseph Leopold Louis Marie Frédéric Chabot (born February 12, 1968) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former goaltender who played parts of five seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Lo ...

for second-string duties. The following 1991–92 season saw

Roland Melanson Roland "Rollie the Goalie" Joseph Melanson (born June 28, 1960) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL). After a lengthy career in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Minnesota North Stars, Los A ...

brought in as an experienced backup, reducing Racicot's opportunities significantly as he again spent a large portion of the season with Federicton. In his 9 appearances for Montreal, he was winless, while Roy appeared in 67 games to earn another Jennings Trophy. In 1992–93 Racicot had his most successful season for Montreal. While Roy appeared in the majority of games (62 of the 84 possible) Racicot saw action in 26 games, winning 17. The Canadiens made their way to the

1993 Stanley Cup Finals The 1993 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1992–93 season, and the culmination of the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens. ...

. Racicot saw only 18 minutes of action in the playoffs as Roy backstopped the unfancied Montreal to their first Stanley Cup win since

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

. The following year Racicot again faced competition for his second string position, with

Ron Tugnutt Ronald Frederick Bradley Tugnutt (born October 22, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Tugnutt played several seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, Mighty Ducks of Anah ...

and

Les Kuntar Leslie Stephen Kuntar (born July 28, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played six games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens during the 1993–94 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from ...

splitting playing time. His performances dipped, and ultimately he was released at the end of the 1994 season. Racicot left the NHL after the

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

season, spending several seasons with various teams in the AHL, International Hockey League, and

East Coast Hockey League The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. The 1999–2000 season saw Racicot move to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, playing in 20 games with

HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk () is a professional ice hockey club based in Nizhnekamsk, Russia. It is a member of the Kharlamov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). History Neftekhimik was founded October 23, 1968 by workers of the Ni ...

before returning to North America for another five seasons of minor-pro hockey. He retired as a player in 2004.

Nickname

Racicot earned the infamous nickname "Red Light" following early performances with Montreal. Claims as to its origin are disputed. Stories allege it was given by a journalist Red Fisher following his disappointing debut that saw him concede 3 in 6 shots before being pulled. Others have attributed it to

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. He played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins. After concluding a playing career in the A ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Racicot, Andre 1969 births Living people Albany River Rats players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Russia Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Granby Bisons players HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk players Ice hockey people from Rouyn-Noranda Kansas City Blades players Longueuil Chevaliers players Montreal Canadiens draft picks Montreal Canadiens players Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players Stanley Cup champions 20th-century Canadian sportsmen