Marc Lamothe (born February 27, 1974) 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 In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

. He last played in the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called Penny (supermarket), PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga) (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a professional ice hockey league in Germany and the highest division in German i ...

for

Hamburg Freezers The Hamburg Freezers were a professional men's ice hockey club from Hamburg, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club announced its withdrawal from the DEL and ceased operations on 24 May 2016 when Anschutz Entertainment Group, ...

during the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

season.

Playing career

Montreal Canadiens

Lamothe began his Junior hockey career with the

Kingston Frontenacs The Kingston Frontenacs are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario. The Frontenacs play home games at Slush Puppie Place, which opened in 2008. The team's history predates the Ontario Ho ...

before being drafted by the

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 ...

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 ...

, 92nd Overall, in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. When he turned pro in the 1994–95 season, the Canadiens assigned Patrick Labrecque and

Martin Brochu Martin Brochu (born March 10, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played briefly in the National Hockey League with the Washington Capitals, Vancouver Canucks, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He went winless in his nine-game ...

to their top minor league affiliate, 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 ...

of the AHL, leaving Lamothe to spend the majority of his rookie season with the

Wheeling Thunderbirds Wheeling can refer to: Places in the United States of America *Wheeling, Illinois *Wheeling, Carroll County, Indiana * Wheeling, Delaware County, Indiana * Wheeling, Gibson County, Indiana *Wheeling, a populated place in Winn Parish, Louisiana wher ...

of the

ECHL 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 ...

. Despite this, Lamothe did play in 9 contests for the Fredericton Canadiens that year. During the 1995–96 season, Montreal gave him a spot on their AHL team. However, he did not see much action aside from 23 appearances. By season's end, it was clear he was not going to factor into the Canadiens plans and was subsequently released to free agency.

Chicago Blackhawks

The

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

signed Lamothe to a contract on 21 August 1996. Lamothe spent the next three seasons with Chicago's top minor league affiliate, the

Indianapolis Ice The Indianapolis Ice were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indian ...

of the IHL. With Indianapolis, Lamothe honed his game while waiting for his chance to be called up to the NHL. At the start of the 1999–2000 season, Lamothe left Indianapolis to play for the

Cleveland Lumberjacks The Cleveland Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League (IHL) team based in Cleveland, Ohio. Facts :Owner: Larry Gordon :Logo design: "Buzz"- A beaver wearing overalls holding a homemade hockey stick framed by a circular saw blade :Divis ...

, though his rights were still maintained by Chicago. Early in the 1999–2000 campaign, Lamothe got the call from the Blackhawks who needed him to suit up as

Jocelyn Thibault Joseph Régis Jocelyn Thibault (born January 12, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blac ...

's back up as in injury fill in for

Steve Passmore Steve Passmore (born January 29, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques as their ninth-round pick in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He played 93 games in the NHL between 1998 and 2004 with ...

. Just four minutes into the game, Thibault went down with an injury and Lamothe made his NHL debut. The

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

, however, were merciless, scoring seven times en route to an 8–3 victory. He was able turn things around after this tough first game a week later, when he stopped 22 of 25 shots against the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

and posted his first NHL victory.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Following the 1999–2000 season, Lamothe signed an AHL deal with the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

on September 1, 2000. Lamothe spent the entire year in the minors, playing for the

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team based in Syracuse, New York. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. They play in they home games at the Upstate Medical Univer ...

of the AHL.

Edmonton Oilers

After a year with Columbus, Lamothe signed an AHL contract with the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

organization, for the 2001–02 season. Despite having a strong showing in training camp, the Oilers elected to go with

Jussi Markkanen Jussi Markkanen (born 8 May 1975) is a Finnish professional ice hockey executive and former goaltender. He is currently serving as general manager of SaiPa. Markkanen played extensively in various European professional leagues as well as the Na ...

to back up Tommy Salo, leaving Lamothe to play the entire season with Hamilton.

Detroit Red Wings

The

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

signed Lamothe on August 5, 2002 to a one-year contract. Upon his arrival with the organization, he was assigned to the club's AHL affiliate, the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

, to act as a mentor for the developing goaltender

Joey MacDonald Joseph Leonard MacDonald (born February 7, 1980) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Toronto ...

. Lamothe had a strong season in the AHL that year, winning the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award for being the AHL's best goaltender and sharing the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award with MacDonald for combining to have the lowest

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...

in the AHL. His efforts did not go unnoticed by the Red Wings organization. On 1 July 2003, the first day of NHL free agency, Lamothe was re-signed to another year-long contract with the Red Wings, and again began the season assigned to the Griffins with MacDonald. However, as the season progressed,

Dominik Hašek Dominik Hašek (, ; born 29 January 1965) is a Czech former ice hockey goaltender who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), mostly for the Buffalo Sabres. Widely regarded as one of the best goaltenders in history, Hašek also p ...

left the team due to injury while

Curtis Joseph Curtis Shayne Joseph (né Munro; born April 29, 1967) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional player. Nicknamed "Cujo", Joseph was immediately recognizable on the ice for his masks featuring a snarling dog, drawing inspiration from ...

became injured as well, leaving the Red Wings to call up Lamothe to support

Manny Legace Emmanuel Legace (born February 4, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender, who played most notably in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, and later the St. Louis Blues between 1998 and 2010. Legace also e ...

. While he was never needed to relieve Legace, Lamothe started against his former club, the Edmonton Oilers, on February 23, 2004, skating to a 1–1 tie. The next morning, newspapers reported on Lamothe's story, where he spent 10 years almost exclusively in the minors before starting in net for one of hockey's most popular and successful teams. Lamothe started once more before the season was over, making 26 saves for a 3–2 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

European career

At the end of the season, economic woes befell the NHL and ultimately lead to the

2004–05 NHL lockout The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...

. Despite his success at the AHL level, Lamothe never caught on as an NHL goaltender before the lockout. However, Lamothe was generating interest from Russian Super League, which offered both a higher level of competition and a higher salary than the AHL could offer. On June 14, 2004, Lamothe moved overseas and signed with the

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Hockey Club Lokomotiv (, ), also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a professional ice hockey club based in Yaroslavl, Russia. It is a member of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The name of the team is derived from its ...

. He appeared in 54 contests for them that season. On July 22, 2005, Lamothe signed with the

Severstal Cherepovets Hockey Club Severstal is a professional ice hockey club based in Cherepovets, Russia. It is a member of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). History Founded in 1956, the club was originally known as Stroitel (Builder) Cher ...

. He appeared in 83 contests with them over 2 seasons, in addition to 8 playoff games during that same timeframe. With

Severstal Severstal () is a Russian company mainly operating in the steel and mining industry, headquartered in Cherepovets. Severstal is listed on the Moscow Exchange and LSE and is the largest steel company in Russia. The company is majority-owned and ...

Lamothe won LenVO cup in August 2005. On July 16, 2007, Lamothe was signed by

SKA Saint Petersburg Hockey Club SKA (), often referred to as SKA Saint Petersburg and literally as the Sports Club of the Army, is a professional ice hockey club based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is a member of the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey Le ...

and played with them for the remainder of that season. Lamothe left after the season was over and signed with Barys Astana for the 2008–09 season. Lamothe left Russia in the 2009–10 season, signing as a free agent to a one-year contract with

Pelicans Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

of the Finnish

SM-liiga The Liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mest ...

. Lamother played in 14 games with Pelicans before his season was abruptly ended in suffering a medial ligament tear in his knee. On April 7, 2010, Lamothe signed a one-year contract with the

of the

for the 2010–11 season. With a lack of form, Lamothe was relegated to backup goaltender and seldom used after 15 games; he was released by the Freezers and returned to North America on November 23, 2010.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

*
Marc Lamothe's Profile at hockeygoalies.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamothe, Marc 1974 births Barys Astana players Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Chicago Blackhawks players Cleveland Lumberjacks players Detroit Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Detroit Vipers players Fredericton Canadiens players Grand Rapids Griffins players Hamburg Freezers players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Sportspeople from Temiskaming Shores Indianapolis Ice players Kingston Frontenacs players Living people Lokomotiv Yaroslavl players Montreal Canadiens draft picks Lahti Pelicans players Severstal Cherepovets players SKA Saint Petersburg players Syracuse Crunch players Wheeling Thunderbirds players Ice hockey people from Ontario Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland