Raymond Jude LeBlanc (born October 24, 1964) is an American 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 played one game in 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 ...

, with 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 ...

during the 1991–92 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1984 to 2000, was spent in the minor leagues. Internationally LeBlanc played for the American national team at the

1992 Winter Olympics The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Albertville '92 (Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile '92''), were a winter multi-sport event held from 8 to 23 February 1992 in and aroun ...

, and at the 1992 World Championships.

Biography

LeBlanc was born in

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fitchburg State University is located here. History ...

. After playing two seasons of

junior hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, LeBlanc turned professional and joined the Pineridge Bucks of the

Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship. Acco ...

for the 1984–85 season. He then played one season for the ACHL's

Carolina Thunderbirds The Carolina Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The Thunderbirds played their home games at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum before the arena was demolished in 1989. ...

before moving on to the International Hockey League, where he would spend the majority of his career. In his rookie season in 1986–87 with the

Flint Spirits The Flint Spirits were a professional hockey team in Flint, Michigan from 1985 to 1990, and played their home games at the IMA Sports Arena. They were a part of the International Hockey League (1945–2001), International Hockey League and repla ...

, LeBlanc appeared in 63 games and was awarded the

Ken McKenzie Trophy The Ken McKenzie Trophy was awarded annually to the Central Hockey League's leading points scorer in the regular season. The award was named for Ken McKenzie, the co-founder and longtime president and publisher of ''The Hockey News''. Previously, ...

as the top American-born rookie in the league. LeBlanc played for the IHL's

Saginaw Hawks The Saginaw Hawks were an ice hockey team that competed in the International Hockey League from 1987 to 1989. Prominent former Saginaw Hawks include goalie Ed Belfour. The team was formerly known as the Saginaw Generals from 1985 to 1987. The Sag ...

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 ...

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team, which currently plays in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Orig ...

Cincinnati Cyclones The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at Heri ...

and

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena ...

during his career. LeBlanc spent the final two seasons of his career with the

Jacksonville Lizard Kings The Jacksonville Lizard Kings were a professional ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formerly known as the Louisville Icehawks, they played in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) from 1995–2000. They played their home games in the ...

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 ...

and retired after the 1999–2000 season. LeBlanc appeared in one

game in his career, playing for the

during the 1991–92 season. His appearance came to allow the Blackhawks to exploit a loophole in the NHL's rules for the 1992 NHL Expansion Draft, where each team had to expose a goaltender who had appeared in at least one game during 1991–92. LeBlanc was activated and placed into his only game on March 10, 1992, therefore meaning the Blackhawks would not have to expose any of their top three goaltenders:

Ed Belfour Edward John Belfour (born April 21, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played junior hockey for the Winkler Flyers before going to the University of North Dakota where he helped the school win the National Collegia ...

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 ...

and

Jimmy Waite James Dean Waite (born April 15, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former goaltender. He currently serves as the goaltending coach for the Chicago Blackhawks. Playing career Waite was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec. As a youth, he ...

. LeBlanc allowed only one goal, earning the victory as the Blackhawks defeated the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

, 5–1.

International play

At the

, LeBlanc appeared in all eight games for the United States, compiling a record of 5–2–1 with two shutouts. The Americans finished out of the medals, however, as they lost 6–1 to

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

in the bronze medal game. He also played at the 1992 World Championships.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards

(best American-born rookie in the IHL): 1986–87 season

References

External links

*
Ray LeBlanc @ hockeygoaltenders.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leblanc, Ray 1964 births Living people American men's ice hockey goaltenders Carolina Thunderbirds players Chicago Blackhawks players Chicago Wolves (IHL) players Cincinnati Cyclones (IHL) players Flint Generals players Flint Spirits players Fort Wayne Komets players Ice hockey players from Massachusetts Ice hockey players at the 1992 Winter Olympics Indianapolis Ice players Jacksonville Lizard Kings players Kitchener Rangers players New Haven Nighthawks players Olympic ice hockey players for the United States Pineridge Bucks players Sportspeople from Fitchburg, Massachusetts Ice hockey people from Worcester County, Massachusetts Saginaw Hawks players Undrafted National Hockey League players