Manny Legace

Manny Legace (Born February 4, 1973 in Alliston, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. Legace currently plays for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings.

Playing Career

Legace was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, eighth round, 188th overall. Prior to being selected, Legace played in the OHL with the Niagra-Falls Thunder and in the Roller Hockey League RHI for the Toronto Planets. Legace spent the 1993-1994 season as a member of the Canadian National Team and played in 16 games.

From there, Legace spent a lengthy apprenticeship in the minor leagues, largely for the AHL's Springfield Falcons between 1994-98. He was a star with Springfield, garnering First Team All-Star honors and the AHL's leading goaltender award in 1996.

He also played a brief stint for the ECHL's Richmond Renegades in 1996-97, and for the IHL's Las Vegas Thunder in 1997-98. On July 31, 1998, the Carolina Hurricanes (the former Whalers), traded Legace to the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional draft pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Although he spent most of the 1998-1999 season with the IHL Long Beach Ice Dogs, Legace got his first NHL start with the Kings. While he played well in limited action for Los Angeles, he signed with the Detroit Red Wings on July 15, 1999. However, since the Red Wings had both Chris Osgood and Ken Wregget as veteran goaltenders, Legace was left unprotected on waivers. He was then claimed by the Vancouver Canucks on September 29, 1999. Yet almost two weeks later, on October 13, 1999, Legace was reacquired by the Red Wings from the waiver wire when the Canucks in turn left him unprotected. While Legace spent most of his time playing for the IHL's Manitoba Moose, he did get some action in playing for the Red Wings, posting a perfect 4-0-0 record.

In training camp the next season, Legace beat out Wreggett to establish himself as the backup goaltender to Chris Osgood. Osgood had a very slow start, and Legace subsequently saw much action. Posting a 24-5-5 record in 39 games, Legace looked less like a backup goaltender and more as a prominent force to be reckoned with. However, Osgood regained his stride and resumed starting duties in the playoffs.

With the 2001-02 season, Legace became backup to Dominik Hasek, one of the best goaltenders of all-time. Legace played in a mere 20 games and only saw playoff action to relieve Hasek during a rather humiliating loss to the St. Louis Blues (hockey); nevertheless, the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup that season.

The next season, with the retirement of Hasek and the signing of star goaltender Curtis Joseph, Legace did see his workload increase from 20 games to 25 games in the 2002-03 season, but remained a backup.

At the start of the 2003-04 season, Hasek made the startling decision to come out of retirement and return to the Red Wings. Curtis Joseph was still being paid $8 million a year and, due to his hefty contract, was not looking to be traded or picked up by a team. While Legace was initially going to be the 3rd goalie behind two goaltending juggernauts, the Red Wings opted to send Joseph to the minors, while Legace was going to backup Hasek. Having taken a year off, Hasek had lost his form. Due to this, Legace became the starting goaltender with Hasek backing him up.

Soon after, Legace ended up injured as well, leaving the Red Wings to call up Joseph from the minors, along with Joey MacDonald to serve as his backup. Once Legace returned, MacDonald was sent back to the minors, while Legace and Joseph ended up serving as the new goaltending tandem of the Detroit Red Wings. Soon after, Hasek announced he was not going to return for the season.

As soon as Joseph and Legace became the solid goaltending tandem, Joseph injured his ankle in a contest against the San Jose Sharks, leaving Legace to be the starting goaltender and having Marc Lamothe serve as his backup. Before the season was over, Joseph returned to the Red Wings and Lamothe was returned to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Red Wings were set to face off against the Nashville Predators in the opening round of the 2004 Playoffs. While Legace won the first two games, he did not perform to team expectations and was pulled in the middle of the fourth game in favor of Joseph, who ended up backstopping for the remainder of the series. The Red Wings would eventually win the series but lost the next.

Legace played in Russia during the NHL lockout in 2004-2005, but eventually decided to sit the season out, favoring to be close to his residence in Novi, Michigan.

Legace is the NHLPA Representative for the Detroit Red Wings.

Awards

• Member of the 2001-2002 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings.

Related Link:

• List of NHL players