Patrick Lalime

Patrick Lalime (born July 7, 1974) is a Canadian ice hockey commentator and former professional ice hockey player who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres.

As a youth, Lalime played in the 1988 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Drummondville Voltigeurs minor ice hockey team.

Lalime played his junior hockey with the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL.

In 1992–93, Lalime posted a 10–24–4 record with a GAA of 4.67 and a .863 save percentage as the team failed to make the playoffs.

In the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Lalime was chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the sixth round, the 156th overall pick.

In 1993–94, he returned to the Cataractes and posted a 22–20–2 record with a GAA of 4.22.

In the playoffs, Lalime struggled badly with a 1–3 record and GAA of 6.73.

In 1994–95, Lalime moved to the Hampton Roads Admirals of the ECHL where he posted a solid 15–7–3 record, a GAA of 3.35 and save percentage of .898 until January 1995.

Then on January 26, Lalime signed a contract with the Penguins, who then assigned him to the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL.

He struggled with the Lumberjacks, with a 7–10–4 record and a 4.44 GAA and save percentage of .882.

In 1995–96, Lalime remained with the Lumberjacks, and helped lead the team to the playoffs with a 20–12–7 record, 3.86 GAA and save percentage of .893 in 41 games.

He was recalled to the Penguins twice in December 1995 and served as a backup goalie for nine games, but never saw any action.

He also served as a backup for the Penguins in the playoffs for four games and did not participate in Cleveland's playoff run.

Lalime went back to Cleveland for a third season in 1996–97 and remained with the Lumberjacks until early November.

The Penguins then called him up and Lalime made his NHL debut on November 16 against the New York Rangers, as he replaced Ken Wregget midway through the game, allowing three goals on 14 shots in an 8–3 loss.

Lalime's next appearance was on December 6, replacing Wregget after the first period down 2–0, but Lalime made 16 saves and the Penguins rebounded for a 5–3 win, giving him his first career victory.

Lalime was given the start the next night against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and he responded with 30 saves in a 5–3 victory.

Lalime would go on to set an NHL record with the longest unbeaten streak to begin a career (16 games with a 14–0–2 record) before suffering his first defeat on January 23, a 4–3 OT loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

During the streak, Lalime recorded his first shutout, a 4–0 win over the San Jose Sharks on December 13, and had a 49 save performance against the Calgary Flames on January 21, a 4–2 Penguins victory.

After the streak ended, Lalime cooled off for the rest of the season and finished off with a 21–12–2 record, 2.94 GAA and a save percentage of .913.

With Cleveland, Lalime was 6–6–2 with a 3.24 GAA.

He dressed as the backup to Ken Wregget during the Penguins five playoff games that year.

For his efforts, he was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team.

In 1997–98, Lalime and the Penguins could not agree on a contract, and he spent the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the IHL, appearing in 31 games and posting a 10–10–9 record with a team leading GAA of 2.61 and .918 save percentage.

On March 24, 1998, the Penguins traded his rights to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for Sean Pronger, but Lalime stayed with the Griffins, and played in one playoff game, allowing four goals in an overtime loss.

In 1998–99, he failed to make the Mighty Ducks team during the pre-season, and the club assigned him to the Kansas City Blades of the IHL.

Lalime rewrote the team's record book with a 39–20–4 record, a 3.01 GAA and a save percentage of .900.

He was named IHL goaltender of the month for March and earned a first team all-star selection after leading the league in wins, minutes played (3789) and saves (1708).

In the playoffs, Lalime went 1–2 with a 2.08 GAA as Kansas City lost to the Long Beach Ice Dogs in the first round.

The Mighty Ducks traded Lalime to the Ottawa Senators for Ted Donato and Antti-Jussi Niemi on June 18, and he opened the 1999–2000 season as a Senator as he and Ron Tugnutt would split duties.

Lalime began his Senators career with a 3–0 shutout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on October 2.

He would go on and have a solid season with a 19–14–3 record, a GAA of 2.33 and save percentage of .905.

The Senators would trade Tugnutt to Pittsburgh in March for Tom Barrasso, and Lalime would serve as his backup for the remainder of the season.

Lalime dressed for six playoff games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but did not see any action as the Senators were put out in the first round.

The Senators gave Lalime the starting job in 2000–01, and he responded with a 36–19–5 record, 2.35 GAA, and a save percentage of .914 and helped the Senators to winning the Northeast Division, despite missing ten games with a sprained left MCL in mid-October.

He was named NHL Player of the Week twice (November 27 – December 3 and February 12–18).

In the playoffs, the Senators would meet the Maple Leafs for the second consecutive season, and Lalime played very well, with a GAA of 2.39, however the Senators struggled to score goals and were eliminated in four games.

In 2001–02 Lalime had a 27–24–8 record, 2.48 GAA and .903 save percentage.

He was second in the league with seven shutouts and set a club record with a 149:41 shutout streak from October 23 to November 10.

Lalime retired from playing in 2011 to join the Réseau des sports (RDS) television network covering the Ottawa Senators, but has since left RDS to cover the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL for TVA Sports.