Mark Laforest

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Mark Laforest
Born (1962-07-10) July 10, 1962 (age 61)
Welland, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Philadelphia Flyers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1983–1997

Mark Andrew Laforest, sometimes written as Mark LaForest, (born July 10, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 103 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators between 1985 and 1994. After retiring as a player, Laforest coached minor hockey in Wainfleet, Ontario.

Junior hockey[edit]

Laforest joined the Niagara Falls Flyers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) during the 1981–82 season.[1] He played in 24 games, with a record of 10 wins, 13 losses and 1 tie (10–13–1), with a single shutout and a goals against average (GAA) of 4.62.[2] The following season the Flyers were relocated and renamed the North Bay Centennials.[3] With the Centennials he appeared in 54 games with a record of 34–17–1 and a GAA of 3.73.[2]

Professional[edit]

Detroit Red Wings[edit]

Laforest went undrafted by teams of the National Hockey League (NHL) and became a free agent. He signed a multi-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings in May 1983 and was assigned to the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.[4] Laforest split the 1983–84 season between the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL and the Kalamazoo Wings of the International Hockey League (IHL) and between Adirondack and the Mohawk Valley Stars of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League in the 1984–85 season.[2] He began the 1985–86 season with the team unsure of his development. However, Laforest had a strong training camp and earned a spot with Adirondack.[5] Laforest took advantage of the opportunity, earning a record of 9–0–0 before being recalled by Detroit in relief of Greg Stefan. Laforest made his NHL debut on December 3, 1985 in a 4–1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, saving 35 of 36 shots, letting only Dave Poulin score against him.[1][6] He remained with Detroit until March, with a record of 4–21–0, a GAA 4.95 and a save percentage of .846.[2][5] Laforest was returned to Adirondack and backstopped them to the playoffs and winning the 1986 Calder Cup championship. He signed a new contract with Detroit in the offseason.[5]

That same offseason Detroit acquired Glen Hanlon from the New York Rangers to tend the goal alongside Stefan[7] and Laforest returned to Adirondack for the 1986–87 season. He starred for the AHL Red Wings with a record 26–8–2 in 37 games with a GAA of 2.83 and a save percentage of .911.[8] For his play in the AHL, Laforest won the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the league's best goaltender. He was recalled by Detroit and made his season debut in the NHL on January 24, 1987 in a 5–3 loss to the St. Louis Blues with Rob Ramage scoring two of the goals against him.[9] Laforest earned his first NHL win of the season in his next game for Detroit on January 31, a 4–2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, with teammate Joe Kocur scoring twice in the third period.[10][11] He played in five NHL games that season in total, going 2–1–0 with a GAA of 3.30 and a save percentage of .892.[2] With his path blocked in Detroit by Hanlon, Stefan and prospect Sam St. Laurent, Detroit traded Laforest to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second round draft choice in the 1987 NHL entry draft.[8]

Philadelphia Flyers[edit]

With his trade to the Flyers, Laforest was expected to compete for the backup job behind Ron Hextall.[8] However, Hextall had been suspended for eight games to start the season and Laforest became the opening night goaltender for the Flyers. In his first game on October 8, 1987, he registered a 2–2 tie with the Montreal Canadiens.[12] Laforest was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 8, 1989 for a fifth and a seventh round draft choice in the 1991 NHL entry draft.[13]

Toronto Maple Leafs[edit]

Laforest gained notoriety with the Maple Leafs fans after he took part in a line brawl between his team and the New Jersey Devils on October 23, 1989. Taunted by Devils goaltender Sean Burke, Laforest skated to Burke's end and the two fought twice before being thrown out of the game.[14] He played his last game for the Maple Leafs on March 28, 1990. Laforest was traded to the New York Rangers on June 29, 1990 along with forward Tie Domi for forward Greg Johnston.[13]

New York Rangers[edit]

The Rangers sought to limit their exposure in the 1992 NHL expansion draft by making a side deal with the expansion Ottawa Senators. Only two players per team could be selected by the expansion teams and the Rangers sought to limit who they would lose by offering to trade two young players to the Senators for future considerations if the Senators selected Laforest. The Senators agreed, but after the draft began, the Rangers reneged and demanded a draft pick to seal the deal. The Senators refused, and the Rangers came with a counter-offer; for selecting Laforest the Rangers would offer only one of the two young players and the Rangers final draft pick in the 1992 NHL entry draft. The Senators selected Laforest in the expansion draft.[15]

Ottawa Senators and final years[edit]

In his final season, Laforest played with the Utica Blizzard of the Colonial League. He was recalled to the Binghamton Rangers in an emergency when goaltender Dan Cloutier was recalled by the New York Rangers to cover for an injured Mike Richter.[16]

Personal[edit]

Laforest's younger brother Bob also played in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings.

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1980–81 Welland Cougars GHJHL 22 — — — 1262 117 0 5.56 — — — — — — — — —
1981–82 Niagara Falls Flyers OHL 24 10 13 1 1365 105 1 4.62 — 5 1 2 300 19 0 3.80 —
1981–82 Welland Cougars GHJHL 20 — — — 1200 60 3 3.00 — — — — — — — — —
1982–83 North Bay Centennials OHL 54 34 17 1 3140 195 0 3.73 — 8 4 4 474 31 0 3.92 —
1983–84 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 7 3 3 1 351 29 0 4.96 .855 — — — — — — — —
1983–84 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 13 4 5 2 718 48 1 4.01 — — — — — — — — —
1984–85 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 11 2 3 1 430 35 0 4.88 .842 — — — — — — — —
1984–85 Mohawk Valley Comets ACHL 8 — — — 420 60 0 8.57 — — — — — — — — —
1985–86 Detroit Red Wings NHL 28 4 21 0 1383 114 1 4.95 .846 — — — — — — — —
1985–86 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 19 13 5 1 1142 57 0 2.99 .896 17 12 5 1075 58 0 3.24 —
1986–87 Detroit Red Wings NHL 5 2 1 0 219 12 0 3.29 .892 — — — — — — — —
1986–87 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 37 23 8 0 2229 108 3 2.83 .911 — — — — — — — —
1987–88 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 21 5 9 2 972 60 1 3.70 .874 2 1 0 48 1 0 1.25 —
1987–88 Hershey Bears AHL 5 2 1 2 309 13 0 2.52 .917 — — — — — — — —
1988–89 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 17 5 7 2 933 65 0 4.12 .871 — — — — — — — —
1988–89 Hershey Bears AHL 3 2 0 0 185 9 0 2.92 .889 12 7 5 744 27 1 2.18 —
1989–90 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 27 9 14 0 1343 87 0 3.89 .886 — — — — — — — —
1989–90 Newmarket Saints AHL 10 6 4 0 604 33 1 3.28 .905 — — — — — — — —
1990–91 Binghamton Rangers AHL 45 25 14 2 2452 129 0 3.16 .902 9 3 4 442 28 1 3.80 —
1991–92 Binghamton Rangers AHL 43 25 15 3 2559 146 1 3.42 .883 11 7 4 662 34 0 3.08 .904
1992–93 New Haven Senators AHL 30 10 18 1 1688 121 1 4.30 .878 — — — — — — — —
1992–93 Brantford Smoke CoHL 10 5 3 1 565 35 1 3.72 .882 — — — — — — — —
1993–94 PEI Senators AHL 43 9 25 5 2359 161 0 4.09 .881 — — — — — — — —
1993–94 Ottawa Senators NHL 5 0 2 0 182 17 0 5.60 .823 — — — — — — — —
1994–95 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 42 19 13 7 2325 123 2 3.17 .899 15 8 7 937 40 2 2.56 .915
1995–96 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 53 26 20 7 3079 191 0 3.72 .882 5 2 3 315 18 0 3.42 .888
1996–97 Binghamton Rangers AHL 9 0 4 1 393 26 0 3.97 .876 — — — — — — — —
1996–97 Utica Blizzard CoHL 6 1 2 2 312 31 0 5.95 .805 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 103 25 54 4 5032 354 2 4.22 .868 2 1 0 48 1 0 1.25 .917

Awards[edit]

  • 1987, 1991: Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award (Outstanding Goaltender AHL)
  • 1991 AHL Second All-Star Team

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Rookie Goalie Awakens Wings". The Phoenix. December 4, 1985. p. D16. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Mark Laforest". hockeydb.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  3. ^ McPhee 1999, p. 206.
  4. ^ "Wings Sign Goalie". Toledo Blade. May 6, 1983. p. 21. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Kane, Mike (October 9, 1986). "Adirondack Player Profiles". Schenectady Gazette. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "Goalie Mark Laforest stopped 35 shots in his NHL..." UPI. December 3, 1985. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "Sports People; Wings Get Hanlon". The New York Times. July 30, 1986. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Kane, Mike (June 15, 1987). "Laforest Hopes Trade Will Bring Him a Ring". Schenectady Gazette. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "Detroit Red Wings 3 – 5 St. Louis Blues". National Hockey League. January 24, 1987. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "Detroit Red Wings 4 – 2 Toronto Maple Leafs". National Hockey League. January 31, 1987. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  11. ^ "Kocur Leads Wings Over Maple Leafs". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. February 1, 1987. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  12. ^ "Canucks Adams' Makes His Point". The Telegram. Associated Press. October 9, 1987. p. 20. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Podnieks 2001, p. 207.
  14. ^ Hornby, Lance (November 4, 2020). "Once a Leaf: Ill-advised fight the lasting Leafs legacy for goalie Mark Laforest". Toronto Sun. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  15. ^ MacGregor 1993, pp. 2–4.
  16. ^ "AHL Notebook". The Daily Gazette. January 26, 1997. p. E8. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

References[edit]

  • MacGregor, Roy (1993). Road Games: A Year in the Life of the NHL. Toronto: MacFarlane Walter & Ross. ISBN 0-921912-70-6.
  • McPhee, Tracy (1999). Chasing the Dream: A Player's Guide. Burnstown, Ontario: General Store Publishing House. ISBN 1-894263-01-4.
  • Podnieks, Andrew (2001). The Essential Blue & White Book: A Toronto Maple Leafs Factbook. Vancouver: Greystone Books. ISBN 1-55054-882-4.

External links[edit]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award
1986–87
1990–91 		Succeeded by
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