While Manny Legace isn't expected to be in goal as the Vancouver Canucks open their 2011-2012 NHL season on October 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, or even at the end of the bench, he could be on the team by the end of the season. Legace accepted a tryout (PTO) with the team Sept. 2, 2011 and his intention is to work hard and see what happens.
The native of Toronto is the winner of one Stanley Cup, backing up Dominek Hasek for the Detroit Red Wings win in 2002. He only got into a single game that playoff year and has only played 7 NHL playoff games but the 38-year-old could be a valuable commodity in the postseason if Roberto Luongo or back-up Cory Schneider were to get injured or traded.
For Legace to get get his name on the Cup a second time this is surely his last chance but his first order of the day is to earn a contract. That Vancouver came calling is a bit of a surprise and the 5'10" Legace, small by NHL standards, told Chuck Pleiness of Michigan's Macomb Daily Times that it was welcome.
Cut by New York Islanders
“I was set in trying to find a European job and now it’s a total 180,” Legace, who still makes his home near Detroit, told Pleiness. “It feels really good. We’ve talked to a few teams, but Vancouver came out of the blue. They weren’t even one of the teams we were talking to.”
He'd failed in a PTO with the New York Islanders last year, who went with Rick Di Pietro and Dwayne Roloson and who had a host of young goalies in the minors. He wound up playing in Germany but is ready and willing to start the season in the minors and whatever happens intends to show he has gas left in the tank.
Manny Legace in NHL
Legace has spent time with 4 NHL clubs, starting with the L.A. Kings, then Detroit, where for two years he was the starter and had a 37-8-3 record with a 2.19 GAA year in 2005-06. He also was the number one guy in St. Louis for a time, with back to back 6 shutout seasons there; his last NHL team was a fling in Carolina with the Hurricanes in 2009-10.
His career totals are NHL 367 games played and a record of 187-100-18 with a 2.42 GAA, a .911 save percentage and he's recorded 24 shutouts. His best year for shutouts was in 2005-06 in Detroit when he had 7.
This is not his first time with the Canucks, though he did not play in a game for them the first time around. In1999 Detroit put him on waivers and Mike Keenan and the Canucks snapped him up and he sat on the bench for 2 games while two injured Canuck goalies recovered. Keenan then put him back on waivers and he ended up back in Detroit.
Suitcase Manny Legace: Many Pro Teams
He's had many stops, including playing for the Canadian National team, the Richmond Renegades of the ECHL and Las Vegas Thunder, Long Beach Ice Dogs and Manitoba Moose of the IHL. In the AHL he's played for the Springfield Falcons, Grand Rapids Griffins, Peoria Riverman and Chicago Wolves; he also played in Russia during the lock-out and for the Isherlon Roosters in Germany.
If Legace makes a return to the AHL in Chicago, now affiliated with Vancouver, and complements Eddie Lack down there, he could be first in line, given Lack's youth at 23, for a promotion to Vancouver. Schneider could be traded, if not early then at the trade deadline, and it's even conceivable Luongo could be moved. Having a sharp Legace in the AHL would make a move easier for Vancouver.
“It’s awesome,” Legace said. “I got the call when I was on the golf course and they invited me. They’ve got four or five goalies coming to camp. We’ll see how it goes.”
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