Marc Laforge Explained

Position:Defence
Shoots:Left
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lb:215
Birth Date:January 3, 1968
Birth Place:Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Career Start:1987
Career End:2001
Draft:32nd overall
Draft Year:1986
Draft Team:Hartford Whalers
Played For:Hartford Whalers
Edmonton Oilers

Marc Laforge (born January 3, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted in the second round, 32nd overall, by the Hartford Whalers in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He played nine games with the Whalers in the 1989–90 season before they traded him to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Cam Brauer on March 6, 1990.[1] He would eventually play five games with the Oilers during the 1993–94 season.

After playing three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kingston Canadians, the enforcer Laforge joined the Sudbury Wolves for the 1987–88 OHL season. Fourteen games into the season, Laforge was involved a postgame brawl with the Guelph Platers. Laforge attacked eight different Platers while they were involved in other fights, and he was also accused of driving Plater goaltender Andy Helmuth's head into the ice. Laforge was given a two-year suspension from the league (the equivalent of a lifetime ban for a 19-year-old in a league with an age limit of 21) for his actions, ending his career as a junior player.[2] Laforge later referred to the incident as "the dumbest thing I've ever done."[3]

Laforge amassed over 3,000 penalty minutes in his professional hockey career.[3] As a junior player, he set the Kingston Canadians all-time record for career penalty minutes with 686.[4] In his fourteen-game NHL career, he scored no points and spent 64 minutes in the penalty box. In addition, he holds the Manitoba Moose record for penalty minutes in a single period, tallying 37 in the first period of a 1997 game against the Long Beach Ice Dogs.[5]

Career statistics

Team League GP GPG A Pts PIM
1984–85Kingston CanadiansOHL57 1 5 6 214
1985–86Kingston CanadiansOHL60 1 13 14 24810 0 1 1 30
1986–87Kingston CanadiansOHL53 2 10 12 22412 1 0 1 79
1986–87Binghamton WhalersAHL4 0 0 0 7
1987–88Sudbury WolvesOHL14 0 2 2 68
1988–89Indianapolis IceIHL14 0 2 2 138
1988–89Binghamton WhalersAHL38 2 2 4 179
1989–90Binghamton WhalersAHL25 2 6 8 111
1989–90Cape Breton OilersAHL3 0 1 1 243 0 0 0 27
1989–90Hartford WhalersNHL9 0 0 0 43
1990–91Cape Breton OilersAHL49 1 7 8 217
1991–92Cape Breton OilersAHL59 0 14 14 3414 0 0 0 24
1992–93Cape Breton OilersAHL77 1 12 13 20815 1 2 3 78
1993–94Salt Lake Golden EaglesIHL43 0 2 2 242
1993–94Cape Breton OilersAHL14 0 0 0 91
1993–94Edmonton OilersNHL5 0 0 0 21
1994–95Cape Breton OilersAHL18 0 1 1 80
1994–95Syracuse CrunchAHL39 1 5 6 202
1995–96Minnesota MooseIHL20 0 2 2 102
1996–97San Antonio DragonsIHL67 1 7 8 3117 0 0 0 26
1997–98Anchorage AcesWCHL27 1 10 11 1248 1 2 3 14
1997–98Manitoba MooseIHL7 0 0 0 4
1998–99San Antonio IguanasCHL58 0 8 8 3027 0 0 0 43
1999–00San Antonio IguanasCHL61 2 15 17 243
2000–01San Diego GullsWCHL4 0 1 1 12
2000–01Bakersfield CondorsWCHL2 0 1 1 27
2000–01Indianapolis IceCHL49 1 5 6 175
NHL totals1400064
AHL totals322748551,45326123136
IHL totals15111314797700026

Notes and References

  1. http://oilfans.com/playerStats.php?firstname=Marc&lastname=Laforge OilFans.com: #20 Marc Laforge
  2. http://www.prohockeyfights.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21&sid=ecb103ac78c8285318aba4c67ef70781 Rough House Hockey: Marc Laforge articles
  3. http://members.tripod.com/nhltoughguys/news/97.htm Marc Laforge still fighting, Toronto Star, November 8, 1998
  4. http://www.kingstonfrontenacs.com/history/canadians-ohl.html All-time roster for the Kingston Canadians (OHL)
  5. http://www.moosehockey.com/history/individualrecords.php Manitoba Moose Individual Records