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John LeClair to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
By Jonathan Atwood on July 28th, 2009 9:22 PM |
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Former Flyer John LeClair will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
The former Legion of Doom member spent 16 years in the NHL, 10 of them with the Flyers. He was the first American-born player to record three consecutive 50-goal seasons in the NHL.
“My playing days in Philadelphia were great, as were the fans,” LeClair said. “Obviously, I enjoyed most of my success 
when I was a member of the Flyers. It was a great time and a great time in my career. When I think back at hockey I think I am most associated with the Philadelphia Flyers.”
In 10 seasons (1994-2004) with the Flyers, he had 333 goals and 643 points, seventh on the club’s all-time goals and points lists. In addition to three consecutive 50-goal seasons, LeClair broke the 40-goal mark in five consecutive seasons (1995-2000) and finished in the top 10 in league scoring four times (1994-95, 1996-99).
He registered 406 goals and 413 assists for 819 points in 967 career games and was a member of the 1993 Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Champion team. He was traded the next year to the Phillies, a team he says he did not expect to have such success with.
“I was just hoping to get my career back on track so I could stay in the NHL for a little while longer,” LeClair said. “As things progressed obviously I had some success. A lot of that success was due to my teammates and being part of a great team. I was fortunate enough during my playing time here in Philadelphia to be a member of some really good teams and with team success I enjoyed a lot of individual success.”
LeClair was a member of the famous Legion of Doom line with Eric Lindros and winger Mikael Renberg that went to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings.
“Playing with those two guys was probably the biggest break I got in my career,” LeClair said. “Eric was by far the best player in the league at that time. When you are playing with the best player, he is only going to make you better and you are going to get a lot more opportunities to do things. My other linemate, Mikael, never got as much credit as he deserved. He was a tremendous player in this league.”
LeClair was also a two-time Olympian with 34 career points in 31 games with Team USA, including 22 goals.
