Claude Lapointe

Claude Lapointe
Born	(1968-10-11) October 11, 1968 Lachine, Quebec, Canada
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Quebec Nordiques Colorado Avalanche Calgary Flames New York Islanders Philadelphia Flyers SC Bern
National team	Canada
NHL draft	234th overall, 1988 Quebec Nordiques
Playing career	1989–2007

Claude Lapointe (born October 11, 1968) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. In his career, Lapointe played for the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, and Philadelphia Flyers.

Early life

Lapointe grew up in the city of Lachine, Quebec. As a child all he did was play hockey. As a teenager his first job was not an average job. It was playing in the QMJHL. Players in this league got paid just like players in the NHL do, just not as much money. Other than this, Lapointe had no other occupations other than hockey. He was offered a scholarship by the University of Michigan but he refused it.

Playing career

He was drafted by the Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche) in the 12th round of the 1988 NHL Draft, with the 234th overall pick. Lapointe spent most of his NHL career with the New York Islanders. He was there from the 1996–97 season to the 2002–03 season. While with the New York Islanders, he received many honors such as many NYI Fan club MVP awards and three Bob Nystrom awards, which is awarded to the player who most exemplifies leadership, hustle, and dedication. He also received awards for reaching the 800 game mark, (over 1000 NHL games including reg. season, playoffs, and pre-season), over 100 goals. Other achievements include being named Assistant captain with the Islanders, ranking among the Top 3 in the NHL for face-off win percentage for 15 years consecutively - his entire NHL career. Similarly, Lapointe was among the league's elite in terms of physical conditioning. In 1999, he represented Canada at the IIHF World Hockey Championships in Norway, only to lose to Sweden in the bronze medal game.

Lapointe was a strategic player with great anticipation skills, incredible skating skills and played every shift with intensity. He had an in-your-face hockey style but was well-liked and well-respected by coaches, teammates, referees, and management around the league. During the 2002–03 season he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers and in 2004, Lapointe retired from the NHL.

Personal life

Lapointe has two sons: Kirk and Kody. He coaches and trains aspiring hockey players both on ice and off ice. His training and technical approach has raised eyebrows and gotten much notice from junior and NHL general managers. Lapointe's ability to rapidly develop and hone talent far exceeds the norm - He consistently takes Midget BB kids and transforms them into high Midget Espoir and AAA draft choices in as little as three months with targeted on and off ice regimens. Lapointe credits his motivational approach and his attention to detail as the keys to successfully understanding what each player needs to keep them improving beyond what they think they are capable of achieving.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1985–86	Trois-Rivières Draveurs	QMJHL		72	19	38	57	74		5	2	4	6	14
1986–87	Trois-Rivières Draveurs	QMJHL		70	47	57	104	123		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Laval Titan	QMJHL		69	37	83	120	143		13	2	17	19	53
1988–89	Laval Titan	QMJHL		63	32	72	104	158		17	5	14	19	66
1989–90	Halifax Citadels	AHL		63	18	19	37	51		6	1	1	2	34
1990–91	Halifax Citadels	AHL		43	17	17	34	46		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		13	2	2	4	4		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		78	13	20	33	86		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		74	10	26	36	98		6	2	4	6	8
1993–94	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		59	11	17	28	70		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		29	4	8	12	41		5	0	0	0	8
1995–96	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		3	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Saint John Flames	AHL		12	5	3	8	10		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Calgary Flames	NHL		32	4	5	9	20		2	0	0	0	0
1996–97	Utah Grizzlies	IHL		9	7	6	13	14		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	New York Islanders	NHL		73	13	5	18	49		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	New York Islanders	NHL		78	10	10	20	47		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	New York Islanders	NHL		82	14	23	37	62		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	New York Islanders	NHL		76	15	16	31	60		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	New York Islanders	NHL		80	9	23	32	56		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	New York Islanders	NHL		80	9	12	21	60		7	0	0	0	14
2002–03	New York Islanders	NHL		66	6	6	12	20		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		14	2	2	4	16		13	2	3	5	14
2003–04	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		42	5	3	8	32		1	0	0	0	0
2003–04	Philadelphia Phantoms	AHL		2	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	SC Bern	NLA		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Trois-Rivières Caron & Guay	LNAH		18	1	12	13	27		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				879	127	178	305	721		34	4	7	11	44

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database