Mario Lessard

Mario Lessard
Date of birth	June 25, 1954
place of birth	East Broughton , Quebec , Canada
size	175 cm
Weight	86 kg
position	goalkeeper
Catch hand	Left
Draft
NHL Amateur Draft	1974 , 9th round, 154th position Los Angeles Kings
WHA Amateur Draft	1974 , 9th lap, 128th position Québec Nordiques
Career stations
1969-1974	Sherbrooke Castors
1974-1977	Saginaw Gears
1977-1988	Springfield Indians
1978-1984	Los Angeles Kings

Mario Lessard (born June 25, 1954 in East Broughton , Québec ) is a former Canadian ice hockey goalkeeper who played for the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League from 1978 and 1984 .

Career

Lessard played during his junior years for the Sherbrooke Castors in the QMJHL , where he shared the place in goal with Reggie Lemelin . Both goalkeepers were selected in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft , Lessard being selected in the ninth round as 154th and 29 places behind Lemelin. In the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft , the Quebec Nordiques secured the rights to him in the eleventh round as 157th.

He gained his first experience in the senior sector with the Saginaw Gears in the IHL . There he developed well. After three years there he moved to the AHL for the Springfield Indians .

After he had convinced there too, the Los Angeles Kings brought him to the NHL for the 1978/79 season . The Kings had given up their previous goalkeeper Rogatien Vachon and now relied on Lessard and Ron Grahame . Lessard convinced with 23 wins and four shutouts , the first of which in his debut game on October 26, 1978 against the Buffalo Sabers . In the following years up to the 1981/82 season he was the first goalkeeper for the Kings and represented his team once at the NHL All-Star Game .

In the following two years his performance deteriorated. He had to go to the Birmingham South Stars in the CHL and the New Haven Nighthawks in the AHL. In 1984 he ended his active career.

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Victory cut	Conceded goal	Shutouts
Regular season	6th	240	0.383	3.74	9
Playoffs	4th	20th	0.300	4.38	0

Sporting successes

• Turner Cup : 1977

Personal awards

• IHL First All-Star Team: 1977
• AHL Second All-Star Team : 1978
• NHL Second All-Star Team : 1981
• Participation in the NHL All-Star Game : 1981

Web links

• Mario Lessard at hockeydb.com (English)
• Mario Lessard at hockeygoalies.org
• Mario Lessard at legendsofhockey.net (English)