LeClair went from not making his high school team as a freshman to a three-time 50-goal scorer and Stanley Cup champion in the NHL.

The forward from St. Albans, Vermont, didn't make the team in his first year at Bellows Free Academy. But the Montreal Canadiens selected him in the second round (No. 33) of the 1987 NHL Draft after he scored 44 goals in 23 games in his senior season. Instead of turning pro, LeClair opted to attend the University of Vermont, where he struggled with injuries and inconsistency before scoring 25 goals as a senior.

The Canadiens signed LeClair after Vermont's season ended, and he finished with seven points (two goals, five assists) in his first 10 NHL games. He spent the next four seasons mainly as a middle-six forward, scoring 19 goals in 1992-93 and 1993-94 and joining Don Raleigh of the 1949-50 New York Rangers as the only players to score overtime goals in back-to-back games during the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. LeClair scored in OT to win Games 3 and 4 against the Los Angeles Kings, then became a Stanley Cup champion when the Canadiens won Game 5.

But after a slow start in 1994-95, LeClair was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 9, 1995. He immediately connected with center Eric Lindros and quickly became one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the NHL. LeClair, Lindros and right wing Mikael Renberg formed one of the League's biggest, most skilled lines, the "Legion of Doom," with LeClair becoming the first U.S.-born player to reach the 50-goal mark in three consecutive seasons (1995-96 through 1997-98). He also led the NHL with a plus-44 rating in 1996-97, when the Flyers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final before being swept by the Detroit Red Wings. That came after he scored six goals in seven games to help the United States win the World Cup of Hockey in 1996.

LeClair scored 43 goals in 1998-99 and 40 in 1999-00 before injuries began to slow him down. He missed all but 16 games in 2000-01 because of a back injury, rebounded to score 25 goals in 82 games in 2001-02, but was limited to 18 goals and 35 games in 2002-03 because of a shoulder injury. LeClair again bounced back in 2003-04, playing 75 games and scoring 23 goals. But when play resumed after the 2004-05 lockout, the Flyers bought out LeClair's contract, and he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He scored 22 goals for the Penguins in 2005-06, including the 400th of his NHL career March 29, 2006. But after a slow start the following season, LeClair retired Dec. 14, 2006. He finished his 16-year NHL career with 819 points (406 goals, 413 assists) in 967 games, as well as 89 points (42 goals, 47 assists) in 154 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

LeClair was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• ECAC Second All-Star Team (1991)
• NHL First All-Star Team (1995, 1998)
• NHL Second All-Star Team (1996, 1997, 1999)
• World Cup All-Star Team (1996)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
• Traded to Philadelphia by Montreal with Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne for Mark Recchi and Philadelphia's 3rd round pick (Martin Hohenberger) in 1995 NHL Draft, February 9, 1995.
• Signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh, August 15, 2005.
• Released by Pittsburgh, December 14, 2006.