Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Options Author
Eighteen professional seasons, journeys to the waiver wire, enjoying within the Stanley Cup Last, battling accidents, going abroad, coming again to the AHL as a veteran and mentor.
And now, the American Hockey League Corridor of Fame.
Michael Leighton, who performed for 11 completely different NHL organizations in 13 separate AHL cities, piled up loads of awards and classes alongside the best way. The street began with the Norfolk Admirals as a Chicago Blackhawks prospect in 2001-02, securing a spot on the AHL All-Rookie Workforce.
“It was an enormous studying curve,” stated Leighton, who lived with a few teammates in Virginia Seaside that season. “Generally it simply takes time to construct your sport and construct confidence and work out your id as a goalie. And I simply did that over time and all through my profession.
“It turned out OK.”
It actually did. In all, Leighton logged 507 regular-season AHL video games, seventh-most in league historical past amongst goaltenders. His 250 wins put him fifth all-time, and his 50 shutouts rank first, breaking a report held by Johnny Bower. He completed with a 2.38 goals-against common and .916 save share in internet over an AHL profession that had stops in Norfolk, Rochester, Portland, Philadelphia, Albany, Adirondack, Rockford, Charlotte, Syracuse, Chicago, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Ontario and Utica.
Leighton additionally performed 111 NHL video games for Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia and Carolina, his profession peak coming in 2010 when he helped to take the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Last towards the Blackhawks, the staff that had drafted him 11 years earlier.
It was a journey, one which Leighton would have been glad to proceed had his physique allowed him. He was a workhorse from his first season on, enjoying 52 video games for the Admirals as a rookie and crossing the 50-game mark two different occasions. He needed the web, and his play and physique allowed him to have it. It was solely within the latter half of his profession that his physique started to disclaim him as he handled accidents and a bout of viral meningitis.
Now 43 years previous and operating the Michael Leighton Goalie Academy in Windsor, Ont., he’s carrying these on- and off-ice classes with him to mentor the following era. He runs his personal present but nonetheless is ready to go these hockey and life classes on to his college students.
Classes like a wild 2006-07 season by which he was claimed off waivers thrice and traded as soon as, making him a part of 5 NHL organizations in lower than 12 months. Nevertheless it was that commerce – a 2007 draft-day deal from Montreal to Carolina – that turned out to be the break that Leighton wanted, even when he did spend many of the following marketing campaign with Albany. He performed a career-high 58 video games in 2007-08 and received the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Award because the league’s excellent goaltender. He additionally had a memorable postseason, making headlines throughout hockey with a single-game report 98 saves in a five-overtime contest towards Philadelphia.
By the next 12 months, Leighton lastly caught within the NHL full-time with the Hurricanes as he and his rising household settled in North Carolina. However in 2009-10, the Hurricanes elected to herald veteran Manny Legace, pushing Leighton out of the crease.
One other alternative was fizzling on him, this time at age 28.
“I wouldn’t say it [angered] me, however it upset me, proper?” Leighton admits. “I needed that spot. They picked Manny over me, put me on waivers. That sort of burned in me somewhat bit.”
The Flyers wanted assist and claimed Leighton, getting themselves a goaltender with one thing to show.
Leighton received eight of his first 10 appearances for Philadelphia.
“I went to Philly with a very good angle simply considering I’d solely be there for every week or two after which go play with the (Adirondack) Phantoms,” Leighton continued. “They gave me a possibility when (Brian) Boucher obtained damage, and simply the boldness the staff had in me, and the gamers, we simply clicked.
“I performed a bunch of video games in a row, was feeling good, and the staff was enjoying properly. There was no stress on me as a result of we had been out of a playoff spot by far. Simply obtained in somewhat rhythm and was enjoying good, and all of it clicked collectively.”
That April the Flyers certified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs of their ultimate regular-season sport. After defeating New Jersey within the first spherical, they fell behind three video games to none towards Boston of their second-round collection. With Boucher injured, Leighton posted a shutout in Sport 5, fended off the Bruins in Sport 6, after which held the Flyers in lengthy sufficient to take a 4-3 comeback win in Sport 7. They took care of Montreal within the Japanese Convention Last to arrange a match-up with the Blackhawks.
The Flyers’ run finally led to extra time of Sport 6, however Leighton obtained an opportunity to savor an expertise that even most NHL veteran netminders by no means do.
“Once you go to a sport,” Leighton stated, “the place everybody stands up the entire sport, it’s fairly loopy, proper? Round city everybody had Flyers flags, and it was simply so lengthy since that they had received. Everybody within the metropolis knew who you had been and was rooting for us. We misplaced, and it was disappointing, however the followers had been nonetheless nice, they usually nonetheless discuss that run to at the present time.”
After that spring run in Philadelphia, although, he performed just one sport the following season for the Flyers. A herniated disc at coaching camp sidelined him. The second half of his profession largely was spent within the AHL. A high-ankle sprain, again surgical procedure and hip surgical procedure within the span of a 12 months and a half slowed quite a lot of his profession momentum. He obtained caught behind Ilya Bryzgalov in Philadelphia after which Sergei Bobrovsky in Columbus. These are the breaks that include a profession in hockey.
After one season within the Kontinental Hockey League, Leighton returned to the AHL in 2014 and stuffed a useful function as a mentor for younger goaltender and a dependable call-up choice. He labored with the likes of Alex Nedeljkovic, Tristan Jarry, Casey DeSmith and Connor Ingram on their strategy to the NHL.
Leighton completed his profession with stops in Syracuse, Chicago, Wilkes-Barre, Ontario and Utica over his ultimate two seasons. The wear and tear and tear had taken a toll. His household had stayed again in LaSalle, Ontario. In the long run, as pushed and as a lot of a workhorse as he was, Leighton selected household.
“It was simply time to name it quits,” Leighton stated. “However realistically, I felt game-wise I may have saved enjoying within the AHL for one more two or three years.”
He was in a position to end his profession with loads of recollections and an iron-clad fame as the last word professional.
“I believe my mindset was I all the time needed to play hockey for a dwelling and being despatched to the AHL wasn’t the worst factor for me,” Leighton stated. “There’s clearly a purpose for it. I needed to both change the best way I performed or do issues higher, and so each time I obtained despatched down, I took it as a problem. I went down and didn’t settle for staying there. My purpose was to play within the NHL.
“I’d go down and work arduous, do the precise issues, and have a very good angle that I ultimately wish to get again to the NHL, and it labored.”
On that journey, Leighton – and his household, it have to be famous – went by way of 5 trades, 4 waiver claims, and 5 occasions signing as a free agent. However he all the time left a very good impression, even coming again for return stints with the Philadelphia, Carolina and Chicago organizations. It was a hectic, far-flung, unsure life-style at occasions, however one which was value it.
However so is that this extra secure post-playing life. Leighton spent elements of three seasons as a goaltending coach with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League, the identical membership that he had performed for as an adolescent greater than 20 years earlier. And after the Leighton household winding by way of all of these cities, now they’ve a secure house base.
He continues to be concerned in hockey, whereas giving his spouse Jennifer, their youngsters Ella, Annalise and Theodore, and, frankly, himself, the secure life that they battled to acquire for thus lengthy.
“I’m at house now,” Leighton stated. “I’m with my youngsters. I’m teaching them, and I’m with them on a regular basis, and that’s what it’s all about for me proper now – being with my household.”
On the American Hockey League beat for 20 years, TheAHL.com options author Patrick Williams additionally at the moment covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is an everyday contributor on SiriusXM NHL Community Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his excellent protection of the league in 2016.
