Crunch
Goaltender Labbe Sets AHL Mark
with 172 Career Wins
Syracuse, NY - March 9, 2001- Syracuse Crunch Goaltender Jean-Francois Labbe set an American Hockey League record tonight, recording his 172nd career win. Labbe made 34 saves to lead the Crunch to a 4-3 victory over the Portland Pirates at the War Memorial at Oncenter.
The previous record of
171 wins was held by Peter Sidorkiewicz.
Acquired from the Hartford Wolfpack on November 9, Labbe has appeared in 34
games for the Crunch this season, posting a 13-14-5 mark with a 2.88 goals
against average and a .923 save percentage. No Crunch goaltender has ever
finished the season with a goals against average under 3.00.
Last season Labbe led Hartford to the Calder Cup Championship, appearing in
49 regular season games recording a 27-13-7 record with a 2.52 goals against
average and a .924 save percentage. He has appeared in 361 career AHL games
with P.E.I., Cornwall, Hershey, Hamilton and Hartford going 171-131-43.
A 5-foot-10, 172 pound native of Sherbrooke, PQ, Labbe has won two Calder
Cup Championships (1996-97, Hershey and 1999-00, Hartford), appearing in 67
career AHL playoff games, recording a 38-28 record.
A four-time AHL All-Star
(1995-98 and 1999-00), Labbe was named the Bud Ice Top Goaltender for the
Canadian All-Star Squad at the game played in Syracuse in 1998. Labbe was
named the AHL Most Valuable Player (Les Cunningham Award), the League's Top
Goaltender (Baz Bastien Memorial Trophy) and was named to the League's First
All-Star Team in 1996-97 after appearing in 66 games for the Hershey Bears,
posting a League best 34 wins and 2.52
goals against average. He was also a two-time winner of the Harry "Hap"
Holmes Memorial Award (1996-97 and 1999-00) for lowest team goals against
average.
Labbe appeared in one career NHL game with the New York Rangers.
Originally signed as a free agent by Ottawa on May 12, 1994, Labbe was traded
to Colorado by Ottawa for future considerations on September 20, 1995.
The Edmonton Oilers signed him as a free agent on September 2, 1997
before signing with the New York Rangers as a free agent on July 20, 1998.
Labbe become only the fifth goaltender in AHL history to score a goal on February
5, 2000. Labbe compiled a 104-55-5, along with a 3.43 goals against average
in 176 regular season games in four seasons with Trois-Rivieres and Hull of
the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
