Francis Lessard (born May 30, 1979) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

. He last played with the Trois-Rivières Blizzard of

Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey The Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH, ''"North American Hockey League"'') is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in the Canadian province of Quebec. Teams in the LNAH compete for the Vertdure Cup. History The league was fou ...

(LNAH). He has played for the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...

and

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

of the NHL, but has spent most of his career in the AHL. Lessard is generally known as an enforcer for his physical style of play and his ability to protect his teammates during a game.

Playing career

As a youth, Lessard played in the 1992 and 1993

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

s with the Rive-Nord Elites

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...

team. Drafted from the

QMJHL The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...

Val-d'Or Foreurs The Val-d'Or Foreurs are a junior ice hockey team based in Val-d'Or, in the region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, Canada. The team was founded for the 1993–94 season of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, a member of the Canadian Hockey ...

, Lessard's rights were traded to the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

in 1999 while still at junior level. He spent three seasons with their AHL affiliate the

Philadelphia Phantoms The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played most of its home games at the Spectrum (arena), Spectrum ...

before he was traded to the

. With the Thrashers, Lessard made his

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

debut with the Thrashers during the 2001–02 season. In that season, Lessard won the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...

with the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

. Lessard played 91 games over four seasons with Atlanta before moving to the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

organization in 2006. He played two seasons for the

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the XL Center. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. After a ...

of the AHL before signing with the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

in 2008, playing two seasons for the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...

of the AHL. He signed with the Ottawa Senators in August 2010.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

* 1997-98 -

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

All-Star Team

Transactions

* August 8, 2010 - Signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Ottawa Senators. * July 3, 2008 - Signed as a free agent by the Phoenix Coyotes. * September 13, 2006 - Invited by the New York Rangers to training camp. * March 15, 2002 - Atlanta Thrashers traded

David Harlock David A. Harlock (born March 16, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played collegiate hockey with the University of Michigan before being drafted 24th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. ...

and third-round (

Tyler Redenbach Tyler Redenbach (born September 25, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing for Oji Eagles in the Asia League Ice Hockey (AL). Redenbach was selected 77th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2003 NHL Entry Dra ...

) and seventh-round (

Joe Pavelski Joseph James Pavelski (born July 11, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the San Jose Sharks for the first thirteen years of ...

) selections in 2003 to the Philadelphia Flyers for Francis Lessard. * May 25, 1999 - Carolina Hurricanes traded Francis Lessard to the Philadelphia Flyers for eighth-round selection ( Antti Jokella) in 1999. * June 21, 1997 - Drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round (80th overall) in 1997.

References

External links

* 1979 births Living people Atlanta Thrashers players Binghamton Senators players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Carolina Hurricanes draft picks Chicago Wolves players Drummondville Voltigeurs players French Quebecers Hartford Wolf Pack players Ice hockey people from Montreal Ottawa Senators players Philadelphia Phantoms players San Antonio Rampage players Val-d'Or Foreurs players {{Canada-icehockey-defenceman-1970s-stub