François Leroux (born April 18, 1970) 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 ...

player. At 6'6" and over 240 pounds, Leroux was a physical, defensive-minded defenceman who amassed 577 penalty minutes in his NHL career. In his NHL career, he played with the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

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 ...

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

and

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

Playing career

A first-round draft choice of the

in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Leroux made his NHL debut with the

during the 1988–89 season, playing two games. He split time between Cape Breton and Edmonton from 1989 to 1993. On September 17, 1990, in his first pre-season game, Leroux fought

Wendel Clark Wendel L. Clark (born October 25, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. His professional career lasted from 1985 until 2000, during which time he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques, New York Islanders, Tampa ...

of the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

. On January 4, 1991, Leroux's first regular season fight as a pro came in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL) as a member of the

Cape Breton Oilers The Cape Breton Oilers were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team was the top minor league affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Oilers' organization relocated the team from Hali ...

where he took on

Brent Grieve Brent J. Grieve (born May 9, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left wing and coach. He played 97 games in the National Hockey League with four teams between 1993 and 1996. Playing career As a youth, Grieve played in the 1982 ...

of the

Capital District Islanders The Capital District Islanders were a team in the American Hockey League based in Troy, New York, which is located within a region popularly called the Capital District. The Islanders were the principal minor league affiliate of the National Hock ...

. On March 24, 1992, Leroux received his first NHL fighting major after fighting Tim Hunter of the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

. Leroux claimed on waivers by the

on October 6, 1993. Leroux played 23 games for the Senators before being sent down to the

Prince Edward Island Senators The Prince Edward Island Senators were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1993 to 1996. Originally located in New Haven, Connecticut, for 21 seasons, including one as the affiliate of the National ...

in the AHL, where he remained until the completion of the 1993–94 season. On January 18, 1995, the

claimed Leroux in the NHL Waiver Draft. On March 26, 1996, Leroux beat

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

forward

Tony Twist Anthony Rory Twist (born May 9, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played left wing in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques, and was a feared enforcer. Twist penned a foreword to the Ross Bernstein boo ...

in a fight. Leroux received a match penalty for the fight, and it was determined that he had tape over his knuckles before fighting. Prior to the start of the 1997–98 season, Leroux was traded to the

for a third-round pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. Following his stint with the

, Leroux was not offered an NHL contract. He later played for the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and play home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey Leag ...

of the International Hockey League and the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a former ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ar ...

of the AHL. He later spent one season in the German Elite League playing for Berlin Capitals. The Penguins signed Leroux to a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

on July 16, 2002. Leroux played 57 games for the

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliates of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre ...

before being traded, along with

Jan Hrdina Jan Hrdina (born February 5, 1976) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. Playing career Hrdina was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft in the 5th round, 128th overall. In March 2003, the Pittsburgh Peng ...

to the Phoenix Coyotes for three prospects (forwards

Ramzi Abid Ramzi Abid (born March 24, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player of Tunisian descent, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers and the Nashville Predat ...

and Guillaume Lefebvre, and defenceman

Dan Focht Dan Focht (born December 31, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, 11th overall, in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. After playing three seasons in the Western Hockey Le ...

) on March 16, 2003. Leroux made a second stop at Springfield, as they were now the Coyotes' AHL affiliate. He played six games before announcing his retirement from the NHL on September 6, 2003.

Post retirement

On February 2, 2006, Leroux was lured out of retirement by the Saint-Jean Summum Chiefs of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH), which had the reputation as "the world’s roughest hockey league." He picked up 42 penalty minutes with the Chiefs. On November 21, 2007, after practicing on and off with the team, Leroux signed with the

Wheeling Nailers The Wheeling Nailers are a professional ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey Lea ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

. On July 17, 2008, Leroux assumed the position of Commissioner of the

Mid-Atlantic Hockey League The Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (MAHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league in the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regions of the United States. The league began play in November 2007. The league was a low level league designed to help ex juni ...

(MAHL). Leroux's role as league commissioner included hosting a weekly MAHL radio show and representing the league at regular season and post-season games. Leroux's tenure as commissioner was short-lived however, with the MAHL disbanding on September 23, 2008.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leroux, Francois 1970 births Berlin Capitals players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Cape Breton Oilers players Colorado Avalanche players Edmonton Oilers draft picks Edmonton Oilers players Grand Rapids Griffins (IHL) players Ice hockey people from Quebec Living people National Hockey League first-round draft picks Ottawa Senators players People from Laurentides Pittsburgh Penguins players Prince Edward Island Senators players Saint-Jean Castors players Springfield Falcons players Victoriaville Tigres players Wheeling Nailers players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany