François Leroux (born April 18, 1970) is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

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 (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

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

and

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

Playing career

A first-round draft choice of the

in the

1988 NHL Entry Draft The 1988 NHL entry draft was the 26th NHL entry draft. It was held at the Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Teemu Selanne, who retired after the 2013–14 season. Selections by round Be ...

, 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 Lee Clark (born October 26, 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, Tamp ...

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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

. 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 in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(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 Hal ...

where he took on Brent Grieve 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 Hoc ...

. 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. The ...

. 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 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 (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

forward Tony Twist 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 ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

of the International Hockey League and the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a 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 Arizona Co ...

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 o ...

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

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Pengui ...

before being traded, along with

Jan Hrdina Jan Hrdina (born February 5, 1976) is a Czech Republic, 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 ...

to the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

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 Predator ...

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. Playing career After playing three seasons in the ...

) 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 The Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH, ''"North American Hockey League"'') is a semi-Professional sports league organization, professional ice hockey league based in the Canadian province of Quebec. Teams in the LNAH compete for the Vertdu ...

(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 minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. On July 17, 2008, Leroux assumed the position of Commissioner of the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (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 BSC Preussen Berlin players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Cape Breton Oilers players Colorado Avalanche players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Edmonton Oilers draft picks Edmonton Oilers players Grand Rapids Griffins (IHL) players Ice hockey people from Laurentides Living people NHL first-round draft picks Ottawa Senators players 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