Brooks Laich

At 41 years old, Brooks Laich has this physical status:

Evan Brooks Laich (born June 23, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently an unrestricted free agent.

He has appeared in over 750 National Hockey League (NHL) games with four franchises: the Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and, most recently, with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2017-18 NHL season. Laich was first drafted by the Senators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft and was later transferred to the Capitals as part of the Peter Bondra trade.

Laich spent time in the Western Hockey League (WHL) before playing for the Moose Jaw Warriors and Seattle Thunderbirds.

He has represented Canada internationally, winning a silver medal at the 2003 World Junior Championships and playing for Canada again at the 2010 World Hockey Championships.

Personal life

Laich has two siblings, an older sister, and a younger brother. His father served as both a high school coach and principal. In his free time, he plays guitar and golf. Joe Sakic, a Colorado Avalanche star, was Laich's most popular player growing up. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who aspired to be captaining, was his favorite team. He is active in charitable causes, including multiple sclerosis charities and Athletes Against Autism. Laich helped his hometown of Wawota buy a Zamboni for the local arena while still playing junior hockey.

After a Game 7 loss in the 2010 playoffs, Laich received national media attention when he began to assist two stranded Capitals fans in changing their flat tire. When Laich discovered the woman and her teenage daughter stranded on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, he apologized for the club's early loss in the playoffs. Laich was named as the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year by hockey analyst Michael Farber for his efforts. "It's not a big deal" when asked about the incident. It was just a tire. The lady was stranded on the side of the road, and I discovered that it was just a woman and her daughter, and my tire knowledge outweighed hers."

In February 2014, it was revealed that Laich started dating professional dancer and actress Julianne Hough. Laich and Hough engaged on August 18, 2015, according to Laich and Hough, who revealed it on Instagram. The couple were married on July 8, 2017. They lived in Los Angeles, California, with their husky named Koda. They announced their divorce on May 29, 2020, but they were reunited by early September. On November 2, 2020, Hough filed for divorce.

Following his separation from Hough, Laich revealed his friendship with former CrossFitter and two-time Crossfit Games champion Katrn Davsdóttir on Instagram.

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Playing career

Laich began playing minor hockey in Wawota, Saskatchewan, where he grew up. He was the top scorer and most valuable player for the Midget AAA Tisdale Trojans from 1999-2000. He was the runner-up for league MVP.

During the 2000-2001 season, Laich began his junior hockey with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He appeared in 71 games with the Warriors, scoring nine goals and adding 21 assists. Laich was a dedicated student in Moose Jaw for the 2000–01 season and was named club's Scholastic Player of the Year. He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the sixth round, 193rd overall, of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft's sixth round, 193rd overall. He spent the 2001-2002 season with the Warriors, but he was traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds with Tomás Moj, Craig Olynick, and Stas Avksentiev. The contract was unpopular among Warriors fans, because Olynick left the team and Avksentiev never revealed.

Laich spent the remainder of his junior season with the Thunderbirds. He started to develop offensive games in the 47 games he played in Seattle, finishing off the 2001-02 season with 58 points. Laich has said that being sent to Seattle was a smart move for him, with coach Dean Chynoweth giving him ample opportunities to showcase his talents. After the 2001-2002 season, he was named the team's Most Dedicated Player. In his first full season with the Thunderbirds (2002–03), his offensive game flourished, leading the team with 41 goals and 53 assists. These statistics put him sixth overall in the WHL points race. He was named WHL's Western Conference MVP. He was also selected to the Western Conference First All-Star Team and the Canadian Hockey League's Third All-Star Team.

Before the 2002–03 season, Laich attended the Ottawa Senators training camp. In 2003, he appeared in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Binghamton Senators for the first time. On February 3, 2003, he made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut with the Senators against the New Jersey Devils. Laich and his second round draft pick, Peter Bondra, were traded to the Washington Capitals later this season, capping Bondra's 14-year tenure with the Capitals. He joined the Portland Pirates, the Capitals' AHL affiliate, after the trade, making his AHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 12, 2003. He appeared in six playoff games throughout the season while forging the Pirates. The Laichout helped Laich play in 68 games through the season, finishing eighth on the team in scoring with 16 goals and ten assists in the 2005–05 season.

Laich played in 104 regular season and playoff games for the Capitals and their new AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, in 2005–06; this tied him for the most games played in the organization with Boyd Gordon. He started the season in the AHL but was optimistic about his chances to play in the league but said, "You've just got to work hard." Guys could go down with an injury, so you want to be the first one called up." He spent the majority of the season at the NHL level, appearing in 73 games and scoring 21 points. Laich returned to the Bears for their playoff run and scored eight goals in 21 games, as well as helping the team win the Calder Cup. Laich had been with the Capitals for the full 2006–07 season, scoring eight goals and giving ten assists. After the season, Laich and the Capitals went to salary arbitration, where he was given a one-year deal worth $725,000.

During the 2007-08 season, Laich played in all 82 games for the Capitals, and set career records in goals, assists, and points. His 21 goals ranked third on the team overall. In his 200th regular season game, he led the Capitals with two short-handed goals and played in his 200th career regular season game. Laich summed up his scoring philosophy after a two-goal game against the Atlanta Thrashers: "If you want money, go to the bank." If you like bread, go to the bakery. Go to the net if you want goals. In the Eastern Conference quarter-finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, Laich had a five-game streak during the playoffs. During the first round of the playoffs, he tied for his longest point streak. Laich signed a three-year contract with the team on July 9, 2008. He was a restricted free agent until the season.

For the first time in his career, Laich scored in all 82 games for the Capitals, where he set new career records in goals, assists, and points; he scored 23 goals and 30 assists, surpassing the 50-point plateau for the first time in his career. Laich played in 14 games and gained seven points during the Capitals' playoff run. In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Final against the eventual Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins, he helped with the overtime winning goal.

In the 2009–10 season, Laich's streak of consecutive games played was broken, when he missed four games due to a cheekbone injury in February 2010. He still managed to set new career records in both goals (25) and assists (34). Laich had his first NHL hat trick against the Montreal Canadiens on February 10, just after recovering from injury. During Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens, Laich scored the last goal of the Capitals season.

The Capitals appeared in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh. Both teams were on HBO's 24/7, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse at both teams as they prepared. Laich denied to blame the camera for the team's losing streak, saying, "There is no such thing as a crutch or an annoyance." There is no excuse. I don't think HBO has played a single bit of an ounce in how the last two weeks have gone. Laich was appreciative of the outdoor game's benefits, and he was thrilled to spend time with his family and friends at Heinz Field.

Laich signed a six-year, $27 million contract extension worth $4.5 million per year on June 28, 2011.

"At some point you have to dig your heels in and fight," Laich, the Washington Capitals' representative during the 2012 NHL-NHLPA CBA talks, said in favor of the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA). What happens if we don't have time this time? Appeasement makes the perpetrator more vicious, and the players are well aware of this. We believe in our cause and our leadership, and I believe we are more united this time and excited for a confrontation."

Laich played for the Kloten Flyers of Switzerland's National League prior to the lockout-shortened 2012-2013 playing season. Laich scored 17 goals and 38 points in 35 games for the Flyers. He also sustained a groin injury, which limited his participation in the league's return stateside. Laich was limited to nine games when the 2012-2013 season came to an end.

The Capitals announced on Twitter that Laich "underwent a fruitful procedure to reveal a tight adductor," a portion of the groin muscle. With a recovery time of four-to-six weeks, he is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Except for a minor shoulder injury that resulted in him missing 16 games, Laich returned to full fitness in 2014-15. In 66 games played, he had seven goals and 20 points.

Laich's offensive output in the 2015–16 season slowed dramatically, though his $4.5 million cap strike stood out as one of the few negatives of a league-leading Capitals squad. The Capitals placed Laich on waivers for the express purpose of transporting him to the Hershey Bears of the AHL on February 27, 2016. Laich, along with Connor Carrick and a second round pick (Carl Grundström) in the 2016 draft, were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, his boyhood team, in exchange for Daniel Winnik and a fifth round pick (Beck Malenstyn) in the 2016 draft. The intention of the trade was to allow the Capitals salary cap to be used for younger core player contracts that needed to be re-signed following off-season. When asked, Capitals General Manager Brian Maclellan said the trade was the hardest thing he had done as General Manager of the team. At the time of the trade, Laich had been the longest serving professional Washington-area celebrity, spanning his 12 years with the firm. "It's ironic that money is what ultimately drove the Caps to move Laich," one analyst wrote in what remains the most emotional trade in Capitals history after Laich was traded to Washington in a package for Peter Bondra. This is a guy who loves the game so much that he'd probably play for free."

Laich returned to Washington a few days later, where the Capitals paid their respects to him with a video tribute during the first period and a long-awaited ovation from the hometown supporters and former players. The Maple Leafs will lose the game 3-2. Laich's offensive numbers increased dramatically in Toronto, showing similar numbers to what he saw in Washington when playing in a third of the games.

Laich was unsigned as a free agent with the Maple Leafs over the summer. He later signed a try-out deal to attend the Los Angeles Kings' training camp. Despite suffering early from an injury, Laich returned to form in the preseason, but the 2017-18 season was not announced until after. In a one-year, $650,000 contract on October 19, 2017, with the Kings suffering from injury in the early stages of the campaign, he returned to the fold. Laich was put on waivers by the Kings on November 25, and the Ontario Reigns, the Kings' AHL affiliate, was later assigned to Laich's AHL affiliate. After appearing in 12 games with the Kings and before reigning to the Reign, Laich was placed on unconditional waivers, opting for a mutual termination of his service on November 27, 2017. Laich officially announced his resignation on June 25, 2021.

Career statistics

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