Brooks Laich

Evan Brooks Laich ( born June 23, 1983) is a Canadian ice hockey player with the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. Laich was originally drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, and was later traded to the Capitals as part of the package for Peter Bondra. Before playing professionally, Laich spent time in the Western Hockey League playing with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Seattle Thunderbirds. He has represented Canada internationally, capturing a silver medal at the 2003 World Junior Championships, and playing for Canada again at the 2010 World Hockey Championships. Laich is one of the team's leaders, and plays in all situations for the Capitals.

Minor
Laich started playing minor hockey in his hometown of Wawota, Saskatchewan. During the 1999–2000 season, was the top scorer and most valuable player for the midget AAA Tisdale Trojans. He was the runner up for league MVP.

Junior
Laich started his junior hockey career with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) during the 2000–01 season. He played in 71 games with the Warriors, scoring nine goals and adding 21 assists. Laich was a dedicated student in Moose Jaw, being awarded the club's Scholastic Player of the Year for the 2000–01 season. After the season, he was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He started the 2001–02 season with the Warriors, but was traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds along with Tomas Mojzis for Craig Olynick and Stas Avksentiev. The deal was unpopular with Warriors fans, as Olynick left the club and Avksentiev never reported.

Laich spent the rest of his junior career with the Thunderbirds. He started to develop more of an offensive game, finishing off the 2001–02 season with 58 points in the 47 games he played in Seattle. Laich has said that getting traded to Seattle was a good move for him, with coach Dean Chynoweth providing ample opportunities for him to display his skills. He was named the team's Most Dedicated Player after the 2001–02 season. His offensive game flourished further in his first full season with the Thunderbirds (2002–03), as he finished the season with 41 goals and 53 assists, leading the team. These stats placed him sixth overall in the WHL points race. He was named the WHL's Western Conference MVP. He was also named to the WHL's Western Conference First All-Star Team, and the Canadian Hockey League's Third All-Star Team.

Professional
Laich's first professional experience was brief, when he attended the Ottawa Senators training camp before the 2002–03 season. He played his first professional game in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Binghamton Senators in 2003. He made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut with Ottawa Senators on February 3, 2003 against the New Jersey Devils. Later in the season, Laich was traded to the Washington Capitals along with a second round draft pick for Peter Bondra, a deal which ended Bondra's 14 year career with the Capitals. After the trade, he reported to the Capitals AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, and made his debut with the Capitals on March 12, 2003 against the Chicago Blackhawks. He finished the season playing with the Pirates, appearing in six playoff games. The NHL lockout saw Laich spend the entire 2004–05 season with the Pirates, playing in 68 games, finishing eighth on the team in scoring with 16 goals and 10 assists.

During the 2005–06 season, Laich played in 104 regular season and playoff games between the Capitals and their new AHL affiliate Hershey Bears, this tied him for the most games played in the organization with Boyd Gordon. After training camp, he started the season in the AHL, but was optimistic about his chances to play in the NHL, saying "You've just got to work hard. There's spots up there, guys could go down with an injury, you want to be the first guy called up." He spent most of the season at the NHL level, playing in 73 games and recording 21 points. After the Capitals season was over, Laich rejoined the Bears for their playoff run and scored 8 goals in 21 games while helping the team capture the Calder Cup. Laich played the entire 2006–07 season with the Capitals, scoring eight goals and adding ten assists. After the season, Laich and the Capitals went to salary arbitration, and he was awarded a one year contract worth $725,000.

Laich played in all 82 games for the Capitals during the 2007–08 season, and set career highs in goals, assists and points. His 21 goals ranked third overall on the team. He led the Capitals with two short handed goals, and played in his 200th career regular season game. After a two goal game against the Atlanta Thrashers, Laich summed up his philosophy towards scoring, "If you want money, go to the bank. If you want bread, go to the bakery. If you want goals, go to the net." During the playoffs, Laich had a five game point streak in the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. This tied him for the longest point streak during the first round of the playoffs. As a restricted free agent after the season, Laich signed a three year deal with the team on July 9, 2008.

The 2008–09 season saw Laich play in all 82 games for the Capitals again, and set new career highs in goals, assists and points. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists, breaking the 50-point plateau for the first time in his career. During the Capitals playoff run, Laich played in 14 games and added seven points. He assisted on the overtime winning goal in game six of the Eastern Conference Semi-Final against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Laich's streak of consecutive games played was broken in the 2009–10 season, when he missed four games with a cheekbone injury in February 2010. He still managed to set new career highs in both goals (25) and assists (34). On February 10, shortly after returning from injury, Laich recorded his first career NHL hat trick against the Montreal Canadiens. During the playoffs, Laich scored the last goal of the Capitals season during Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens.

During the 2010–11 season, the Capitals participated in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Leading up to the game, both teams were featured on HBO's 24/7, which offered a behind the scenes look at both teams as they prepared. Laich refused to blame the presence of the cameras for the team's losing streak, saying "There's no using the HBO cameras as a crutch or an annoyance or anything like that. There's no excuse. I don't think HBO has played any bit of an ounce in how things have gone the last two weeks." Laich was appreciative of the opportunities afforded by the outdoor game, and was happy to be able to share time with his family and friends on the outdoor rink set up at Heinz Field.

On June 28, 2011, Laich signed a 6-year contract extension, worth $27 million over the 6 years, $4.5 million a season.

International play
Laich debuted with Team Canada at the 2003 World Junior Championships, which were held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In a game against Sweden, Laich scored Canada's first goal of the tournament. He scored two goals and added four assists in six games at the tournament, where Canada won a silver medal. According to his father, Harold, his son had always dreamed of playing for Canada. Laich's next experience with Team Canada came at the 2010 World Championships. He scored one goal in seven games as Canada finished seventh. During the tournament in a game against Russia, Laich raised the ire of his Capitals' teammate Semyon Varlamov for slashing and cross-checking Alexander Ovechkin. Varlamov said of Laich's play "...Brooks Laich was constantly trying to slash and cross-check him (Ovechkin) as painful [sic] as possible. After the game he certainly wished me luck and victory at the world championship, but the unpleasant impression still remains."

Playing style
In 2009, Capitals' head coach Bruce Boudreau believed that Laich had not yet reached his full potential, saying "...I still don't think we've seen the best of Brooks. I think he's going to be a 25-, 30-goal scorer in this league and become a staple for a while." Boudreau also said Laich is considered one of the hardest working players on the Capitals' roster by his coaches and teammates. Part of Laich's inspiration comes from his father, who during a 34 year tenure as a high school principal only missed three days of work. Laich plays on the Capitals power play and kills penalties in addition to his ice time at even strength. Superstar Alexander Ovechkin is the Capitals current captain, but Laich has been lauded for his leadership and was considered for a more formal role in the team's leadership structure in 2009.

Laich is a hard worker, and dedicated to his team, saying: "If I asked you about your family, you would talk about them forever because it's something you love. That's the way I feel about this team. This team is my life, and I love playing here and I'm passionate about playing hockey. So it's easy for me to talk about it." Boudreau says "You are never going to find a guy that cares more than Brooks Laich." Laich spends time in the off-season with a power skating instructor, which he feels is key to a long career.

Personal life
Laich has two siblings, an older sister and younger brother. His father worked as a high school teacher and principal. In his free time, he plays guitar and golfs. Colorado Avalanche star Joe Sakic was Laich's favorite player growing up. He is actively involved in charity work, supporting charities related to multiple sclerosis and Athletes Against Autism. While still playing junior hockey, Laich helped his hometown of Wawota raise money to purchase a Zamboni for the local arena.

Laich received national media attention when he stopped to help two stranded Capitals fans change their flat tire after a Game 7 loss in the 2010 NHL playoffs. When he came across the woman and her teenaged daughter stranded on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, Laich stopped to install their spare and apologized for the club's early loss in the playoffs. For his efforts, Laich was Michael Farber's nominee for the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. When asked about the incident, Laich responded "It's not a big deal. It was just a tire. The lady was stranded on the side of the road, I saw that it was just a lady and her daughter, and I figured my tire expertise outweighed hers."

Junior and professional
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International
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