| Paul Laus | |
| |
| Position | Defenceman |
| Shoots | Right |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Teams | Florida Panthers |
| Nationality |  Canadian
|
| Born | September 26, 1970, Beamsville, Ontario, CAN |
| NHL Draft | 37th overall, 1989 Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Pro Career | 1993 – 2002 |
Paul Laus (born September 26, 1970 in Beamsville, Ontario) is a former professional ice hockey player.
Career[]
Born in Beamsville, Ontario, Laus was a Junior B standout with the St. Catharines Falcons before joining the OHL. He spent three years with the Hamilton Steelhawks/Niagara Falls Thunder franchise and was selected 37th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his first three years as a pro in the IHL and ECHL, including a stint with the short-lived Albany Choppers.
The rugged blueliner was claimed by the Florida Panthers in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft. His solid defensive work and willingness to take on the toughest players in the league made him a valuable player on the club as it set an NHL record for expansion teams with 83 points. Two years later, he scored two goals and was a workhorse in 21 games as the Panthers reached the Stanley Cup finals. Laus continued to be an enforcer and team leader through the end of the 2000–01 season and was the only person to play in all of the club's first eight seasons. His grit and determination made him a fan favorite and he is still one of the most beloved all-time Panthers along with Scott Mellanby.
However, injuries limited Laus to only 70 games over his last two seasons. After his latest wrist injury in 2002, he never would play another professional game. Eventually, Paul Laus officially retired and moved back to Ontario after being snubbed by the club (see link below).
Career statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1986–87 | St. Catharines Falcons | OHA-B | 40 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 56 | |||||||
| 1987–88 | Hamilton Steelhawks | OHL | 56 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 171 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | ||
| 1988–89 | Niagara Falls Thunder | OHL | 49 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 225 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 56 | ||
| 1989–90 | Niagara Falls Thunder | OHL | 60 | 13 | 35 | 48 | 231 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 71 | ||
| 1990–91 | Albany Choppers | IHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||||
| 1990–91 | Knoxville Cherokees | ECHL | 20 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 83 | |||||||
| 1990–91 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 35 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 103 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 1991–92 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 75 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 248 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 70 | ||
| 1992–93 | Cleveland Lumberjacks | IHL | 76 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 427 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | ||
| 1993–94 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 39 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 109 | |||||||
| 1994–95 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 37 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 138 | |||||||
| 1995–96 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 78 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 236 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 62 | ||
| 1996–97 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 77 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 313 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 77 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 293 | |||||||
| 1998–99 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 75 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 218 | |||||||
| 1999–00 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 77 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 172 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2000–01 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 66 | |||||||
| 2001–02 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 45 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 157 | |||||||
| 9 years | Totals | NHL | 530 | 14 | 58 | 72 | 1702 | 30 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 74 | ||
| Preceded by Scott Mellanby |
Florida Panthers captains 2001–02 with Pavel Bure |
Succeeded by Olli Jokinen |