Brad Larsen's first Blue Jackets staff is likely complete.
Longtime NHL blueliner and current San Diego Gulls assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre has been named a team assistant responsible for defense and the penalty kill, according to a report from The Athletic's Aaron Portzline, which was confirmed by the club this afternoon.
Lefebvre joins Pascal Vincent, hired last week with responsibility for the offense and power play, as Larsen's primary assistant coaches. The three coaches will all be on three-year deals according to the report.
"Sylvain was an honest, hard-working defenseman who was undrafted out of junior, but turned himself into a player with over 1,000 NHL regular season and playoff games and a leader on a Stanley Cup championship team," said Larsen. "He brings that same dedication and work ethic to coaching and will be a great asset for our players and our coaching staff."
Lefebvre was a head coach in the AHL for 456 games, spending six seasons piloting Montreal's AHL teams, first with the Hamilton Bulldogs, then the St. John's IceCaps, and finally in Laval with the Rocket. In 2018, the Canadiens organization parted ways with Lefebvre, and he found a home on Kevin Dineen's staff with the Gulls.
Lefebvre, 53, played 945 NHL games in a 14-year career that included stints in Montreal, Toronto, Quebec/Colorado, and finally in New York with the Rangers.
A defense-first player, Lefebvre could throw a punch in his day.
The Richmond, Quebec native signed with the Canadiens as an undrafted free agent in 1986. In 1989, he made his debut with the Habs, where he played three seasons before being dealt to the Maple Leafs. After spending two years in Toronto, Lefebvre was traded to the Nordiques as part of the Wendel Clark/Mats Sundin blockbuster in 1994.
Lefebvre got his name etched on the Stanly Cup in 1996 while playing for the Avalanche. When it was his turn to take the Cup for a day that summer, he made news by having his daughter, Alexanne, baptized in the Cup. She would grow up to play varsity women's ice hockey for the Concordia University Stingers and currently works in Montreal.
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | Laval Voisins | QMJHL | 66 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 31 |
| 1985–86 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 71 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 48 |
| 1986–87 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 70 | 10 | 36 | 46 | 44 |
| 1986–87 | Sherbrooke Canadiens | AHL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Sherbrooke Canadiens | AHL | 79 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 73 |
| 1988–89 | Sherbrooke Canadiens | AHL | 77 | 15 | 32 | 47 | 119 |
| 1989–90 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 68 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 61 |
| 1990–91 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 63 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 30 |
| 1991–92 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 69 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 91 |
| 1992–93 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 81 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 90 |
| 1993–94 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 84 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 79 |
| 1994–95 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 48 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 17 |
| 1995–96 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 75 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 49 |
| 1996–97 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 71 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 30 |
| 1997–98 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 81 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
| 1998–99 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 76 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 48 |
| 1999–00 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 43 |
| 2000–01 | New York Rangers | NHL | 71 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 55 |
| 2001–02 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 15 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| 2001–02 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 23 |
| 2002–03 | New York Rangers | NHL | 35 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2003–04 | SC Bern | NLA | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| NHL TOTALS | 945 | 30 | 154 | 184 | 674 | ||
| Data: Wikipedia | |||||||
