Mathieu Garon

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BIOGRAPHY

BORN: Chandler, Quebec, January 9, 1978.
HOME:
HEIGHT: 6'2"
WEIGHT: 182 lbs.
UNIFORM #: 30 (Montreal), 32 (Quebec, Edmonton, Pittsburgh), 31 (Manchester, Los Angeles).
CATCHES: Right.
JUNIOR TEAM: Victoriaville Tigers (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).

STYLE:
STRENGTHS: Mathieu has tremendous poise, is a hard worker, and has shown the ability to bounce back from adversity. Has an excellent glove hand.
WEAKNESSES:

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

"Like Theodore, Garon has a good attitude and the mental resilience to play goal in Montreal. Unlike Theodore, Garon is constantly down on the ice utilizing the butterfly style. The Canadiens are reluctant to change Garon's style at this stage. Not only is he big enough to cover the top of the net, but Garon has long legs, which he uses to cover the bottom of it. The Canadiens would like to see him become more patient and not go down so quickly." (Herb Zurkowsky, The Hockey News Future Watch 1998)

"At 6-foot-2 and 187 pounds, the Canadiens figure Garon's the ideal size to confound shooters. And, for a big man, Garon is incredibly mobile. He has quick feet and hands, along with good reflexes. Still, he struggled early this season with a young team in front of him. He found his raw talent, enough to get by in junior, could only take him so far in the pros. And with Theodore back in the minors, Garon hasn't seen as much playing time as he'd like." (Herb Zurkowsky, The Hockey News Future Watch 1999)

"Destined to be Montreal's goaltender of the future. Garonm's developing slowly at the pro level, but there's nothing wrong with that. He has tremendous work ethic as well as great reflexes. Garon was great in junior hockey, but struggled in his first season with Fredericton of the AHL." (The Sports Forecaster 1999-2000, p. 84)

"At 6-foot-2 and 182 pounds, Garon fills up a lot of space between the pipes. The Canadiens believe he possesses all the tools and natural ability to succeed at the big league level. He has good reflexes, a sound glove hand and is quick. The organization also likes his character - the one intangible, especially in Montreal, which can be the difference between success and failure. However, Garon must work on his consistency. Some games, he looks like a future star. But in others, he appears over his head in the American League." (Herb Zurkowsky, The Hockey News Future Watch 2000)

"A solid prospect at what happens to be the deepest position in the organization. Garon is a big goalie who is extremely talented. Like many young goaltenders, he must work on his puckhandling. Development accelerated with Jose Theodore in Montreal for the season. Garon will certainly spend another season on the farm but could get a handful of NHL games." (The Sports Forecaster 2000-01, p. 73)

"Garon finally made it to the NHL this season - his third as a pro - although it took a hand injury to veteran Jeff Hackett to open the door. Garon hasn't played with Montreal as often as he'd like, which has led to some inconsistency. But he also displayed some potential, recording a pair of shutouts against the Thrashers at Atlanta. Garon's main asset is his quickness. He also has a good glove hand. At 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, he can cover a lot of net, but needs to use his size more by remaining on his feet. He also must focus better and not get rattled after allowing bad goals." (Herb Zurkowsky, The Hockey News Future Watch 2001)

"The young netminder showed flashes of brilliance in his big-league baptism in 2000-01. Garon was excellent in his third pro season in the AHL last year and is confident in his ability to take the next step to the NHL. All he needs now is a trade with the big club to open up a roster spot. He has just about all the fundamentals along with great size and reflexes." (The Sports Forecaster 2001-02, p. 75)

"Has great glove hand. Needs to be better in big games. Very inconsistent." (Herb Zurkowsky, The Hockey News Future Watch 2002)

"Garon is a butterfly goaltender with outstanding size and reflexes. He has all the physical attributes to be a dominant goaltender but has struggled with consistency and the mental game. The Canadiens are still high on his NHL future but he won't get a shot at a starter's role anytime soon." (The Sports Forecaster 2002-03, p. 73)

"The trading of Jeff Hackett opened a roster spot for Garon. But the stellar play of Jose Theodore and Montreal's playoff hunt mean lots of bench time for Garon. Despite a solid performance in the AHL, the Canadiens still feel he needs to learn to play under pressure and win the big games. Like most Quebec goalies, he utilizes the butterfly style, he has quick legs and a good glove hand. But the team would like the 6-foot-2 goalie to utilize his size to stop pucks." (Herb Zurkowsky, The Hockey News Future Watch 2003, p. 28)

"After years of playing second fiddle to Jose Theodore in Montreal, Garon was dealt to L.A. in the summer of 2004 with an opportunity to finally emerge as a No. 1 goalkeeper. After a strong regular season in the AHL, he struggled in the playoffs. Still, he should get first crack to be L.A.'s starter." (The Sports Forecaster 2005-06, p. 100)

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SEASON RECORDS:

REGULAR SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   T  OL     GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
95-96 Victoriaville Tigers QMJHL  51   2709  18  27   0        189   4.19                    1   0   0    14
96-97 Victoriaville Tigers QMJHL  53   3026  29  18   3        148   2.93    1504   .902     6   0   1    14    29.82  951.30
97-98 Victoriaville Tigers QMJHL  47   2802  27  18   2        125   2.68    1368   .909     5   0   1     8    29.29  957.45
98-99 Fredericton Canadiens AHL   40   2222  14  22   2        114   3.08    1190   .904     3   0   1     8    32.13  957.76
99-00 Quebec Citadelles AHL       53   2884  17  28   3        149   3.10    1463   .898     2   0   1     6    30.44  948.88
00-01 Montreal Canadiens NHL      11    589   4   5   1         24   2.44     233   .897     2   0   0     0    23.74  936.55
      Quebec Citadelles AHL       31   1768  16  13   1         86   2.92    1071   .920     1   0   0    14    36.35  980.28
01-02 Quebec Citadelles AHL       50   2988  21  15  12        136   2.73    1658   .918     2   0   1     6    33.29  973.46
      Montreal Canadiens NHL       5    261   1   4   0         19   4.37     147   .871     0   0   0     0    33.79  927.07
02-03 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL       20   1150  15   2   2         34   1.77     537   .937     4   0   0     0
      Montreal Canadiens NHL       8    482   3   5   0         16   1.99     267   .940     2   0   0     0
03-04 Montreal Canadiens NHL      19   1003   8   6   2         38   2.27     480   .921     0   0   0     2
04-05 Manchester Monarchs AHL     52   2969  32  14   4        105   2.12    1443   .927     8   0   3     4
05-06 Los Angeles Kings NHL       63   3446  31  26       3    185   3.22    1738   .894     4   0   3     8
06-07 Los Angeles Kings NHL       32   1779  13  10       6     79   2.66     849   .907     2   0   1     6
SIX (6) NHL SEASONS              138   7650  60  56   3   9    361   2.83    3714  0.903    10   0   4    16

POST-SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
95-96 Victoriaville Tigers QMJHL  12    676   7   4   38   3.37                    1
96-97 Victoriaville Tigers QMJHL   6    330   2   4   23   4.18                    0
97-98 Victoriaville Tigers QMJHL   6    345   2   4   22   3.83                    0   0   0     0
98-99 Fredericton Canadiens AHL    6    208   1   1   12   3.46                    0   0   0     0
99-00 Quebec Citadelles AHL        1     20   0   0    3   9.00                    0   0   0     0
00-01 Quebec Citadelles AHL        8    459   4   4   22   2.88                    1   0   1     4
01-02 Quebec Citadelles AHL        3    198   0   3   12   3.63      95   .874     0   0   0     0
03-04 Montreal Canadiens NHL       1     12   0   0    0   0.00       6  1.000     0   0   0     0
04-05 Manchester Monarchs AHL      6    285   2   4   17   3.58     159   .893     0   0   0     0
ONE (1) NHL POSTSEASON             1     12   0   0    0   0.00       6  1.000     0   0   0     0

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