Introduction
Mario Larocque (born April 24, 1978 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent who most recently played for the Stockton Thunder in the ECHL.
Playing career
Larocque was drafted in the first round, 16th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1996. He managed to play five NHL games for the Lightning during the 1998–99 NHL season, scoring no points with 16 penalty minutes. He spent the rest of that season in the International Hockey League with the Cleveland Lumberjacks before playing two seasons with the Detroit Vipers of the same league. After the IHL folded, he was signed by the Buffalo Sabres but was assigned to the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans and never saw any ice time with the Sabres.
He spent the next five seasons in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers and the United Hockey League with the Danbury Trashers and the Fort Wayne Komets, along with brief spells in the AHL for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In 2007, he joined Austrian team HC TWK Innsbruck and in September 2008 he signed with Sport Ghiaccio Pontebba. He then joined the EC Red Bull Salzburg on December 1, 2008, and later signed with the Nottingham Panthers on November 5, 2009.
Larocque signed with the Muskegon Lumberjacks on February 12, 2010. Larocque joined the Evansville IceMen in October 2010, after the team relocated from Muskegon, for his 13th pro season and first full campaign under Head Coach Rich Kromm after finishing last season with Kromm in Muskegon.
On January 15, 2014, Larocque opted for another venture abroad signing for the remainder of the season with the Braehead Clan of the EIHL.
Legacy
The 1996 NHL Entry Draft has been viewed as one of the weakest draft classes in NHL history. Larocque was one of nine players from this class that played less than 100 NHL games, having only played five career NHL games during his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.