André Racicot

André Racicot, Jr., (born June 9, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender, most famous for his time with the Montreal Canadiens with whom he won the 1993 Stanley Cup as the backup goaltender to Patrick Roy.

Career Racicot started his National Hockey League (NHL) career in 1989 with the Montreal Canadiens. He had been selected in the 4th round, 83rd overall, of the 1989 NHL entry draft following a successful career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Granby Bisons.

Montreal already had established first-team duo Patrick Roy and Brian Hayward who had won three William M. Jennings Trophy in a row from 1986 to 1989. As a result, Racicot's first season was spent largely on the Sherbrooke Canadiens farm team, but he finally made his NHL debut on December 9, 1989, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he allowed three goals on six shots in just less than 13 minutes before being replaced. It was his only NHL appearance of the 1989–90 NHL season. He shared the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award for fewest goals allowed in the AHL in 1990 with fellow understudy Jean-Claude Bergeron.

The 1990–91 season saw regular understudy Hayward traded to the Minnesota North Stars. As a result, Racicot split time with the Fredericton Canadiens and Montreal, as he battled with Jean-Claude Bergeron and Frédéric Chabot for second-string duties.

The following 1991–92 season saw Roland Melanson brought in as an experienced backup, reducing Racicot's opportunities significantly as he again spent a large portion of the season with Fredericton. In his 9 appearances for Montreal, he was winless, while Roy appeared in 67 games to earn another Jennings Trophy.

In 1992–93 Racicot had his most successful season for Montreal. While Roy appeared in the majority of games (62 of the 84 possible) Racicot saw action in 26 games, winning 17. The Canadiens made their way to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. Racicot saw only 18 minutes of action in the playoffs as Roy backstopped the unfancied Montreal to their first Stanley Cup win since 1986.

The following year Racicot again faced competition for his second string position, with Ron Tugnutt and Les Kuntar splitting playing time. His performances dipped, and ultimately he was released at the end of the 1994 season.

Racicot left the NHL after the 1994 season, spending several seasons with various teams in the AHL, International Hockey League, and East Coast Hockey League. The 1999–2000 season saw Racicot move to Russia, playing in 20 games with HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk before returning to North America for another five seasons of minor-pro hockey. He retired as a player in 2004.

Nickname Racicot earned the infamous nickname "Red Light" following early performances with Montreal. Claims as to its origin are disputed. Stories allege it was given by journalist Red Fisher following his disappointing debut that saw him concede 3 in 6 shots before being pulled. Others have attributed it to Don Cherry.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 1986–87 Longueuil Chevaliers QMJHL 3 1 2 0 19 180 0 6.33 .824 — — — — — — — — 1987–88 Victoriaville Tigres QMJHL 8 5 2 1 489 28 0 3.44 .898 — — — — — — — — 1987–88 Hull Olympiques QMJHL 14 10 2 0 667 43 0 3.87 .883 — — — — — — — — 1987–88 Granby Bisons QMJHL 8 1 5 0 391 34 0 5.22 .871 5 1 4 298 23 0 4.63 .887 1988–89 Granby Bisons QMJHL 54 23 22 3 2943 198 0 4.04 .886 4 0 4 219 18 0 4.93 .878 1989–90 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 0 0 0 13 3 0 13.85 .500 — — — — — — — — 1989–90 Sherbrooke Canadiens AHL 33 19 11 2 1948 97 1 2.99 .910 5 0 4 227 18 0 4.76 — 1990–91 Montreal Canadiens NHL 21 7 9 2 975 52 1 3.20 .891 2 0 1 12 2 0 10.00 .857 1990–91 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 22 13 8 1 1252 60 1 2.88 .909 — — — — — — — — 1991–92 Montreal Canadiens NHL 9 0 3 3 436 23 0 3.17 .895 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 1.000 1991–92 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 28 14 8 5 1666 86 0 3.10 .900 — — — — — — — — 1992–93 Montreal Canadiens NHL 26 17 5 1 1433 81 1 3.39 .881 1 0 0 18 2 0 6.67 .778 1993–94 Montreal Canadiens NHL 11 2 6 2 500 37 0 4.44 .850 — — — — — — — — 1993–94 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 6 1 4 0 292 16 0 3.29 .863 — — — — — — — — 1994–95 Portland Pirates AHL 19 10 7 0 1080 53 1 2.94 .900 — — — — — — — — 1994–95 Phoenix Roadrunners IHL 3 1 0 0 132 8 0 3.62 .884 2 0 0 20 0 0 0.00 — 1995–96 Albany River Rats AHL 2 2 0 0 120 4 0 2.00 .931 — — — — — — — — 1995–96 Columbus Chill ECHL 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 .949 — — — — — — — — 1995–96 Indianapolis Ice IHL 11 3 6 0 547 43 0 4.72 .866 — — — — — — — — 1995–96 Peoria Rivermen IHL 4 2 1 1 240 14 0 3.50 .896 11 6 5 654 34 1 3.12 — 1996–97 Indianapolis Ice IHL 2 1 0 1 120 3 1 1.50 .940 — — — — — — — — 1996–97 Kansas City Blades IHL 6 1 4 0 273 21 0 4.62 .865 — — — — — — — — 1996–97 Las Vegas Thunder IHL 13 6 5 1 759 40 1 3.16 .884 — — — — — — — — 1997–98 Monroe Moccasins WPHL 31 16 12 2 1789 80 1 2.68 .912 — — — — — — — — 1997–98 Basingstoke Bison BISL 3 — — — 186 11 — 3.55 — 5 0 5 303 21 0 4.16 — 1998–99 Monroe Moccasins WPHL 48 25 18 5 2806 148 1 3.16 .911 6 2 4 380 21 1 3.32 .910 1999–2000 HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk RSL 20 — — — 1133 49 1 2.59 — 4 — — 240 16 0 4.00 — 2000–01 Granby Blitz QSPHL 15 5 7 1 786 57 0 4.35 — — — — — — — — — 2000–01 Bakersfield Condors WCHL 18 5 11 1 984 59 1 3.60 — 2 0 2 123 9 0 4.39 — 2001–02 Greensboro Generals ECHL 2 0 1 1 90 9 0 6.00 .780 — — — — — — — — 2002–03 St-Georges Garaga QSPHL 15 12 2 0 831 44 1 3.18 — — — — — — — — — 2003–04 St. Jean Mission QSPHL 18 9 7 0 880 64 0 4.36 — — — — — — — — — 2004–05 Rivière-du-Loup CIMT QNAHL 4 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — AHL totals 110 59 38 8 6358 316 3 2.98 .903 5 0 4 227 18 0 4.76 — NHL totals 68 26 23 8 3357 196 2 3.50 .880 4 0 1 31 4 0 7.74 .833 IHL totals 39 14 16 3 2071 129 2 3.74 .880 13 6 5 674 34 1 3.03 —