Brooks Laich

Evan Brooks Laich (; born June 23, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A forward, he played over 750 National Hockey League (NHL) games across four teams: the Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings.

Laich was originally drafted by the Senators in the 2001 NHL entry draft, and was later traded to the Capitals as part of the package for Peter Bondra. Before playing professionally, Laich spent time in the Western Hockey League (WHL) playing with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Seattle Thunderbirds. He has represented Canada internationally, capturing a silver medal at the 2003 World Junior Championships, and playing for Canada again at the 2010 World Hockey Championships.

Playing career

Minor Laich started playing minor hockey in his hometown of Wawota, Saskatchewan. During the 1999–2000 season, he was the top scorer and most valuable player for the midget AAA Tisdale Trojans. He was the runner up for league MVP.

Junior Laich started his junior hockey career with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) during the 2000–01 season. He played in 71 games with the Warriors, scoring nine goals and adding 21 assists. Laich was a dedicated student in Moose Jaw, being awarded the club's Scholastic Player of the Year for the 2000–01 season. He started the 2001–02 season with the Warriors, but was traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds along with Tomáš Mojžíš for Craig Olynick and Stas Avksentiev. The deal was unpopular with Warriors fans, as Olynick left the club and Avksentiev never reported.

Laich spent the rest of his junior career with the Thunderbirds. He started to develop more of an offensive game, finishing off the 2001–02 season with 58 points in the 47 games he played in Seattle. He was also named to the WHL's Western Conference First All-Star Team, and the Canadian Hockey League's Third All-Star Team.

Professional

Laich attended the Ottawa Senators training camp before the 2002–03 season. After the trade, he reported to the Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, making his debut with the Capitals on March 12, 2003, against the Chicago Blackhawks. He spent most of the season at the NHL level, playing in 73 games and recording 21 points.

Laich played in all 82 games for the Capitals during the 2007–08 season, and set career highs in goals, assists and points. His 21 goals ranked third overall on the team. He led the Capitals with two short handed goals, and played in his 200th career regular season game. After a two-goal game against the Atlanta Thrashers, Laich summed up his philosophy towards scoring: "If you want money, go to the bank. If you want bread, go to the bakery. If you want goals, go to the net." During the playoffs, Laich had a five-game point streak in the Eastern Conference quarter-finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. This tied him for the longest point streak during the first round of the playoffs. During the playoffs, Laich scored the last goal of the Capitals season during Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. Laich was appreciative of the opportunities afforded by the outdoor game, and was happy to be able to share time with his family and friends on the outdoor rink set up at Heinz Field.

On June 28, 2011, Laich signed a six-year, $27 million contract extension worth $4.5 million per season.

As the player representative for the Washington Capitals during the 2012 NHL-NHLPA CBA negotiations, Laich stated in support of the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that, "At some point you have to dig your heels in and fight. If we don't this time, then what happens next? Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive, and the players really understand that. We believe in our cause and our leadership and I believe we're more unified this time and ready for a fight."

Prior to the start of the lockout-shortened 2012-2013 playing season, Laich played for the Kloten Flyers of Switzerland's National League. In 35 games for the Flyers, Laich posted 17 goals and a total of 38 points. He also reportedly suffered a groin injury, which limited his play upon his return stateside with the NHL. When play resumed for the 2012–13 season, Laich was limited to nine games.

On March 17, 2014, the Capitals announced via Twitter that Laich "underwent a successful procedure to release a tight adductor," a part of the groin muscle. He is expected to miss the rest of the season with a recovery time of four-to-six weeks.

Except for a minor shoulder injury resulting in him missing 16 games, Laich returned to full health in 2014-15. He finished with seven goals and 20 points in 66 games played.

In the 2015–16 season, Laich's offensive production rapidly declined, while his $4.5 million cap hit stuck out as one of the only adverse aspects of a league-leading Capitals squad. On February 27, 2016, the Capitals placed Laich on waivers for the purpose of sending him to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. The following day, on the eve of the trade deadline, Laich, along with Connor Carrick and a second round selection (Carl Grundström) in the 2016 draft, were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, his boyhood team, in exchange for Daniel Winnik and a fifth round pick (Beck Malenstyn) in the 2016 draft. The purpose of the trade was to give the Capitals salary cap relief to use toward younger core player contracts that needed re-signing the following off-season. Capitals GM Brian Maclellan called the trade, when asked, the hardest thing he had done as General Manager of the team. Laich had been the longest tenured active professional Washington-area athlete at the time of the trade, concluding his career of 12 years with the franchise. In what easily stands as the most emotional trade in Capitals history since Laich was dealt to Washington in a package for Peter Bondra, one journalist wrote "It's ironic that money is what ultimately forced the Caps to move Laich. This is a guy who loves the game so much, he'd probably play for free."

Laich returned to Washington a few days later where the Capitals honored the centreman with a video tribute during the first period and a long standing ovation from the hometown fans and his former teammates. The Maple Leafs would lose the game 3-2. Finishing out the season in Toronto, Laich's offensive statistics improved significantly, recording identical numbers to what he scored in Washington while playing in a third of the games.

As a free agent from the Maple Leafs, Laich was unsigned over the summer. He later accepted a try-out contract to attend the Los Angeles Kings' training camp. Despite suffering an early injury, Laich returned to impress in the preseason, however was ultimately released prior to the 2017–18 season. With the Kings suffering from injury through the early stages of the campaign, he returned to the fold in signing a one-year, $650,000 deal on October 19, 2017. On November 25, Laich was placed on waivers by the Kings, and was later assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Having recorded 1 assist in 12 games with the Kings and before reporting to the Reign, Laich was placed on unconditional waivers, opting for a mutual termination of his contract on November 27, 2017. On June 25, 2021, Laich formally announced his retirement.

International play

Laich debuted with Team Canada at the 2003 World Junior Championships, which were held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In a game against Sweden, Laich scored Canada's first goal of the tournament. He scored two goals and added four assists in six games at the tournament, where Canada won a silver medal. According to his father, Harold, his son had always dreamed of playing for Canada.

Playing style In 2009, Capitals' Head Coach Bruce Boudreau believed that Laich had not yet reached his full potential, saying, "...I still don't think we've seen the best of Brooks. I think he's going to be a 25-, 30-goal scorer in this league and become a staple for a while." Boudreau also said Laich is considered one of the hardest working players on the Capitals' roster by his coaches and teammates. Part of Laich's inspiration comes from his father, who, during a 34-year tenure as a high school principal, only missed three days of work.

Laich is a hard worker, and dedicated to his team, saying, "If I asked you about your family, you would talk about them forever because it's something you love. That's the way I feel about this team. This team is my life, and I love playing here and I'm passionate about playing hockey. So it's easy for me to talk about it." Laich spends time in the off-season with a power skating instructor, which he feels is key to a long career.

Personal life Laich has two siblings, an older sister and younger brother. He is actively involved in charity work, supporting charities related to multiple sclerosis and Athletes Against Autism. For his efforts, Laich was hockey analyst Michael Farber's nominee for the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. When asked about the incident, Laich responded, "It's not a big deal. It was just a tire. The lady was stranded on the side of the road, I saw that it was just a lady and her daughter, and I figured my tire expertise outweighed hers."

In February 2014, it was revealed that Laich started dating professional dancer and actress Julianne Hough. On August 18, 2015, Laich officially announced via Instagram that he and Hough were engaged. The couple were married on July 8, 2017. They resided in Los Angeles, California with their husky named Koda. They announced their split on May 29, 2020, but reconciled by early September. Hough filed for divorce on November 2, 2020 and it was finalized in 2022.

After his split from Hough, Laich announced his relationship with two-time CrossFit Games champion Katrín Davíðsdóttir on Instagram in August 2021. They announced their engagement in December 2024. They welcomed daughter Emberly Heba Laich in October 2025.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1999–2000 Tisdale Trojans AAA SMHL 43 39 34 73 31 4 1 5 6 0 2000–01 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 71 9 21 30 28 4 0 0 0 5 2001–02 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 28 6 14 20 12 — — — — — 2001–02 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 47 22 36 58 42 11 5 3 8 11 2002–03 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 60 41 53 94 65 15 5 14 19 24 2003–04 Binghamton Senators AHL 44 15 18 33 16 — — — — — 2003–04 Ottawa Senators NHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2003–04 Portland Pirates AHL 22 1 3 4 12 6 0 0 0 0 2003–04 Washington Capitals NHL 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2004–05 Portland Pirates AHL 68 16 10 26 33 — — — — — 2005–06 Washington Capitals NHL 73 7 14 21 26 — — — — — 2005–06 Hershey Bears AHL 10 7 6 13 8 21 8 7 15 29 2006–07 Washington Capitals NHL 73 8 10 18 29 — — — — — 2007–08 Washington Capitals NHL 82 21 16 37 35 7 1 5 6 4 2008–09 Washington Capitals NHL 82 23 30 53 31 14 3 4 7 10 2009–10 Washington Capitals NHL 78 25 34 59 34 7 2 1 3 4 2010–11 Washington Capitals NHL 82 16 32 48 46 9 1 6 7 2 2011–12 Washington Capitals NHL 82 16 25 41 34 14 2 5 7 6 2012–13 Kloten Flyers NLA 19 6 12 18 28 — — — — — 2012–13 Washington Capitals NHL 9 1 3 4 6 — — — — — 2013–14 Washington Capitals NHL 51 8 7 15 16 — — — — — 2014–15 Washington Capitals NHL 66 7 13 20 24 14 1 1 2 0 2015–16 Washington Capitals NHL 60 1 6 7 16 — — — — — 2015–16 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 21 1 6 7 2 — — — — — 2016–17 Toronto Marlies AHL 27 1 8 9 12 — — — — — 2017–18 Los Angeles Kings NHL 12 0 1 1 6 — — — — — NHL totals 776 134 198 332 307 65 10 22 32 26 Statistics source

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2003 Canada WJC 6 2 4 6 0 2010 Canada WC 7th 7 1 0 1 0 Junior totals 6 2 4 6 0 Senior totals 7 1 0 1 0 Statistics source

Awards and honors Award YearWHL West First All-Star Team 2003AHL Calder Cup Champion 2006