Former Bruins goalie Blaine Lacher dies at 53
Blaine Lacher, a goaltender who spent two seasons in the Boston Bruins organization in the 1990s, died unexpectedly in Medicine Hat, Alberta earlier this week. He was 53 years old.
“Those who knew Blaine, knew he was very caring with a heart of gold. His charismatic personality kept everyone entertained with sarcastic humour and quick witted one-liners! These are just some of the traits he will be missed for,”Lacher’s obituary read. “Blaine was a former professional hockey player in which is an accomplishment not many achieve. He was also an avid sports fan and bled blue and white for his favourite NFL team, the Indianapolis Colts.”
Breaking into the NHL in 1994-95, Lacher had an absolutely electric run to help get the Bruins into the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with 19 wins and a .902 save percentage in 35 games. Lacher’s 19 wins were tied with Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur, and Mike Vernon for the fifth-most in the NHL that season, while his .902 ranked 15th in the league and his 2.41 goals against average ranked third behind Hasek’s league-leading 2.11 and Ed Belfour’s 2.28.
In most years, that run would’ve been enough to earn Lacher some Calder Trophy votes as one of the league’s top rookies, but that year’s class featured rookies Peter Forsberg, Jim Carey, and Paul Kariya.
Lacher’s numbers with the Bruins would take a dive the following season, though, and Lacher was ultimately out of pro hockey by the end of the 1996-97 season after playing in 11 games with the IHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Overall, Lacher’s Bruins run featured a 22-16-4 record, along with an .887 save percentage and 2.80 goals against average. Lacher’s 22 wins were the seventh-most among any Bruins netminder who played for the club in the 1990s, while his .887 save percentage was the sixth-best, sandwiched between fifth-place Andy Moog (.888) and seventh-place Jon Casey (.881).
Prior to his pro career, Lacher was a standout with Lake Superior State University, and was an absolute force for the Lakers en route to a 1994 National championship as the NCAA’s top club. During that season, Lacher posted 20 wins in 30 games, and led the country in both save percentage (.918) and goals against average (1.98).
