Beloved Maple Leafs Goaltender Sadly Passes Away

The hockey world in Toronto was shaken up a bit on Tuesday as the Maple Leafs announced that former goaltender Mark Laforest, affectionately known as 'Trees' sadly passed away at the age of 62.

The Welland, ON, native spent one season with the Maple Leafs in 1989-90 and registered a 9-14-0 record with a 3.89 GAA and .886 SV%.

Prior to that, he spent four years with Detroit and Philadelphia and was also a goaltender for Ottawa during their second season in the modern era.

For his total career, he posted a 25-54-4 record with a 4.23 GAA and .868 SV%. Laforest last played professionally in 1996-97 for the Utica Blizzard of the CoHL.

His brother Bob also played in the NHL, and was drafted 87th overall in 1983 by the Los Angeles Kings, but only played in five games, registering one goal; with Mark having much more experience and a longer career despite not being drafted.

He did win a Calder Cup in the AHL and was twice recognized as the AHL Goaltender of the Year.

After retirement, Laforest settled down though did appear at several alumni games and events for both the Flyers and the Maple Leafs, and was also a guest for the Canadian troops in Kandahar in the early 2000s.

We here at Hockey Patrol would like to offer our sincerest condolences and deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of Mark Laforest. May they find peace during this difficult time.