Olympian LeBlanc Is Called Up by Blackhawks

Goaltender Ray LeBlanc, who led the United States within a victory of an Olympic medal, was called up from the minors by the Chicago Blackhawks and will start tonight’s game against San Jose.

LeBlanc, a 27-year-old who spent almost 10 years in the minor leagues, was playing this season for the Indianapolis Ice of the International Hockey League. By playing in at least one NHL game, LeBlanc becomes eligible for the expansion draft involving the new Tampa Bay and Ottawa franchises.

LeBlanc told WBBM-AM radio in Chicago that it was “great” to be called up and that he would be happy to spend the rest of the season with the Blackhawks, but he would not be disappointed to be sent back to Indianapolis.

“I’ll take it one shot at a time, one period at a time and let’s see what happens from there,” LeBlanc said. “If I go the expansion route, then that’s the route I go.”

A spokesman for the Ice said he had no idea how long LeBlanc would be with the Blackhawks.

“There’s no stipulation that he’s going for only one game,” spokesman Brad Berry said. “We have mixed feelings about this. We’re delighted for Ray, but it’s coming at a time when we’re on a roll and he’s been a major reason.”

LeBlanc’s NHL experience has been limited to one game in uniform as a backup without any playing time.

He has labored in obscurity, playing the past six seasons in the IHL for Saginaw, Flint, Ft. Wayne and the Ice. He spent one summer working on the grounds crew at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, cutting grass, painting and fixing whatever was broken. Last summer he worked as a pre-mixer for a soft-drink distributor.

He starred in the Olympics, with his acrobatic saves keeping the U.S. team in medal contention until it lost to the Unified Team and Czechoslovakia to finish fourth.

“It’s more or less a shocker for me,” LeBlanc said of his newfound fame. “All these things have happened to me after the Olympics.”

LeBlanc, who once went 26 games without a loss in the Ontario Junior League, is undefeated in four starts since rejoining the Ice after the Olympics. That’s given his team a season-best five-game winning streak.

LeBlanc’s latest victory came Sunday after special “Ray LeBlanc Day” ceremonies.

“I’ve been watching Olympic hockey since 1972 and what Ray did may have been the finest performance I’ve seen in the Olympic Games,” Mike Eruzione, a member of the USA’s 1980 Olympic gold medal team, told a flag-waving capacity crowd of 8,172 that saw the Ice defeat Peoria, 3-2.

The Ice presented LeBlanc with a 27-inch television set and a video cassette recorder, and Indiana Lt. Gov. Frank O’Bannon made LeBlanc a Sagamore of the Wabash the state’s highest honor.

“The Sagamore is a symbol of great leadership,” O’Bannon said. “Ray LeBlanc was a great leader for the Olympic team, a great leader for the Ice and hopefully he will be a great leader for another tribe--the Blackhawks.”