Patrick Lalime
A goaltender whose spectacular regular-season streaks for the Ottawa Senators were sometimes overshadowed by playoff heartbreak.
Born 1974 (age 52)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: July 7·Generation X
Biography
Patrick Lalime's path to the NHL crease was unconventional, drafted as a forward before finding his true calling between the pipes. His rookie season with the Pittsburgh Penguins was a storybook start, setting an NHL record for longest unbeaten streak to begin a career. But it was in Ottawa where he became a fixture, the last line of defense for a Senators team stacked with offensive talent. Lalime was a model of calm, positional goaltending, backstopping Ottawa to multiple Presidents' Trophies as the league's best regular-season team. His regular-season brilliance, however, became contrasted with the intense scrutiny of postseason struggles in crucial moments, a narrative that followed him. After his playing days, he smoothly transitioned to broadcasting in his native Quebec, bringing a goalie's insightful eye to French-language hockey coverage. Lalime's career is remembered for its remarkable highs and the unforgiving pressure of playoff hockey in a Canadian market.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Patrick was born in 1974, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Patrick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1974
#1 Movie
The Towering Inferno
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Patrick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1974Born
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1979Started school
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1987Became a teenager
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Could drive
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1992Could vote
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Turned 21
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2004Turned 30
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 40
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 50
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 52 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Set an NHL record for longest unbeaten streak to start a career (16 games, 14-0-2) in 1996-97 with Pittsburgh.
- Recorded 35 shutouts over his NHL career, primarily with the Ottawa Senators.
- Backstopped the Ottawa Senators to the Presidents' Trophy in 2003 as the NHL's top regular-season team.
- Played in 444 NHL regular season games across five teams over twelve seasons.
Did You Know?
He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the sixth round as a right winger, not a goalie.
He is an avid golfer and has participated in professional celebrity tournaments.
After retiring, he became a popular French-language hockey analyst for TVA Sports in Quebec.
He owns a restaurant called "Lalime" in the town of Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby, Quebec.
“A goalie's best save is often the one that looks routine.”
