Andrew Raycroft

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
image_size = 200px
team = Colorado Avalanche


prospect_team =
prospect_league =
former_teams = Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs
league = NHL
position = Goaltender
catches = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 185
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1980|5|4
birth_place = Belleville, ON, CAN
draft = 135th overall
draft_year = 1998
draft_team = Boston Bruins
career_start = 2000

Andrew Joseph Ernest Raycroft (born May 4, 1980) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League. He attended Nicholson Catholic College in Belleville during the majority of his high school tenure.

Playing career

Prior to entering the junior hockey ranks, Raycroft grew up playing minor hockey with the Quinte Red Devils AAA (OMHA) system in the Eastern Ontario AAA League.

Raycroft played for the Kingston Frontenacs and Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. He also played for the Wellington Dukes of the OPJAHL.

Raycroft was drafted 135th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. In his first full-season with the Bruins in 2003-2004, he compiled a 29-18-9 record with a goals against average (GAA) of 2.05, a save percentage of .926 and three shutouts to help lead the Bruins to a second-place finish in the regular season in the Eastern Conference. Raycroft was rewarded for his efforts with the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the league's top rookie.

He struggled with the Boston Bruins in the 2005-06 season, managing only 8 wins, losing the starter and backup goalie jobs to new starting goalie Tim Thomas and new backup rookie goalie Hannu Toivonen. He would be a healthy scratch for the rest of that season. On June 24, 2006, Raycroft was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the rights to Finnish goaltending prospect Tuukka Rask. He began playing for the Maple Leafs in the 2006-07 season and earned his first shutout (and his first win) as a Leaf in a 6-0 win against the Ottawa Senators on October 5. On April 3, 2007, Raycroft tied the Leafs' franchise record for most wins by a goaltender in the regular season (37), previously held by Ed Belfour in 2002-03. However, he played more games than Belfour and earned three shootout wins, which did not exist prior to the 2005-06 season. [cite web | url = http://stats.globesports.com/nhl/playerstats.asp?id=2150 | title = Hockey | publisher = "The Globe and Mail" | accessdate = 2007-07-25]

Raycroft struggled at the start of the 2007-2008 season, and Vesa Toskala became the Leafs' starting goaltender. The Leafs placed him on waivers on June 24, [cite web | url = http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=241542&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl | title = Maple Leafs Place Wellwood, Raycroft on Waivers | publisher = "TSN" | accessdate = 2008-06-24] and bought out the remainder of his contract on June 27, 2008. [cite web | url = http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=241817&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl | title = Leafs place Raycroft on Unconditional Waivers | publisher = "TSN" | accessdate = 2008-06-27] On July 1, he signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche. [ [http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=11353 Signing tracker] ]

Awards

* CHL Goaltender of the Year - 2000
* Calder Trophy - 2004
* NHL All-Rookie Team - 2004

Career statistics

Regular season

*"Beginning in the 2004-05 AHL season and the 2005-06 NHL Season, regular season games could no longer end in a tie and a new record called "OT - Overtime Loss" was introduced.

References

External links

*
*
* [http://www.elkingoaltending.com/blog/andrew-raycroft-pregame-rituals/ Andrew Raycroft Pre-Game Ritual]

Persondata
NAME= Raycroft, Andrew
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Canadian ice hockey goalie
DATE OF BIRTH= May 4, 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH= Belleville, ON, CAN
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=