Claimed:(S36 Class) Alexander Labatte - Player

[Ninetyfourgoalie 168]

G - Alexander Labatte

Birthplace: Omsk, Russia
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 210 lbs
Jersey Number: 33
Drafted: S28 (2nd Overall) TOR
Username: sterling

 

When you think of the great goaltenders of VHL history, a number of names come to mind: Aidan Shaw, CAL G, Tomas Tukio, Daisuke Kanou, and, of course, Alexander Labatte.  Labatte was destined for greatness the moment the Toronto Legion called his name with the second overall pick in the Season 28 VHL Entry Draft and immediately followed through, helping the team to its third ever Continental Cup in just his second season into the league.  Labatte's career was filled with hardware as he racked up awards, even managing to earn the Scotty Campbell Trophy as the league's most valuable player in Season 32.  He is a player young goaltenders around the world look up to and only dream of being as good, as dominant, and as consistent as. Alexander Labatte has rightfully earned his place in the Hall of Fame as, easily, one of the best all time.

 

Career Awards

S26 - Founder's Cup (Brampton Blades)
S28 - Christian Stolzschweiger Award
S29 - Victory Cup (Toronto Legion)
S29 - Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy (Toronto Legion)
S29 - Continental Cup (Toronto Legion)
S31 - Aidan Shaw Trophy
S32 - Aidan Shaw Trophy
S32 - Scotty Campbell Trophy
S32 - Victory Cup (Riga Reign)
S32 - Terence Fong Trophy (Riga Reign)
S33 - Aidan Shaw Trophy
S33 - Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy (New York Americans)

Season 26 Statistics (VHLM):

Regular Season: 
S26 (BRM) - 6 GP / 4 W / 2 L / 2 OTL / 0 SO / .858 SV% / 4.50 GAA
Playoffs:
S26 (BRM) - 14 GP / 8 W / 5 L / 1 OTL / 0 SO / .883 SV% / 3.50 GAA

Claimed by the Brampton Blades off waivers, the young Alexander Labatte supplanted Andrew Holly Hall as the team's starting goaltender.  While Hall did not perform terribly in his limited playing time with the team, Labatte proved to be an upgrade as they headed into the playoffs.  In the semifinals, Brampton faced off against the Calgary Wolfpack, surviving a seven game series to face the regular season champion Vasteras.  Although the Iron Eagles were favored to win, Brampton, helped along by Alexander Labatte, would come out on top to hoist the Founder's Cup, the first of many awards earned by the future hall of famer.

 

Season 27 Statistics (VHLM):

Regular Season:
S27 (SSK) - 72 GP / 56 W / 13 L / 3 OTL / 3 SO / .904 SV% / 2.68 GAA
Playoffs:
S27 (SSK) - 12 GP / 5 W / 3 L / 4 OTL / 0 SO / .897 SV% / 3.18 GAA

Following his first season in the VHLM, the Wild promptly selected Labatte with the first overall pick in the dispersal draft.  This move would pay off as the Wild finished with the second best record in the league, just one win shy of the league-leading Iron Eagles.  Alexander Labatte's talent was on clear display this season as he was one of the league's top goaltenders.  The playoffs would prove to be more difficult, though, as Saskatoon barely escaped the Ice Dogs in the first round before being embarrassed in the finals by Vasteras, who quickly disposed of them in five games.

 

Season 28 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S28 (TOR) - 67 GP / 27 W / 30 L / 7 OTL / 9 SO / .921 SV% / 2.60 GAA

Selected second overall in the VHL Entry Draft by the Legion, Labatte immediately began to prove his worth.  While the Legion did not have much in the way of supporting players, Alexander Labatte took this opportunity to improve and excel.  Despite facing a barrage of shots each game, he finished with one of the best save percentages in the league while giving the Toronto Legion hope for the future.  For the first time in his career in the VHL and VHLM, Labatte's team would miss the playoffs but it would not be a total disappointment as he was awarded the Christian Stolzschweiger Award as the league's top rookie.

 

Season 29 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S29 (TOR) - 64 GP / 46 W / 11 L / 7 OTL / 12 SO / .922 SV% / 1.92 GAA
Playoffs:
S29 (TOR) - 12 GP / 8 W / 3 L / 1 OTL / 0 SO / .911 SV% / 2.42 GAA

With a significantly stronger team in front of him, Alexander Labatte once again put together an impressive season for the Legion.  He improved his save percentage while only CAL G, a future hall of famer, put up a lower goals against average.  This performance enabled Toronto to win the Victory Cup as the owners of the best regular season record, a display of the team's dominance that extended into the playoffs.  After defeating the New York Americans in six exciting games, they would compete against the Dynamo for the ultimate prize.  With strong play by Labatte and the rest of the Legion squad, they were able to hoist the Continental Cup after six hard-fought games.

 

Season 30 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S30 (TOR) - 64 GP / 38 W / 19 L / 7 OTL / 7 SO / .906 SV% / 2.08 GAA

Unfortunately, the Toronto Legion were unable to avoid the dreaded Continental Cup hangover.  Despite excitement and a solid core many believed could bring the team a second cup in as many years, they were unable to make the playoffs in an extreme close North American Conference race, which saw all four teams win between 42 and 46 games.  Labatte's play was also not quite up to snuff and this season will be remembered as quite possibly the worst of his career.

 

Season 31 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S31 (RIG) - 64 GP / 45 W / 14 L / 5 OTL / 5 SO / .930 SV% / 1.85 GAA
Playoffs:
S31 (RIG) - 11 GP / 6 W / 3 L / 2 OTL / 2 SO / .936 SV% / 1.64 GAA

After a rough Season 30, Alexander Labatte left Toronto for Riga.  If he was looking to regain his form through a change of scenery, he certainly accomplished this with the Reign.  Finishing the regular season with the league's top save percentage and number two goals against average, Alexander Labatte not only helped the Reign to earn a playoff spot in the newly expanded VHL but was able to capture the Aidan Shaw Trophy as the league's top goaltender.  His excellent play continued into the playoffs where Labatte managed to further elevate his game as the Reign easily disposed of the Helsinki Titans in the first round.  But in the European Conference Finals, the first place Dynamo proved to be too much to handle as they defeated Riga in six games en route to a Continental Cup championship.

 

Season 32 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S32 (RIG) - 64 GP / 49 W / 9 L / 6 OTL / 8 SO / .935 SV% / 1.64 GAA
Playoffs:
S32 (RIG) - 11 GP / 7 W / 4 L / 0 OTL / 0 SO / .918 SV% / 2.61 GAA

As if his previous season's performance wasn't enough, Alexander Labatte turned in a dominating season that will be long remembered as one of the greatest regular season performances by a goaltender in the league's history.  He not only helped the Reign to the VHL's top regular season record but his save percentage and goals against average both lead all goaltenders.  As a result of his incredible performance, Labatte won his second straight Aidan Shaw Trophy and managed to become just the fifth goaltender ever to win the Scotty Campbell Trophy as the league's most valuable player.  After earning a first round bye in the playoffs, they would once again face the Helsinki Titans and would once again exert utter domination over their opponents in a four game sweep.  The Continental Cup Finals appeared to be going Riga's way as they opened up with a 3-1 lead but in an incredible turn of events, the New York Americans won three straight to claim the Continental Cup, a major disappointment in what otherwise was an extraordinarily successful season for Labatte.

 

Season 33 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S33 (NYA) - 64 GP / 47 W / 11 L / 6 OTL / 9 SO / .931 SV% / 1.73 GAA
Playoffs:
S33 (NYA) - 13 GP / 6 W / 5 L / 2 OTL / 0 SO / .927 SV% / 2.53 GAA

After the disappointing Season 32, Labatte and Riga cut ties as he headed to his third VHL team in his career.  As if the league was too easy for him, Alexander Labatte once again led the league in save percentage and goals against average while helping the Americans to the North American Conference's top record.  This performance called for Labatte's third straight Aidan Shaw Trophy, a feat only ever matched by the trophy's namesake from Season 20 to 22.  After a first round bye in the playoffs, the Americans battled a hungry team in the Calgary Wranglers.  Despite winning the first game, Calgary won the next three, leaving New York in a familiar place down 3-1 in a series.  But after pulling together three straight wins, the Americans were headed to a rematch of the previous season's finals as the Reign came out on top of the European Conference.  Unfortunately for Labatte and the Americans, Riga was out for revenge and won the series in six games, leaving Labatte of the losing end in two consecutive seasons.

 

Season 34 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S34 (NYA) - 64 GP / 39 W / 21 L / 4 OTL / 6 SO / .919 SV% / 2.18 GAA
Playoffs:
S34 (NYA) - 7 GP / 3 W / 2 L / 2 OTL / 0 SO / .915 SV% / 2.69 GAA

Playing for a weakened Americans team and feeling the effects of age, Alexander Labatte was unable to put up the kind of season the league had grown accustomed to.  His statistics only ranked him in the middle of the pack among goaltenders throughout the league as the Americans managed to earn the third and final playoff position out of the North American Conference by two points over the Legion.  Unfortunately, the playoffs would not bring the team much success as the Calgary Wranglers disposed of them in seven games, controlling the series the whole way.

 

Season 35 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S35 (CAL) - 64 GP / 44 W / 15 L / 5 OTL / 13 SO / .922 SV% / 2.10 GAA
Playoffs:
S35 (CAL) - 14 GP / 7 W / 7 L / 0 OTL / 2 SO / .933 SV% / 2.25 GAA

In Labatte's final season, he headed to Calgary for a final shot at the Continental Cup.  With a stronger team, his numbers improved as he managed to set a career high with thirteen shutouts, which also led the league.  Although the Wranglers put together a tremendous season, the Meute barely edged them out for a first round playoff bye, pitting Calgary against the Toronto Legion.  The Legion came out strong, winning three of the first four games before Labatte and the Wranglers figured it out and managed to win the series in dramatic fashion.  The next opponent would be even more difficult as they were pitted up against the Meute, a team which owned the best regular season record in Season 35.  Although the series went a full seven games, the Wranglers were never truly able to control the series as the Meute went on to capture the Continental Cup.

 

Career Totals:

Regular Season:
515 GP / 335 W / 130 L / 50 OTL / 69 SO / .924 SV% / 2.03 GAA
Playoffs:
69 GP / 37 W / 24 L / 8 OTL / 4 SO / .924 SV% / 2.43 GAA

At the end of the day, Alexander Labatte can be widely considered one of the greatest goaltenders the VHL has ever seen.  His three Aidan Shaw Trophies are beaten only by none other than Aidan Shaw while Labatte's three consecutive Shaw Trophies very well could represent the most dominant three-season stretch in league history.  Labatte not only performed at a high level in the regular season but also was a big-time playoff tender, continually playing remarkably well despite managing just one Continental Cup over the course of his career.  While his playing days were largely spent sharing the spotlight with CAL G, there is no question that Alexander Labatte is one of the best players to ever step foot on the ice in the VHL.

[Boomcheck 161]

Where would we rank him amongst other HOF goaltenders?

[Ninetyfourgoalie 168]

Hard to say without knowing a whole lot about the history of the league and without much access to overall statistical leaders (if someone can point me to all-time leaders that would be awesome because I have to imagine these exist somewhere...).  But I think he has to be right up there with Aiden Shaw considering their similar careers in terms of both statistics and awards.

[Victor 10,940]

Where would we rank him amongst other HOF goaltenders?

Yeah, up there with Shaw and now Tukio. LeBeau and Kanou had some excellent playoff performances and I guess that's what it comes down to. Devereux and Gegeny the original gods but they have been surpassed.

[pxzero 65]

I think this is a HOF article, meaning 6 + 3 automatically?

 

If not, you get easy full marks. I did a quick once over anyway, just in case. 

 

Content: 3/3
Grammar: 2/2  You love that double space after a period, eh?

• names come to mind. Aiden Shaw, CAL G, Tomas Tukio, Daisuke Kanou, and, of course, Alexander Labatte. - this is not a sentence. I'd change the period to a : to make the list fit, or say "Names such as Aiden..."
• consistent as [-] Alexander - I'd change this to a simple period. The last sentence makes sense on its own.

Appearance: 1/1

[Will 4,660]

Yes, HOF is auto 6 for the week + 3 uncapped

[Phil 5,119]

It's Aidan not Aiden Shaw we'll probs want to fix that if it's going into the HoF

Edited January 15, 2015 by Phil

[Phil 5,119]

By the by... great work on this

[Victor 10,940]

It's Aidan not Aiden Shaw we'll probs want to fix that if it's going into the HoF

Once I gather enough effort it will be done.

[Will 4,660]

Fixed the Aidan's as well as what pxzero mentioned in the OP.

 

Also, your laptop isn't a damn typewriter so there is no need to double space after a period  

[Frank 5,209]

Claimed