Alex Lyon (ice hockey)

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Alex Lyon
Lyon with the Chicago Wolves in 2022
Born (1992-12-09) December 9, 1992 (age 31)
Baudette, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams
Detroit Red Wings
Philadelphia Flyers
Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers
National team  United States
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2016–present

Alexander Augustus Lyon (born December 9, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played collegiately for the Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey team, competing in the ECAC.

Early life

Lyon was born on December 9, 1992, in Baudette, Minnesota.[1] For the first seven years of his life, Lyon and his older sister Sam grew up on an island in Lake of the Woods, and he attended school for one year at a small schoolhouse.[2] His parents were fishing lodge managers on the island, while their children took a rowboat to school. The Lyons moved back to mainland Minnesota in 2000, at which point Lyon began playing hockey.[3] Of the 25 male students in Lyon's graduating class at Lake of the Woods High School, 15 played ice hockey for the varsity team, including Lyon.[4] During his senior year in 2009–10, Lyon served as the goaltender for all 26 Lake of the Woods high school games.[5] In those 26 games, he posted a .948 save percentage (SV%).[6]

Playing career

NCAA

While at Yale University, Lyon was named Ivy League co-Rookie of the Year in 2014. After leading the nation in save percentage, shutouts and goals-against average,[7] Lyon was presented with the Ken Dryden Award (given to the best goalie in the ECAC) his sophomore season,[8] while receiving First-Team AHCA/CCM All-America, First-Team All-ECAC, First-Team All-New England as well as First-Team All-Ivy League honors. He was also the winner of the J. Murray Murdoch Award as Yale's Most Valuable Player.[9]

Individual awards kept rolling in for Lyon after the 2015–16 season, as he repeated as Ken Dryden Award recipient[10] and also landed spots on the All-ECAC First Team, the All-Ivy League First Team[11] and the All-New England First Team for the second straight year.

Professional

Philadelphia Flyers

Lyon opted to forgo his senior season at Yale and signed an entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL) on April 5, 2016.[12]

Lyon made his first NHL start February 1, 2018 in a 4–3 loss to the New Jersey Devils.[13] On February 18, 2018, Lyon recorded his first NHL win with the Flyers after replacing an injured Michal Neuvirth in the second period. Lyon saved 25 of 26 shots by the New York Rangers en route to a 7–4 victory.[14]

On May 9, 2018, in a playoff win over the Charlotte Checkers, Lyon saved 94 of 95 shots faced in a record-setting 146 minutes 48 seconds, making it the longest game in AHL history. The game went to the fifth overtime, with the Phantoms winning 2–1.[15]

On November 5, 2018, Lyon was recalled to Philadelphia following an injury to Michal Neuvirth.[16] Lyon was again recalled to the Flyers on November 16.[17]

On January 15, 2020, the Flyers recalled Lyon to the NHL following an injury to Carter Hart.[18] On February 1, 2020, Lyon recorded his first NHL win since March 22, 2018.[19]

Carolina Hurricanes

File:H0A6514.jpg
Lyon with fellow Chicago Wolves goaltenders

Following the 2020–21 season, his fifth within the Philadelphia Flyers organization, Lyon left as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 30, 2021.[20] Lyon played the majority of the season with the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves, only tallying two games with the Hurricanes. With the Wolves, Lyon finished the regular season with 18 wins and 3 shutouts, earning him the Hap Holmes Memorial Award for the AHL goaltender with the lowest goals against average.[21] He tallied two additional shutouts in the playoffs, including a 28-save shutout in the final game to win the Calder Cup.[22]

Florida Panthers

On July 13, 2022, Lyon signed at two-way free agent contract with the Florida Panthers.[23] Lyon posting a 7–2 record with a 2.00 GAA over his last nine starts for the Charlotte Checkers. With Panthers starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky ill and regular backup goaltender Spencer Knight participating in the NHL's player assistance program for undisclosed issues, Lyon was called up to the NHL.[24][25] He proceeded to lead the team on a lengthy winning streak that brought the team back into contention for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, earning the nickname "the Lyon King."[26] Such was his success that he retained the starting role even after Bobrovsky returned, with the latter praising him, saying he "basically saved our season."[27] Lyon started the opening games of the Panthers' first round playoff series against the Boston Bruins. However, with the Bruins leading the Panthers two games to one following Game 3, coach Paul Maurice opted to return Bobrovsky to the net, stating that he felt Lyon was fatigued.[28] Bobrovsky proceeded to lead the team to victory against the Bruins, and onward through the second and third rounds of the playoffs to the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights. Lyon served as backup goaltender.[29] He took the ice against in Game 2 of the Finals, relieving Bobrovsky after he allowed four goals.[30]

Detroit Red Wings

On July 1, 2023, Lyon signed as a free agent to a two-year, $1.8 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.[31]

International play

Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Czech Republic

Lyon won bronze with the US National Team at the 2015 World Championships in the Czech Republic,[32] seeing action in one game during the tournament.[33]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2010–11 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 1 0 1 0 60 5 0 5.00 .848
2011–12 Omaha Lancers USHL 48 28 15 3 2,762 127 4 2.76 .910 4 1 3 237 13 0 3.30 .910
2012–13 Omaha Lancers USHL 50 26 21 1 2,894 128 1 2.65 .916
2013–14 Yale Bulldogs ECAC 30 14 11 5 1,764 71 3 2.41 .918
2014–15 Yale Bulldogs ECAC 26 15 7 4 1,517 41 5 1.62 .938
2015–16 Yale Bulldogs ECAC 26 18 4 4 1,589 40 4 1.51 .941
2016–17 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 47 27 14 0 2,718 124 4 2.74 .912 2 0 1 115 4 0 2.07 .882
2017–18 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 27 16 8 2 1,548 71 0 2.75 .913 11 6 5 758 25 0 1.98 .944
2017–18 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 11 4 2 1 480 22 0 2.75 .905
2018–19 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 39 19 17 3 2,321 106 1 2.74 .916
2018–19 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 2 0 1 0 71 6 0 5.07 .806
2019–20 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 32 11 14 5 1,763 79 1 2.69 .913
2019–20 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 3 1 1 0 135 8 0 3.55 .890
2020–21 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 4 2 1 0 194 11 0 3.40 .874
2020–21 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 6 1 3 1 325 18 0 3.33 .893
2021–22 Chicago Wolves AHL 30 18 7 3 1,665 60 3 2.16 .912 12 9 3 737 25 2 2.03 .923
2021–22 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 2 1 0 1 123 6 0 2.93 .908
2022–23 Charlotte Checkers AHL 23 13 9 1 1,381 56 1 2.43 .975
2022–23 Florida Panthers NHL 15 9 4 2 894 43 1 2.89 .914 4 1 2 199 12 0 3.63 .888
NHL totals 39 16 11 5 2,027 103 1 3.05 .904 4 1 2 199 12 0 3.63 .888

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
Ivy League Rookie of the Year 2013–14 [34]
All-Ivy League First Team Honorable Mention 2013–14 [34]
All-Ivy League First Team 2014–15 [35]
All-ECAC Hockey First Team 2014–15 [36]
All-Ivy League First Team 2015–16 [37]
AHL
Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award 2021–22 [21]
Calder Cup champion 2022 [38]

References

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External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Ken Dryden Award
2014–15, 2015–16
Succeeded by
Kyle Hayton