After seven seasons, Philadelphia Flyers playoff hero Michael Leighton is back in the NHL... just not as a player.
On Monday, it was announced that Leighton, 44, was hired to become the Red Wings' new goalie coach, marking his first foray into coaching senior level hockey.
Leighton previously served as the goalie coach of the OHL Windsor Spitfires from the 2021-22 season to 2023-24.
Flyers fans will best remember the 44-year-old journeyman as the surprise goalie who helped drag the Orange and Black to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, posting a 16-5-2 regular season record, a shutout, a 2.48 GAA, and a marvelous .920 save percentage.
In the postseason, Leighton was just as good, going 8-3 with three shutouts, a 2.46 GAA, and a .916 save percentage.
But, after the Finals loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, Leighton struggled to regain his form, losing his place to Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky while coming back from back surgery.
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Ultimately, after that playoff run, Leighton played just two more games for the Flyers, and seven NHL games total when including brief stints with the Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes.
Leighton retired at the end of the 2018-19 season and finished his NHL career with a 37-43-14 record, four shutouts, a 2.98 GAA, and .900 save percentage.
A recently inducted AHL Hall of Famer, Leighton holds the minor league's records for most career shutouts (50) and most saves in a game (98).
Indeed, the former Flyer couldn't keep it together at the NHL level, but he's seen and experienced many different things in hockey in two of the toughest leagues in the world.
Now, Leighton will be passing on his knowledge to Red Wings goalies Cam Talbot (also a former Flyers goalie) and the recently acquired John Gibson.
And in time, they'll pass the baton to top goalie prospects Trey Augustine and Sebastian Cossa.