Blaine Lacher, who rose to fame as a rookie during the 1994-95 season with the Boston Bruins and was out of the NHL following the next season, has died.
The former goalie was 53. No cause of death was given.
"The Boston Bruins are deeply saddened by the passing of former goalie Blaine Lacher. We send our thoughts and condolences to his family, friends, and teammates," the Bruins said in a statement.
Signed as an undrafted free agent, Lacher went 19-11 with two ties in 35 games for the Bruins in the 1994-95 shortened season. That record included a 9-2-1 start to his NHL career with a .921 save percentage. He started every game for the Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that season, a five-game loss to the New Jersey Devils in the best-of-7 series.
Lacher began the 1995-96 season 1-4-2 with the Bruins before he was demoted to Providence of the American Hockey League, where he played nine games that season.
He then played 19 games over two seasons in the International Hockey League, and 18 games in the Sask West Hockey League in 2002-03.
Lacher went 22-16 with four ties in 47 NHL games (44 starts) for the Bruins, with a 2.80 goals-against average and .887 save percentage.
He was a member of the 1994 Division I men's ice hockey national championship team for Lake Superior State. That season, he set an NCAA record with a shutout streak of 375:01, a mark that still stands.
