Cristobal Huet
First French goaltender and Stanley Cup winner in NHL history.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Cristobal Huet (born September 3, 1975) is a French former professional ice hockey goaltender who works as a goaltender coach for Lausanne HC in Switzerland’s National League (NL). He is the first French goaltender and only the second French-trained player (after Philippe Bozon) to appear in the National Hockey League (NHL). In 2010, Huet won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks, making him the first Frenchman to earn that honor as a player. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2023.
Huet began his professional career with HC Lugano, where he won a National League A championship in his first season and reached the European Hockey League final four the next. Drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, he played for the Kings during the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens in a three-team deal. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he played for Adler Mannheim in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga, leading the team to the finals. With the Canadiens, Huet won the starting job from José Théodore and earned multiple NHL Best Defensive Player honors. In his first NHL playoff start, he made 42 saves in a 6–1 win over the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, though Montreal lost the series in six games. After a hamstring injury sidelined him for much of the 2006–07 season, he was traded to the Washington Capitals in February 2008, where he helped the team secure a playoff berth. That summer, Huet signed a four-year, $22.4 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. He shared goaltending duties with Nikolai Khabibulin during the regular season and, after Khabibulin’s injury, started several playoff games in 2009. Huet remained with the Blackhawks through the 2010 Stanley Cup win. He later played for HC Fribourg-Gottéron and HC Lugano before retiring. In addition to coaching, he co-hosts the hockey TV show *Le Repas d’équipe* on MySports alongside fellow French-born Swiss former player Laurent Meunier.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1975-09-03
- Birth Place
- Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 0
- Weight Lb
- 205
- Position
- Goaltender
- Catches
- Left
- Played For
- Brûleurs de Loups / HC Lugano / Los Angeles Kings / Adler Mannheim / Montreal Canadiens / Washington Capitals / Chicago Blackhawks / HC Fribourg-Gottéron / Lausanne HC
- Ntl Team
- FRA
- Draft
- 214th overall
- Draft Year
- 2001
- Draft Team
- Los Angeles Kings
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Huet began his professional career in Switzerland with HC Lugano, winning the National League A Championship in his first season (1998–99) and reaching the European Hockey League final four the next year. Drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 2001, he played two NHL seasons there before being traded to Montreal in a three-team deal. During the 2004–05 lockout, he played for Adler Mannheim in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, leading the team to the finals. With the Canadiens, Huet won the starting job from José Théodore and was named to the 2007 NHL All-Star Game, though a hamstring injury sidelined him for much of that season. In February 2008, Montreal traded him to Washington for a second-round pick, where he took over from Olaf Kölzig and helped the Capitals reach the playoffs.
Reader's Guide
Huet signed a four-year, $22.4 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 1, 2008. He shared the net with Nikolai Khabibulin during the 2008–09 season, earning NHL Third Star of the Week honors in February 2009. After Khabibulin was injured in the 2009 Western Conference Finals, Huet started Game 4 against Detroit but was pulled after allowing five goals. He started Game 5 and made 44 saves in a 2–1 overtime loss. In the 2009–10 season, Huet began as the undisputed starter but was eventually replaced by Antti Niemi. Huet played only twenty minutes in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which the Blackhawks won with Niemi in net. With the victory, Huet became the first native of France to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. After the season, Chicago loaned him to HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the Swiss National League A to stay under the salary cap. His contract with the Blackhawks expired after the 2011–12 playoffs. He then signed a four-year deal with Lausanne HC of the National League B, winning promotion to the National League in his first season. Huet retired from the French national team after the 2017 IIHF World Championship in Paris, receiving a standing ovation in his final game against Slovenia.
Did You Know?
- Huet played in the 1988 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a team from Grenoble.
- He won the Molson Cup in February 2006 and was named NHL Best Defensive Player twice during the 2005–06 season.
- In his first NHL playoff start, Huet made 42 saves in a 6–1 win against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
- Huet co-hosts the hockey TV show Le Repas d'équipe with Laurent Meunier on MySports.
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