Career

Born in Beamsville, Ontario, Laus was a Junior B standout with the St. Catharines Falcons before joining the OHL. He spent three years with the Hamilton Steelhawks/Niagara Falls Thunder franchise and was selected 37th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his first three years as a pro in the IHL and ECHL, including a stint with the short-lived Albany Choppers.

The rugged blueliner was claimed by the Florida Panthers in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft. His solid defensive work and willingness to take on the toughest players in the league made him a valuable player on the club as it set an NHL record for expansion teams with 83 points. Two years later, he scored two goals and was a workhorse in 21 games as the Panthers reached the Stanley Cup finals. Laus continued to be an enforcer and team leader through the end of the 2000-01 season and was the only person to play in all of the club's first eight seasons. His grit and determination made him a fan favorite and he is still one of the most beloved all-time Panthers along with Scott Mellanby.

In the 1996-97 NHL season Laus set a NHL record with 39 fighting majors in 77 games while also setting career highs in assists, points, plus/minus, and penalty minutes.

However, injuries limited Laus to only 70 games over his last two seasons. After his latest wrist injury in 2002, he never would play another professional game. Eventually, Laus officially retired and moved back to Ontario.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1986-87	St. Catharines Falcons	OHA-B		40	1	8	9	56
1987-88	Hamilton Steelhawks	OHL		56	1	9	10	171		14	0	0	0	28
1988-89	Niagara Falls Thunder	OHL		49	1	10	11	225		15	0	5	5	56
1989-90	Niagara Falls Thunder	OHL		60	13	35	48	231		16	6	16	22	71
1990-91	Albany Choppers	IHL		7	0	0	0	7
1990-91	Knoxville Cherokees	ECHL		20	6	12	18	83
1990-91	Muskegon Lumberjacks	IHL		35	3	4	7	103		4	0	0	0	13
1991-92	Muskegon Lumberjacks	IHL		75	0	21	21	248		14	2	5	7	70
1992-93	Cleveland Lumberjacks	IHL		76	8	18	26	427		4	1	0	1	27
1993-94	Florida Panthers	NHL		39	2	0	2	109
1994-95	Florida Panthers	NHL		37	0	7	7	138
1995-96	Florida Panthers	NHL		78	3	6	9	236		21	2	6	8	62
1996-97	Florida Panthers	NHL		77	0	12	12	313		5	0	1	1	4
1997-98	Florida Panthers	NHL		77	0	11	11	293
1998-99	Florida Panthers	NHL		75	1	9	10	218
1999-00	Florida Panthers	NHL		77	3	8	11	172		4	0	0	0	8
2000-01	Florida Panthers	NHL		25	1	2	3	66
2001-02	Florida Panthers	NHL		45	4	3	7	157
9 years	Totals	NHL		530	14	58	72	1702		30	2	7	9	74

Preceded by Scott Mellanby

Florida Panthers captain 2001-02 with Pavel Bure

Succeeded by Olli Jokinen

[ Source: Wikipedia ]