{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (born 1978)}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | image = | image_size = 230px | caption = | alt = | played_for = Tampa Bay Lightning<br>Cleveland Lumberjacks<br>Detroit Vipers<br>Rochester Americans<br>Wheeling Nailers<br>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins<br>Danbury Trashers<br>Bridgeport Sound Tigers<br>Fort Wayne Komets<br>HC TWK Innsbruck<br>SG Pontebba<br>Nottingham Panthers<br>Muskegon Lumberjacks<br>Evansville Icemen<br>Elmira Jackals<br>Arizona Sundogs<br>Braehead Clan<br>Stockton Thunder | position = Defence | shoots = Left | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4 | weight_lb = 220 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|4|24|mf=y}}<ref name="pod"/> | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | draft = 16th overall | draft_year = 1996 | draft_team = Tampa Bay Lightning | career_start = 1998 | career_end = 2015 }} '''Mario Larocque''' (born April 24, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman.

==Playing career== As a youth, Larocque played in the 1992 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Montreal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|title=Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA|year=2018|website=Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament|access-date=2019-02-03|archive-date=2019-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306085544/https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Larocque was drafted in the first round, 16th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1996. He managed to play five NHL games for the Lightning during the 1998–99 NHL season, scoring no points with 16 penalty minutes.<ref name="hockeydb">{{cite web |publisher=hockeydb.com |url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=20205 |title=Mario Larocque |accessdate=June 24, 2010}}</ref> He spent the rest of that season in the International Hockey League with the Cleveland Lumberjacks before playing two seasons with the Detroit Vipers of the same league. After the IHL folded, he was signed by the Buffalo Sabres but was assigned to the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans and never saw any ice time with the Sabres.<ref name="pod">Podnieks, p. 477</ref>

He spent the next five seasons in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers and the United Hockey League with the Danbury Trashers and the Fort Wayne Komets, along with brief spells in the AHL for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In 2007, he joined Austrian team HC TWK Innsbruck and in September 2008 he signed with Sport Ghiaccio Pontebba. He then joined the EC Red Bull Salzburg on December 1, 2008, and later signed with the Nottingham Panthers on November 5, 2009.<ref name="evansvilleicemen">{{cite web |publisher=evansvilleicemen.com |url=http://evansvilleicemen.com/newsarchive.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808051403/http://evansvilleicemen.com/newsarchive.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |title=IceMen Add 3 Star "Double-A" Players |accessdate=November 30, 2010 }}</ref>

Larocque signed with the Muskegon Lumberjacks on February 12, 2010. Larocque joined the Evansville IceMen in October 2010, after the team relocated from Muskegon, for his 13th pro season and first full campaign under Head Coach Rich Kromm after finishing last season with Kromm in Muskegon.<ref name="evansvilleicemen"/>

On January 15, 2014, Larocque opted for another venture abroad signing for the remainder of the season with the Braehead Clan of the EIHL.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.braeheadclan.com/clan-add-larocque-ahead-of-fife-game-p189839 | title = Clan add Larocque ahead of fife game | publisher = Braehead Clan | date = 2014-01-15 | accessdate = 2014-01-15 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140119222110/http://www.braeheadclan.com/clan-add-larocque-ahead-of-fife-game-p189839 | archivedate = 2014-01-19 }}</ref>

==Career statistics== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! colspan="5" | Regular&nbsp;season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 1994–95 | Collège Français Bourassa | QMAAA | 43 || 0 || 6 || 6 || 53 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1995–96 | Hull Olympiques | QMJHL | 68 || 7 || 19 || 26 || 196 | 14 || 2 || 5 || 7 || 16 |- | 1996–97 | Hull Olympiques | QMJHL | 64 || 13 || 37 || 50 || 160 | 14 || 2 || 5 || 7 || 34 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1997–98 | Sherbrooke Faucons | QMJHL | 28 || 6 || 10 || 16 || 125 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1998–99 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 5 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 16 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1998–99 | Cleveland Lumberjacks | IHL | 59 || 5 || 7 || 12 || 202 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1999–2000 | Detroit Vipers | IHL | 60 || 0 || 5 || 5 || 234 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2000–01 | Detroit Vipers | IHL | 71 || 2 || 1 || 3 || 233 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2001–02 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 75 || 8 || 7 || 15 || 219 | 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2002–03 | Wheeling Nailers | ECHL | 66 || 18 || 26 || 44 || 194 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2003–04 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 4 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2003–04 | Wheeling Nailers | ECHL | 66 || 13 || 22 || 35 || 166 | 5 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 12 |- | 2004–05 | Danbury Trashers | UHL | 68 || 6 || 26 || 32 || 271 | 11 || 3 || 3 || 6 || 24 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2005–06 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 5 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 11 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2005–06 | Danbury Trashers | UHL | 46 || 5 || 10 || 15 || 187 | 18 || 0 || 11 || 11 || 40 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2006–07 | Fort Wayne Komets | UHL | 76 || 27 || 40 || 67 || 231 | 10 || 2 || 5 || 7 || 40 |- | 2007–08 | HC Innsbruck | EBEL | 37 || 8 || 9 || 17 || 123 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2008–09 | SG Pontebba | ITA | 15 || 4 || 4 || 8 || 73 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2008–09 | EC Red Bull Salzburg II | AUT.2 | 12 || 1 || 7 || 8 || 86 | 4 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 33 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2009–10 | Nottingham Panthers | EIHL | 21 || 2 || 5 || 7 || 80 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2009–10 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 31 || 5 || 19 || 24 || 57 | 6 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 30 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2010–11 | Evansville IceMen | CHL | 64 || 17 || 27 || 44 || 151 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2011–12 | Elmira Jackals | ECHL | 69 || 7 || 38 || 45 || 140 | 7 || 1 || 4 || 5 || 18 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2012–13 | Arizona Sundogs | CHL | 49 || 7 || 15 || 22 || 118 | 4 || 2 || 2 || 4 || 6 |- | 2013–14 | Braehead Clan | EIHL | 16 || 2 || 6 || 8 || 36 | 3 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 8 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2014–15 | Stockton Thunder | ECHL | 35 || 4 || 9 || 13 || 127 | — || — || — || — || — |- |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 5 ! 0 ! 0 ! 0 ! 16 ! — ! — ! — ! — ! — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | UHL/IHL totals ! 221 ! 43 ! 95 ! 138 ! 746 ! 45 ! 6 ! 21 ! 27 ! 134 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | ECHL totals ! 236 ! 42 ! 95 ! 137 ! 627 ! 12 ! 2 ! 6 ! 8 ! 30 |}

==References== * {{cite book |title=Players: the ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL |last=Podnieks |first=Andrew |publisher=Doubleday Canada |year=2003 |isbn=0-385-25999-9}} {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{icehockeystats}}

{{s-start}} {{s-ach}} {{succession box | before = Daymond Langkow | title = Tampa Bay Lightning first-round draft pick | years = 1996 | after = Paul Mara}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larocque, Mario}} Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Arizona Sundogs players Category:Braehead Clan players Category:Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen Category:Cleveland Lumberjacks players Category:Danbury Trashers players Category:Detroit Vipers players Category:Elmira Jackals (ECHL) players Category:Evansville IceMen players Category:Fort Wayne Komets players Category:HC TWK Innsbruck players Category:Hull Olympiques players Category:Ice hockey people from Montreal Category:Muskegon Lumberjacks players Category:NHL first-round draft picks Category:Nottingham Panthers players Category:Rochester Americans players Category:SG Pontebba players Category:Sherbrooke Faucons players Category:Stockton Thunder players Category:Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks Category:Tampa Bay Lightning players Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:Wheeling Nailers players Category:Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players