Mathieu Carol Garon (born January 9, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Tampa Bay Lightning between 2000 and 2013. He was drafted 44th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, and was also a member of the 2009 Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins, serving as the backup to Marc-Andre Fleury. Playing career As a youth, Garon played in the 1991 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Rimouski, Quebec. Garon spent his junior career with the Victoriaville Tigres of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In three seasons with the Tigres, Garon posted a 74–63–5 record. At the conclusion of the 1997–98 season, the last of his junior career, he won the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy as the best goaltender in the QMJHL and was named to the QMJHL First All-Star Team. He was also named CHL Goaltender of the Year as the top goaltender in Canadian major junior hockey and to the CHL First All-Star team. Garon also played for Canada at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Finland when Canada finished eighth. After being drafted by the Canadiens in the second round in 1996, Garon spent the first five seasons of his professional career playing primarily with the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliates, which included the Fredericton Canadiens, the Quebec Citadelles and the Hamilton Bulldogs. He was called up for brief stints with the Canadiens before he won the full-time back-up job with the team for the 2003–04 season. Garon played 19 games behind José Théodore that season, posting an 8–6–2 record, a 2.27 goals against average (GAA) and .921 save percentage. In the summer of 2004, Garon was traded (along with a third-round draft pick) to the Los Angeles Kings for Radek Bonk and Cristobal Huet. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Garon played with the Kings' AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, posting an impressive 32–14–4 record, 2.12 GAA, .927 save percentage, and eight shutouts. This helped earn him the starting job with the Kings when NHL play resumed for the 2005–06 season. However, Garon struggled in the number one role and was relegated to backup for the 2006–07 season. Following the 2006–07 season, Garon became an unrestricted free agent and on