Tom Laidlaw Biography

Tom Laidlaw is a retired Canadian professional hockey player who played for over a decade in the NHL. A native of Brampton, Ontario, he had a notable career playing for major market teams in the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings, where he was a physical and reliable defenseman. 

He became an instant fan favorite with his gritty demeanor and charismatic charm amongst both fanbases. Growing up in Canada, Laidlaw played minor league hockey before attending Northern Michigan University, where he earned All-CCHA First Team honors in 1979 and 1980. Undrafted, he signed with the Rangers in 1980, where he quickly established himself as a tough, stay-at-home defender. Over seven seasons in New York, he played 510 games, scoring 26 goals and 110 points while amassing 511 penalty minutes. 

In 1987, Laidlaw was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he played three seasons, appearing in 195 games with seven goals and 47 points. He retired in 1990 after 705 NHL games, totaling 33 goals, 164 points, and 717 penalty minutes. His career highlight includes reaching the 1986 Stanley Cup Playoffs semifinals with the Rangers.

After retirement, he became a successful player agent in the NHL. Other quests include being a contestant on CBS's reality series "Survivor: Island of the Idols." He lives his life through the "True Grit Life" mantra, engaging the public through speaking engagements and weekly hockey podcast episodes.

Book Tom Laidlaw for your Next Event

Disclaimer: AthleteSpeakers assists companies seeking to hire talent like Tom Laidlaw for speaking engagements, virtual meetings, appearances, product endorsements, and business sanctions. Our speakers bureau does not claim to exclusively represent Tom Laidlaw. Our booking agency can help with finding an athlete or sports celebrity that aligns with your upcoming events date, location, and budget. When an organization request booking details for a celebrity like Tom Laidlaw, we work closely with the client to make sure the proposed dates does not interfere with the requested athletes schedule. We then confirm the sports celebrity fee based on the details of the request. The fees listed on the speaker profile are rough estimates based on the previous market rate for the talent. Our team then works with Tom Laidlaw's agent, manager or assistant on the booking request. For parties interested in hiring Tom Laidlaw, we recommend filling out the booking request form so our booking agents can help with making your next event a success.