Born in St. Bonaventure, Quebec, Patrick Lalime was taken 156th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft after a fine junior career with the QMJHL's Shawinigan Cataractes.
After two years in the minors with stops with stops in the ECHL with Hampton Roads and the IHL with Cleveland, Lalime was recalled by the Pens part way through the 1996-97 season when the team's number one goalie Tom Barrasso was lost to injury. The talented youngster went 14-0-2, setting an NHL rookie record by going undefeated in his first 16 games. Lalime won 21 games in 39 starts and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1997.
Lalime's NHL career didn't take off the next season as he was assigned to the IHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. In 1998-99 he led the IHL with 39 wins as a member of the Kansas City Blades and was named a First Team All-Star. A few weeks later the Penguins traded Lalime to the Ottawa Senators where his career was reborn.
Entering his fourth season with the Senators in 2002-03, Lalime, who made his NHL All-Star Game debut in 2003, has quietly become one of the league's elite goaltenders, playing behind one of the NHL's steadiest defensive teams. Lalime went on to play five seasons with the Senators before opting to go a different direction in 2003-04 and subsequently dealt the St. Bonaventure, QC native to the St. Louis Blues in the summer of 2004.
As a member of the Blues, Lalime would struggle and finish the year with a record of 4-18-8. During the season, Lalime would be sent to the team's AHL affilaite in Peoria before returing to tear his ACL in his final game with the Blues.
In the summer of 2006, Lalime was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks. As a member of the Hawks, Lalime suffered an injury just before training camp and missed half of the 2006-07 season. He returned to compete with the Hawks in February and was good enough to be welcomed back to the club in 2007-08. After a decent second season in Chicago, Lalime signed in the off-season with the Buffalo Sabres.
