BOSSIER CITY, La – The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the Central Hockey League announced the retirement of longtime defenseman and alternate captain Quade Lightbody from professional hockey. Lightbody concludes his playing career having played eight professional seasons, the last six of which were spent with Bossier-Shreveport.
Quade Lightbody
Lightbody, 34, ranks seventh in Mudbugs history with 363 games played in purple and teal from 2003-2009. His 890 penalty minutes rank fourth in franchise history and 75 points make him the sixth-highest scoring defenseman ever to skate for the club. In the playoffs, Lightbody’s 61 games played are tied for sixth in the team record books and he ranks fifth with 125 playoff penalty minutes.
During his time with the team, the Mudbugs won two Northern Conference Championships, two Governor’s Cup regular season Championships, five Northeast Division titles and made the playoffs all six seasons.
“Quade is a phenomenal guy, and you can’t change a zebra’s stripes,” Head Coach Scott Muscutt said. “The qualities that make him a great husband and father are the same ones that made him a great player and teammate. He brought an essence of class to this team and this community, and he was as steady a defenseman as you could ever ask for. He’ll be missed. From day one to now it has been a total pleasure and I wish him and his family the absolute best in their future.”
Along with his wife Sarah, son Ben and daughter Grace, Quade will now return to his native Canada to start life after hockey.
“It’s going to be something new for us,” Lightbody said. “We’re excited. I’m looking forward to spending my time at the rink as a parent and as a coach with my kids. It will be nice investing as much time as I can into them without having to worry about myself.”
The 6-2, 215-pound defenseman played four years of Major Junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League prior to attending St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where he suited up for three seasons. He made his professional debut with the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League in the spring of 2001.
Lightbody played his first two professional seasons in the United Hockey League (now known as the International Hockey League) before joining the Mudbugs for the 2003-04 season. He immediately began to build a reputation as a tough, reliable blueliner and a fantastic leader.
“Before I came down here, I was going through a phase where I didn’t really enjoy hockey anymore,” Lightbody said. “It wasn’t until I came here and played for this team that I really started to fall in love with the game again, and I’ll be forever grateful for that. I have to thank everyone in the Mudbugs organization, the coaching staff, training staff, the fans, the booster club, and all the players I’ve played with here over the years.”
The Port Elgin, Ontario native was part of the now-infamous Game 7 against Laredo during the 2004 President’s Cup Finals, when the Bucks scored the controversial cup-winning overtime goal. It would prove to be as close as he would ever get to winning a pro championship.
Lightbody was named an alternate captain for 2005-06 and went on to career highs with five goals and 16 points as Bossier-Shreveport again advanced to the President’s Cup Finals. He would continue to wear an “A” on his sweater throughout the last four years of his career with the ‘Bugs.
In 2007-08, Lightbody had one of his finest seasons and was voted the CHL’s Best Defensive Defenseman by his peers in the league’s annual “Best of the Best” poll. He finished third in the league with a +32 plus/minus rating, trailing only his D-partner Dale Lupul among CHL defensemen.
Lightbody patrolled the blueline for a total of four teams during his pro career, amassing totals of 490 games played, 11 goals, 79 assists, 90 points and 1,055 penalty minutes.
“So many moments stick out from my career,” Lightbody said. “But the two seasons that we went to the finals – even though the outcome wasn’t what we wanted – that whole experience was just amazing. When you make it that far as a player and as a team, you look back and realize how hard you worked and how much it meant, and it really was worth it.”
Contact the writer at mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com
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