BUFFALO, N.Y. — From 2008 to 2019, David Leggio pursued a professional career as a goalie. After quietly hanging up the skates last year, his new career is to help clients with commercial mortgages and term loans as a business banking relationship manager at Five Star Bank. 

What You Need To Know

  • With little fanfare, Williamsville native David Leggio has retired from pro hockey after more than a decade playing in the AHL and in Europe

  • Leggio now works for Five Star Bank and serves as the director of goaltending at Nichols School

  • Leggio admits he misses the excitement of hockey, but he enjoys the stability provided by his post-retirement life

"This is the first big-boy job, if you will," he says.

His post-retirement job has its perks - namely, stability and more family time. Leggio's playing career was full of mid-season moves and frequent changes of scenery. 

"I certainly miss the game and the excitement, and all the things that come with it. But this lifestyle’s been pretty good," he says. "It gives me flexibility, and it gives me a chance to work with people in the area. It gives our family a chance to live a little more of a stable life than we were used to."

The Williamsville native hasn't stepped away from hockey entirely - last October, he joined the Nichols School to serve as their director of goaltending, and be an assistant coach on their prep team. 

"I have a strong passion for coaching. I’ve always had big interest in reading and listening to coaches," he says, listing Mike Krzyzewski and Marv Levy as some of his influences. "I’m just trying to help these kids grow, and reach their goals. Whether they have aspirations of playing pro or college, or just being a good high school or prep player. Just try to give them some ideas to help them grow additional tools to grow their games and ultimately, for us to have team success."

Of course, he's still asked about the "Leggio Rule," which penalizes a goalie for intentionally dislodging his own net to prevent a scoring chance during a breakaway. 

"It’s came up a couple of times, yeah. Moreso with the goalies. I just tell them, 'if you get in trouble, just knock it off,'" he says with a smile.

In 2014, Leggio became infamous in the AHL for shoving his net off its goalposts while faced with a 2-on-0, reasoning that a penalty shot (as a response to his move) would be easier to stop than a 2-on-0. The "David Leggio Rule" eliminated this loophole, and this move is now a game misconduct penalty (in addition to a team earning a penalty shot). When he moved to Germany to play in their top pro league, he pulled the exact same move. The DEL's response was more harsh - if a goalie pulled the same stunt today, it would be an automatic goal. 

"It’s a game," Leggio says. "You try to find strategic advantages. If they change the rules, you have to change your strategy. That’s what I did. I was good at the shootout, at the time, I just wanted to play it by numbers."

Finding an advantage wherever you can - that's one of the lessons Leggio is passing on to the next generation of goalies.