Jay Leach (born September 2, 1979) is a former American professional ice hockey player. His stint as a player saw him captain the Albany Devils, and he currently serves as the assistant head coach of the Seattle Kraken in the National Hockey League. He has a connection to American sportscaster Kathryn Tappen. They were married for five years before their divorce in 2014. Let’s learn more about him in the following paragraphs.
Summary Of Jay Leach’s Bio
- Full Name: Jay Christopher Leach
- Gender: Male
- Date of Birth: September 2, 1979
- Jay Leach’s Age: 44 years old
- Place of Birth: Victoria, Syracuse, New York, USA
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Virgo
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Jay Leach’s Ex-Wife: Kathryn Tappen
- Jay Leach’s Children: 3 (2 daughters and a son)
- Jay Leach’s Height in Inches: 6ft 4inches
- Jay Leach’s Height in Centimeters: 193cm
- Jay Leach’s Weight: 98kg (216.05lbs)
- Jay Leach’s Net Worth: $8 million
- Famous for: Being Assistant Head Coach of the Seattle Kraken and former husband of American sportscaster, Kathryn Tappen
Jay Leach Began His Hockey Career In High School
Jay Christopher Leach was born on September 2, 1979, in Victoria, Syracuse, New York. Not much is known about who his parents are. Details of any other family members are not present at the moment as the 44-year-old former professional focuses mainly on his career and immediate family.
We know that Jay didn’t spend much time in Victoria, Syracuse, as his family moved to Altamont just two weeks after he was born. This was where he formed some quite satisfying childhood memories. He recalls that he enjoyed skating a lot, given he started doing so at a very young age.
He attended Albany Academy but played high school hockey in the Capital Region Selects League, which had been formed by his father, Chris Leach, and friend, Jim Salfi, years before as an alternative to high school hockey. Many colleges, including Providence College, noticed his skill, and there were scholarship offers for him. However, Jay opted to further his education at Providence College because their style of play suited him.
Leach and Kathryn Tappen were Married for Five Years
Deep into his professional career as an ice hockey player, Jay Leach met and fell in love with one of America’s top sportscasters, Kathryn Tappen. The duo first met in January 2005 in an official capacity. This was during the National Hockey League Lockout. Soon the pair became quite close but didn’t officially date until 2008.
The romance was well documented by the mainstream media, and there were hearty congratulations from friends and well-wishers. Close friends and family members attended the wedding that took place a year later, on July 18, 2009. The venue for the wedding was the New Castle Congregational Church which is located in New Hampshire, USA.
The couple blissfully carried on with their lives and careers; Kathryn as a well-respected journalist and sports reporter and Jay as a professional ice hockey player. However, this bliss didn’t last long, and in 2014, five years after their much-publicized wedding, the couple divorced.
The couple didn’t put forth any reasons for their divorce, but speculation was rife that Jay’s infidelity contributed to the breakdown of the marriage. Neither partner confirmed or denied these rumors.
The marriage was blessed with three children, two girls and a boy. Information on the children’s date of birth has been withheld from the media and the general public. Kathryn got custody of the children after the divorce was finalized in 2014, and they remain with her to date.
Jay Leach Had A Long And Uneasy Ice Hockey Career
Jay Leach’s sporting career began while he was a student at Providence College. He spent his four years of college, from 1998 – 2001, playing for Providence College. He then went on to play 70 games in the East Coast Hockey League for the Mississippi Sea Wolves in the 2001-02 season.
2003 saw Leach become the 115th overall draft in the fifth round of the annual hockey draft, and he was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes. This opportunity allowed him his first foray into the world of professional ice hockey. However, this was only in the minor leagues. After that, he was signed as a free agent by the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins, where he played two games in the 05/06 season.
He remained with the Bruins organization but primarily with their American Hockey League subsidiary, The Providence Bruins. After three years with the Bruins, he was snapped up by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2007. His hope to revive his flailing career at the bay lightning didn’t seem to materialize as he only played two games for them before returning to the AHL to spend the remainder of the 07/08 season.
February of 2008 saw him traded to the Anaheim Ducks before he was signed with the New Jersey Devils in the summer of the same year. The re-entry waivers of 2009 brought about his time with the Montreal Canadiens, where he spent the majority of the time playing in offensive positions, instead of his usual defensive positions, on account of the forwards populated injury list of the Canadiens.
He Played for Three More NHL and AHL Teams Before Retiring in 2013
San Jose Sharks came calling from the NHL again in December 2009. He played 28 games that season and scored his first NHL goal in an 8 – 5 victory over Nashville Predators on March 10, 2010. The start of the 2010/11 season saw him start in the colors of AHL’s Worcester Sharks before eventually being traded back, along with Steven Zalewski, to the New Jersey Devils with Patrick Davis and Mike Swift moving in the opposite direction.
With his professional playing career winding down, Leach had got an opportunity to return home to Albany, and he took it when he joined The Albany Devils and served as an assistant captain and later as team captain before his eventual retirement in 2013.
The arduous journey through the various levels of the league took its toll on the mind and body of an aging Leach. He was 34 when he retired from playing, stating that his body was not as strong as it once was, and he had plans to become a coach.
His Ice Hockey Career Has Progressed Into Coaching
After his trying times as a player, Jay feels he can bring his experience as a player into coaching. He started in Germany as an assistant coach with Alder Mannheim, and in 2014, he helped them secure a sixth DEL championship.
In 2015, he became an assistant coach to Mike Sullivan of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Before returning to Providence Bruins, he spent just a year there to assist Bruce Cassidy. Bruce’s promotion to the Boston Bruins head coach position in 2016 allowed Leach to try his hand as interim head coach for the rest of the year.
He would secure the job on a permanent basis in 2017 and spent the next four years establishing the Providence Bruins with his innovative coaching style. He was recently appointed to Dave Hakstol’s coaching crew as an assistant coach with the Seattle Krakens, marking his return to the NHL major leagues.
Leach says perseverance and a will to do better have been responsible for his return to the big leagues after nearly a decade of absence. Many pundits have pointed out that it won’t take long for the resourceful coach to land a head coaching position in the NHL. He has become that good!!!
