Cristobal Huet

3.1.1. HC Lugano

Huet joined HC Lugano in Switzerland's National League A (then Nationalliga A) for the 1998-99 season, marking a significant turning point in his professional career. In his debut season with the club, he immediately contributed to winning the National League A Championship. The following year, in the 1999-2000 season, Huet helped HC Lugano reach the final four of the European Hockey League. His strong performance during this period also earned him the Jacques Plante Trophy for the best goals against average (GAA) in the Swiss National A League in both the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons. He played for HC Lugano until the 2001-02 season.

3.1.2. Los Angeles Kings and Adler Mannheim

Huet entered the National Hockey League (NHL) after being drafted by the Los Angeles Kings as their seventh-round pick, 214th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He played for the Kings during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, when NHL play was suspended, Huet moved to Germany to play for Adler Mannheim in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He was instrumental in leading Adler Mannheim to the DEL finals, though they ultimately lost to Eisbären Berlin in three straight games. Following the lockout, Huet was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in a three-team deal that involved Mathieu Garon going to Los Angeles and Radek Bonk moving from the Ottawa Senators to Montreal.

3.1.3. Montreal Canadiens

Huet's tenure with the Montreal Canadiens began in the 2005-06 NHL season. He eventually secured the starting goaltender position, displacing José Théodore, who was subsequently traded to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for goaltender David Aebischer. During February 2006, Huet was awarded the Molson Cup. His exceptional play in early March earned him the NHL Best Defensive Player award for the week, outperforming goaltenders such as the Ottawa Senators' Ray Emery and the New Jersey Devils' Martin Brodeur, with a 3-0-0 record and a 1.67 GAA. He received this accolade again on April 3, posting another 3-0-0 record with a 0.65 GAA and a .979 SV%, outperforming goaltenders Martin Brodeur, Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff and Detroit's Manny Legace.
On April 23, in his first NHL playoff start, Huet delivered a stellar performance, stopping 42 of 43 shots in a 6-1 win against the second-seeded and eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, giving the Canadiens a 1-0 lead in the series. Two days later, he recorded his first overtime playoff win as the Canadiens defeated the Hurricanes 6-5 in double overtime to extend their series lead to 2-0. However, the Canadiens and Huet lost the next four games and the series, largely in goaltender duels with rookie Cam Ward, who had taken over the starting spot from Martin Gerber for Carolina and went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
In the 2006 off-season, the Canadiens re-signed Huet to a two-year contract worth 5.75 M USD. On January 13, 2007, he was named one of the three goaltenders for the Eastern Conference All-Star Team at the 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game in Dallas, Texas. A month later, he sustained a left hamstring injury that sidelined him for most of the final two months of the season, a period during which the Canadiens struggled and ultimately missed the postseason.

3.1.4. Washington Capitals

On February 26, 2008, Montreal Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey traded Huet to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2009 second-round draft pick. The decision to trade Huet was influenced by the emergence of highly regarded prospect Carey Price within the Canadiens organization. In Washington, Huet assumed the starting goaltender position, taking over from Olaf Kölzig and shifting incumbent backup Brent Johnson to the pressbox. His exceptional play played a crucial role in helping the Capitals secure a playoff berth. However, in the opening round of the playoffs, the Capitals were defeated by the Philadelphia Flyers in a seven-game series.

3.1.5. Chicago Blackhawks

On July 1, 2008, the first day of unrestricted free agency, Cristobal Huet signed a four-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks valued at 22.40 M USD, averaging 5.63 M USD per season. Initially, Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon announced that the team would begin the season with a goaltending tandem of Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin. Huet struggled to win the starting job over Khabibulin at the start of the season, leading to more bench time. However, he gradually regained playing time, with both goaltenders alternating games for nearly three months until Khabibulin suffered a groin injury in early February. This tandem approach garnered praise across the NHL. Khabibulin's second injury in early February once again thrust Huet into the spotlight, and he was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week for February 15-21, achieving a 3-0-0 record and allowing only five goals on 72 shots.
Despite his strong performance, Khabibulin was ultimately named the playoff starter for the Blackhawks in the 2009 playoffs. The Blackhawks advanced by defeating the Calgary Flames in the first round and the Vancouver Canucks in the second round. Huet made his next appearance for the Blackhawks in Game 3 of the 2009 Western Conference Finals, stepping in to replace an injured Khabibulin. He made six saves and contributed to an overtime victory for the Blackhawks. With Khabibulin still recovering from a lower-body injury, coach Joel Quenneville named Huet the starting goaltender for Game 4 against Detroit. In that game, Huet allowed five goals on 21 shots and was temporarily replaced by Corey Crawford. In the final game of the series, Huet stopped 44 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss that ended the Blackhawks' playoff run.
For the first time in his career, Huet began the 2009-10 NHL season as the undisputed number one goaltender. However, as the season progressed, Antti Niemi eventually replaced Huet as Chicago's starter heading into the playoffs. Huet played only twenty minutes in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, which the Blackhawks won with Niemi in net, achieving an overall playoff record of 16-6. With the Blackhawks' victory, Huet made history by becoming the first native of France to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

3.1.6. Return to Swiss leagues

On September 27, 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks loaned Huet to HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the Swiss National League A (NLA) in a move to manage their salary cap. In his initial year with Fribourg-Gottéron, Huet played in 41 games but experienced a decline in performance during the second half of the season, finishing with a 2.84 GAA. The team finished 8th in the league and qualified for the playoffs, but they were subsequently swept by HC Davos.
The following season, Huet showed significant improvement, achieving a 1.99 GAA in 39 games, which was the third-best in the league that year. Fribourg-Gottéron defeated HC Lugano in the quarterfinals in six games but ultimately lost to SC Bern in the semifinals in five games. At the end of the playoffs, Huet's loan and his contract with the Blackhawks expired, making him a free agent.

Following his time with Fribourg-Gottéron, Huet signed a four-year contract with Lausanne HC of the National League B (NLB) in 2012. His first season with Lausanne was a success; the team won the NLB title and earned promotion to the National League (formerly NLA) by defeating SC Langnau in the qualification round. He continued to play for Lausanne HC until the 2017-18 season.