Born and raised in Stonewall, Manitoba, Laxdal was drafted in the eighth round, 151st overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He played 67 games in the National Hockey League: 51 over four seasons with the Maple Leafs and 16 more over two seasons with the New York Islanders. In an almost 20-year career, he scored points at every level, including a successful four-year stint in the UK between 1995/96 and 1998/99, where he played for the Humberside Hawks, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers.
From December 10, 2019, until May 20,2022, Laxdal was an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League. From 2014 to 2019, he was the head coach of the American Hockey League affiliate of the Dallas Stars, the Texas Stars. Previously, he served as head coach of the WHL Edmonton Oil Kings and the ECHL Idaho Steelheads. In 2007, he was the ECHL John Brophy recipient of Coach of the Year. Laxdal led the Steelheads to the Kelly Cup championship in the 2006–07 season, and led the Edmonton Oil Kings to WHL titles in 2012 and 2014, winning the 2014 Memorial Cup with the Oil Kings. He is the first coach in the history of the WHL to have three 50 win seasons in a row.

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