A native of Timmins, Ontario, Lessard played four seasons of junior hockey with the Ottawa 67\'s of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) between 1984 and 1988. A rugged defenceman who was willing to fight, he scored only 13 goals in his 248-game junior career, but recorded 757 penalty minutes. In his final OHL season, 1987–88, Lessard served as team captain as the 67\'s reached the OHL final.\n', '

The Calgary Flames selected Lessard with their seventh round selection, 142nd overall, at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. When he turned professional in 1988–89, the Flames assigned him to their International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. Lessard played the majority of the season with Salt Lake where, as was one of the IHL\'s leading defensive scorers, he earned a brief call-up to Calgary. He played his first six NHL contests, recording one assist, and was named to the IHL First All-Star Team after scoring 10 goals and 52 points in 76 games with the Golden Eagles.\n', '

Lessard played the following two seasons with Salt Lake, though he appeared in NHL one game with Calgary in 1989–90. His rights were transferred to the newly formed San Jose Sharks in 1991 after they selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 1991 NHL Expansion Draft. Lessard appeared in eight games with the Sharks in 1991–92 but spent the majority of the season with the IHL\'s Kansas City Blades. He recorded 19 points in 41 games for the Blades who won the Turner Cup championship.\n', '

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