Minor Laich started playing
minor hockey in his hometown of
Wawota, Saskatchewan. During the 1999–2000 season, he was the top scorer and most valuable player for the midget AAA Tisdale Trojans. He was the runner up for league MVP.
Junior Laich started his
junior hockey career with the
Moose Jaw Warriors of the
Western Hockey League (WHL) during the
2000–01 season. He played in 71 games with the Warriors, scoring nine goals and adding 21 assists. Laich was a dedicated student in Moose Jaw, being awarded the club's Scholastic Player of the Year for the 2000–01 season. He started the
2001–02 season with the Warriors, but was traded to the
Seattle Thunderbirds along with
Tomáš Mojžíš for Craig Olynick and Stas Avksentiev. The deal was unpopular with Warriors fans, as Olynick left the club and Avksentiev never reported. Laich spent the rest of his junior career with the Thunderbirds. He started to develop more of an offensive game, finishing off the 2001–02 season with 58 points in the 47 games he played in Seattle. He was also named to the WHL's Western Conference First All-Star Team, and the
Canadian Hockey League's Third All-Star Team.
Professional Laich attended the
Ottawa Senators training camp before the 2002–03 season. After the trade, he reported to the Capitals' AHL affiliate, the
Portland Pirates, making his debut with the Capitals on March 12, 2003, against the
Chicago Blackhawks. He spent most of the season at the NHL level, playing in 73 games and recording 21 points. Laich played in all 82 games for the Capitals during the
2007–08 season, and set career highs in goals, assists and points. His 21 goals ranked third overall on the team. He led the Capitals with two
short handed goals, and played in his 200th career regular season game. After a two-goal game against the
Atlanta Thrashers, Laich summed up his philosophy towards scoring: "If you want money, go to the bank. If you want bread, go to the bakery. If you want goals, go to the net." During the
playoffs, Laich had a five-game point streak in the
Eastern Conference quarter-finals against the
Philadelphia Flyers. This tied him for the longest point streak during the first round of the playoffs. During the playoffs, Laich scored the last goal of the Capitals season during Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. Laich was appreciative of the opportunities afforded by the outdoor game, and was happy to be able to share time with his family and friends on the outdoor rink set up at Heinz Field. On June 28, 2011, Laich signed a six-year, $27 million contract extension worth $4.5 million per season. As the player representative for the Washington Capitals during the
2012 NHL-NHLPA CBA negotiations, Laich stated in support of the
National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that, "At some point you have to dig your heels in and fight. If we don't this time, then what happens next? Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive, and the players really understand that. We believe in our cause and our leadership and I believe we're more unified this time and ready for a fight." Prior to the start of the lockout-shortened 2012-2013 playing season, Laich played for the
Kloten Flyers of Switzerland's National League. In 35 games for the Flyers, Laich posted 17 goals and a total of 38 points. He also reportedly suffered a groin injury, which limited his play upon his return stateside with the NHL. When play resumed for the 2012–13 season, Laich was limited to nine games. On March 17, 2014, the Capitals announced via
Twitter that Laich "underwent a successful procedure to release a tight adductor," a part of the groin muscle. He is expected to miss the rest of the season with a recovery time of four-to-six weeks. Except for a minor shoulder injury resulting in him missing 16 games, Laich returned to full health in 2014-15. He finished with seven goals and 20 points in 66 games played. In the
2015–16 season, Laich's offensive production rapidly declined, while his $4.5 million cap hit stuck out as one of the only adverse aspects of a league-leading Capitals squad. On February 27, 2016, the Capitals placed Laich on waivers for the purpose of sending him to the
Hershey Bears of the
AHL. The following day, on the eve of the trade deadline, Laich, along with
Connor Carrick and a second round selection (
Carl Grundström) in the
2016 draft, were traded to the
Toronto Maple Leafs, his boyhood team, in exchange for
Daniel Winnik and a fifth round pick (Beck Malenstyn) in the 2016 draft. The purpose of the trade was to give the Capitals salary cap relief to use toward younger core player contracts that needed re-signing the following off-season. Capitals GM Brian Maclellan called the trade, when asked, the hardest thing he had done as General Manager of the team. Laich had been the longest tenured active professional Washington-area athlete at the time of the trade, concluding his career of 12 years with the franchise. In what easily stands as the most emotional trade in Capitals history since Laich was dealt to Washington in a package for Peter Bondra, one journalist wrote "It's ironic that money is what ultimately forced the Caps to move Laich. This is a guy who loves the game so much, he'd probably play for free." Laich returned to Washington a few days later where the Capitals honored the centreman with a video tribute during the first period and a long standing ovation from the hometown fans and his former teammates. The Maple Leafs would lose the game 3-2. Finishing out the season in Toronto, Laich's offensive statistics improved significantly, recording identical numbers to what he scored in Washington while playing in a third of the games. As a free agent from the Maple Leafs, Laich was unsigned over the summer. He later accepted a try-out contract to attend the
Los Angeles Kings' training camp. Despite suffering an early injury, Laich returned to impress in the preseason, however was ultimately released prior to the
2017–18 season. With the Kings suffering from injury through the early stages of the campaign, he returned to the fold in signing a one-year, $650,000 deal on October 19, 2017. On November 25, Laich was placed on waivers by the Kings, and was later assigned to their AHL affiliate, the
Ontario Reign. Having recorded 1 assist in 12 games with the Kings and before reporting to the Reign, Laich was placed on unconditional waivers, opting for a mutual termination of his contract on November 27, 2017. On June 25, 2021, Laich formally announced his retirement. ==International play==