As a youth, Garon played in the 1991
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a
minor ice hockey team from
Rimouski, Quebec. Garon spent his junior career with the
Victoriaville Tigres of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In three seasons with the Tigres, Garon posted a 74–63–5 record. At the conclusion of the
1997–98 season, the last of his junior career, he won the
Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy as the best goaltender in the QMJHL and was named to the QMJHL First All-Star Team. He was also named
CHL Goaltender of the Year as the top goaltender in Canadian major junior hockey and to the CHL First All-Star team. Garon also played for
Canada at the
1998 World Junior Championships in Finland when Canada finished eighth. After being drafted by the Canadiens in the second round in 1996, Garon spent the first five seasons of his professional career playing primarily with the Canadiens'
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliates, which included the
Fredericton Canadiens, the
Quebec Citadelles and the
Hamilton Bulldogs. He was called up for brief stints with the Canadiens before he won the full-time back-up job with the team for the
2003–04 season. Garon played 19 games behind
José Théodore that season, posting an 8–6–2 record, a 2.27
goals against average (GAA) and .921 save percentage. In the summer of 2004, Garon was traded (along with a third-round draft pick) to the
Los Angeles Kings for
Radek Bonk and
Cristobal Huet. During the
2004–05 NHL lockout, Garon played with the Kings' AHL affiliate, the
Manchester Monarchs, posting an impressive 32–14–4 record, 2.12 GAA, .927 save percentage, and eight shutouts. This helped earn him the starting job with the Kings when NHL play resumed for the
2005–06 season. However, Garon struggled in the number one role and was relegated to backup for the
2006–07 season. Following the 2006–07 season, Garon became an
unrestricted free agent and on July 3, 2007, he signed a two-year, $2.2 million contract with the
Edmonton Oilers. Garon split time with incumbent starter
Dwayne Roloson and his strong play earned him 47 appearances through which he posted a 2.66 GAA, .913 save percentage, and four shutouts. Despite his efforts, the Oilers failed to qualify for the playoffs. However, Garon earned praise for going a perfect 10–0 in shootouts that season, stopping a remarkable 30 of 32 shot attempts in the process. in
2010. Garon was named to
Canada's roster for the
2008 IIHF World Championship in
Quebec City and
Halifax, although he did not receive any playing time behind
Cam Ward and
Pascal Leclaire as Canada won the silver medal. in game five of the
2009 Stanley Cup Final. Roloson reemerged as Edmonton's undisputed starter in
2008–09 and on January 17, 2009, Garon was traded to the
Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for
Ryan Stone,
Dany Sabourin, and the Penguins' fourth-round pick in the
2011 NHL entry draft. Garon saw limited action behind starter
Marc-André Fleury, who backstopped the Penguins to their third
Stanley Cup championship, defeating the
Detroit Red Wings in a seven-game rematch of the previous year's final. Garon's only appearance in the playoffs came in game five of the
Final in relief of Fleury. On July 1, 2009, Garon again became an unrestricted free agent and signed a two-year contract with the
Columbus Blue Jackets worth $1.2 million per season. In his first season with the Blue Jackets, he appeared in 35 games and posted a 12–9–6 record backing-up
Steve Mason, the winner of the 2009
Calder Memorial Trophy. On July 1, 2011, Garon signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract with the
Tampa Bay Lightning. This was the second team in which Garon and Roloson were teammates (after Edmonton). After his contract expired, due to lack of interest from NHL teams, Garon pursued a career in the
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), signing with
Avangard Omsk. ==Career statistics==