He played over 750 National Hockey League (NHL) games across four teams: the Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings.

[3] Laich was a dedicated student in Moose Jaw, being awarded the club's Scholastic Player of the Year for the 2000–01 season.

[4] 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.

[3] Laich has said that getting traded to Seattle was a good move for him, with coach Dean Chynoweth providing ample opportunities for him to display his skills.

[4] The NHL lockout saw Laich spend the entire 2004–05 season with the Pirates, playing in 68 games, finishing eighth on the team in scoring with 16 goals and 10 assists.

[3] After the Capitals' season was over, Laich rejoined the Bears for their playoff run and scored eight goals in 21 games[3] while helping the team capture the Calder Cup.

[3] He assisted on the overtime winning goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Final against the eventual Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins.

[3] On February 10, shortly after returning from injury, Laich recorded his first career NHL hat trick, against the Montreal Canadiens.

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.

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.

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.

"[18][19] 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.

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.

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.

[23] 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.

[28] During the tournament in a game against Russia, Laich raised the ire of his Capitals' teammate Semyon Varlamov for slashing and cross-checking Alexander Ovechkin.

"[29] In 2009, Capitals' Head Coach Bruce Boudreau believed that Laich had not yet reached his full potential, saying, "...I still don't think we've seen the best of Brooks.

[30][31] Part of Laich's inspiration comes from his father, who, during a 34-year tenure as a high school principal, only missed three days of work.

"[33] Laich spends time in the off-season with a power skating instructor, which he feels is key to a long career.

[4] While still playing junior hockey, Laich helped his hometown of Wawota raise money to purchase a Zamboni for the local arena.

[5] Laich received national media attention when he stopped to help two stranded Capitals fans change their flat tire after a Game 7 loss in the 2010 playoffs.

When he came across the woman and her teenaged daughter stranded on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, Laich stopped to install their spare and apologized for the club's early loss in the playoffs.

[36] For his efforts, Laich was hockey analyst Michael Farber's nominee for the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

[42] After his split from Hough, Laich announced his relationship with two-time CrossFit Games champion Katrín Davíðsdóttir on Instagram in 2021.