Thomas Laird Paton (September 30, 1855 – February 10, 1909), was a Canadian ice hockey player of the pre-NHL era of the sport.

His hockey career can be traced back to the early Montreal Carnivals prior to the formation of the AHAC in 1885.

[3] The authors of the reference book Ultimate Hockey consider Paton's performance in 1890, 1891 and 1893 to be worthy of winning the equivalent to the Vezina Trophy that the NHL awards today for top goal tender.

But in the final challenge of the season Paton and the Montreal HC defeated Ottawa 1–0 to regain the championship.

[5] Paton worked as an agent in manufacturing and in 1901 was president of the Dominion Commercial Travellers' Association in Montreal.