Brian Rafalski
Date of birth | September 28, 1973 |
place of birth | Dearborn , Michigan , USA |
size | 178 cm |
Weight | 87 kg |
position | defender |
number | # 28 |
Shot hand | Right |
Career stations | |
1990-1991 | Madison Capitols |
1991-1995 | University of Wisconsin – Madison |
1995-1996 | Brynäs IF |
1996-1997 | HPK Hämeenlinna |
1997-1999 | HIFK Helsinki |
1999-2007 | New Jersey Devils |
2007-2011 | Detroit Red Wings |
2014 | Florida Everblades |
Brian Christopher Rafalski (* 28. September 1973 in Dearborn , Michigan ) is a retired American ice hockey player , who during his playing career 1990-2011 among other 998 games for the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League on contested the position of defender . Rafalski is one of the most successful defenders of American origin and - in addition to two silver medals at the Winter Olympics - won the Stanley Cup three times with New Jersey and Detroit .
Career
In 1990 Brian Rafalski started his career with the Madison Capitols in the United States Hockey League . From 1991 he went to the University of Wisconsin – Madison , where he studied economics and played for the university ice hockey team. In the 1994/95 season he led the team with 45 points in 43 games in the final round of the NCAA championship. He received several awards that season, including Best Defender of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and was named to the NCAA First All-Star Team.
After he dropped out of college in 1995, he moved ungedraftet in the Swedish Elitserien for Brynäs IF , where he played one year. In the summer of 1996 he went to Finland and joined HPK Hämeenlinna from the SM-liiga . In his first season he was able to convince there and received the Pekka Rautakallio trophy as the best defender of the season. Within the league he finally moved to HIFK Helsinki and won the Finnish championship in the 1997/98 season . He had his best season in the 1998/99 game year , when he was again awarded the title of best defender, the Kultainen kypärä as the best player in the SM-liiga and the Matti-Keinonen trophy as the player with the best plus / minus rating .
In the meantime, the National Hockey League had also become aware of the American and the New Jersey Devils signed him in May 1999. At the age of 26 he made his debut in the National Hockey League very late, but he was able to build on his good performance in Europe and won the Stanley Cup with the Devils for the first time in the same season . In addition, there was the election to the NHL All-Rookie Team . Also in the 2000/01 season , the Devils moved into the Stanley Cup final, but failed there at the Colorado Avalanche . Rafalski was a major support for the team in the playoffs , scoring 18 points in 25 games.
Rafalski continued to play at a consistently high level and was nominated by the US national team for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City . In the end he was able to win the silver medal with the team. In the final he had achieved the interim 2-2 for the USA in the 2-5 defeat against Canada .
In the 2002/03 season , the defender won the Stanley Cup for the second time with the New Jersey Devils and the following year he was invited to the NHL All-Star Game for the first time . A second nomination followed in 2007. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Rafalski was back in the US squad, which was only eighth after a quarter-final against Finland. In the 2006/07 season , Rafalski set a new personal record with 55 scorer points , but failed with New Jersey in the second round of the playoffs.
In the summer of 2007, Rafalski signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent , earning him a total of $ 30 million. The defender completed the 2007/08 season mainly in the first line of defense together with team captain Nicklas Lidström and - although he played nine fewer games due to injury - set the previous year's record of 55 points and led the Red Wings defenders with 13 goals.
In the play-offs, too, he and Lidström formed one of the most dominant defensive ranks in the league and thus made a large contribution to the Stanley Cup final. After the Red Wings won three of the first four games of the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins , they were 2-0 down in the fifth game in front of their own audience before they equalized in the last third and Rafalski even took the lead a little later. But with 35 seconds remaining, the Penguins were able to equalize the game and won it in the third overtime . In the following sixth game, Rafalski laid the foundation stone for the fourth victory over the Penguins and thus the third Stanley Cup victory in his career with another goal for a 1-0 lead. Rafalski took part in the 2010 Winter Olympics with Team USA and again won the silver medal with the team. After the 2010/11 season , the defender decided to end his playing career at the age of 37. Only after a break of more than two years did he complete three games for the Florida Everblades in the ECHL in a comeback attempt in January 2014 , which ended in the same month due to persistent back problems.
Achievements and Awards
|
|
International
|
|
Career statistics
Regular season | Play-offs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
season | team | league | Sp | T | V | Pt | SM | Sp | T | V | Pt | SM | ||
1990/91 | Madison Capitols | USHL | 47 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 28 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1991/92 | University of Wisconsin – Madison | WCHA | 34 | 3 | 14th | 17th | 34 | |||||||
1992/93 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WCHA | 32 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 10 | |||||||
1993/94 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WCHA | 37 | 6th | 17th | 23 | 26th | |||||||
1994/95 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WCHA | 43 | 11 | 34 | 45 | 48 | |||||||
1995/96 | Brynäs IF | Elitserien | 40 | 4th | 14th | 18th | 26th | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
1996/97 | HPK Hämeenlinna | SM-liiga | 49 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 26th | 10 | 6th | 5 | 11 | 4th | ||
1997/98 | HIFK Helsinki | SM-liiga | 40 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 20th | 9 | 5 | 6th | 11 | 0 | ||
1998/99 | HIFK Helsinki | SM-liiga | 53 | 19th | 34 | 53 | 18th | 11 | 5 | 9 | 14th | 4th | ||
1999/00 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 5 | 27 | 32 | 28 | 23 | 2 | 6th | 8th | 8th | ||
2000/01 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 78 | 9 | 43 | 52 | 26th | 25th | 7th | 11 | 18th | 7th | ||
2001/02 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 76 | 7th | 40 | 47 | 18th | 6th | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4th | ||
2002/03 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 79 | 3 | 37 | 40 | 14th | 23 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 8th | ||
2003/04 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 69 | 6th | 30th | 36 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
2004/05 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | not played because of lockout | |||||||||||
2005/06 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 6th | 43 | 49 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 8th | 9 | 2 | ||
2006/07 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 8th | 47 | 55 | 34 | 11 | 2 | 6th | 8th | 8th | ||
2007/08 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 73 | 13 | 42 | 55 | 34 | 22nd | 4th | 10 | 14th | 12 | ||
2008/09 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 10 | 49 | 59 | 20th | 18th | 3 | 9 | 12 | 11 | ||
2009/10 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 8th | 34 | 42 | 26th | 12 | 3 | 8th | 11 | 2 | ||
2010/11 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 63 | 4th | 44 | 48 | 22nd | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4th | ||
2011/12 | without a contract | not played after retirement | ||||||||||||
2012/13 | without a contract | not played after retirement | ||||||||||||
2013/14 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
USHL total | 47 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 28 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
WCHA overall | 146 | 20th | 78 | 98 | 118 | |||||||||
NHL overall | 833 | 79 | 436 | 515 | 282 | 165 | 29 | 71 | 100 | 66 | ||||
Elitserien total | 40 | 4th | 14th | 18th | 26th | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
SM-liiga total | 142 | 43 | 68 | 111 | 64 | 30th | 16 | 20th | 36 | 8th |
International
Represented the USA at:
year | team | event | result | Sp | T | V | Pt | SM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | United States | June World Cup | 7th | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
1993 | United States | June World Cup | 4th Place | 7th | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
1995 | United States | WM | 6th place | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
1999 | United States | World Cup qual | 1st place | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
2002 | United States | Olympia | 6th | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
2004 | United States | World cup | 4th Place | 4th | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6th | |
2006 | United States | Olympia | 8th place | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
2010 | United States | Olympia | 6th | 4th | 4th | 8th | 2 | ||
Juniors overall | 14th | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4th | ||||
Men overall | 29 | 5 | 12 | 17th | 12 |
( Legend for player statistics: Sp or GP = games played; T or G = goals scored; V or A = assists scored ; Pkt or Pts = scorer points scored ; SM or PIM = penalty minutes received ; +/− = plus / minus balance; PP = overpaid goals scored ; SH = underpaid goals scored ; GW = winning goals scored; 1 play-downs / relegation )
Web links
- Brian Rafalski at legendsofhockey.net (English)
- Brian Rafalski at eliteprospects.com (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Rafalski, Brian |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Rafalski, Brian Christopher (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American ice hockey player |
DATE OF BIRTH | September 28, 1973 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Dearborn , Michigan |