Pat LaFontaine

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United StatesUnited States  Pat LaFontaine Ice hockey player
Hockey Hall of Fame , 2003
Pat LaFontaine
Date of birth February 22, 1965
place of birth St. Louis , Missouri , USA
size 178 cm
Weight 82 kg
position center
number # 16
Shot hand Right
Draft
NHL Entry Draft 1983 , 1st lap, 3rd position
New York Islanders
Career stations
1982-1983 Verdun Juniors
1983-1984 Team USA
1984-1991 New York Islanders
1991-1997 Buffalo Sabers
1997-1998 New York Rangers

Patrick Michael "Pat" LaFontaine (born February 22, 1965 in St. Louis , Missouri ) is a retired American ice hockey player . Between 1984 and 1998 the center played 865 games for the New York Islanders , Buffalo Sabers and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League . He led the Sabers as team captain for five years and set franchise records that are still valid today , so that the team has not awarded its jersey number 16 since 2006 . With the national team of the USA he won, among other things, the gold medal at the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and also took part in the Winter Olympics in 1984 and 1998 . He also received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy , recorded over 1000 scorer points in the NHL and was inducted into both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

Career

Born in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in Detroit , Michigan , LaFontaine decided against a junior career on a college team and played in the Canadian Junior League. Here he played an outstanding season and led his team, the Verdun Juniors, into the final of the Memorial Cup .

This achievement made him one of the highly regarded hopefuls in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft . Behind Brian Lawton and Sylvain Turgeon , who shouldn't have a great NHL career ahead of them, Lafontaine was selected as third by the New York Islanders, ahead of other stars like Steve Yzerman (4th), Tom Barrasso (5th) and Cam Neely (9th). ). But instead of switching to the NHL, he played with the US national team and prepared for the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo . With eight points in six games, LaFontaine was one of the best players on the team that finished 7th .

For the coming season he went to the Islanders, but only made his breakthrough in his third season in 1986/87 . Six seasons followed, each with over 40 goals, but despite their good performance, the Islanders were a little successful team in those years. In 1991 Lafontaine was given to Buffalo. There he managed 148 points in the 1992/93 season . In 1996 he suffered a severe concussion . To lower the pay structure, he was given to the New York Rangers. In New York it no longer reached the top values ​​as before. In 1998 he again took part in the Olympic Games. After contracting another severe concussion, he retired from his career.

In 2003 he was honored with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame . In addition, his jersey number 16 was established in 2006 by the Buffalo Sabers locked .

Achievements and Awards

International

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
season team league Sp T V Pt SM Sp T V Pt SM
1982/83 Verdun Juniors LHJMQ 70 104 130 234 10 15th 11 24 35 4th
1983/84 USA hockey International 58 56 55 111 22nd
1983/84 New York Islanders NHL 15th 13 6th 19th 6th 16 3 6th 9 8th
1984/85 New York Islanders NHL 67 19th 35 54 32 9 1 2 3 4th
1985/86 New York Islanders NHL 65 30th 23 53 43 3 1 0 1 0
1986/87 New York Islanders NHL 80 38 32 70 70 14th 5 7th 12 10
1987/88 New York Islanders NHL 75 47 45 92 52 6th 4th 5 9 8th
1988/89 New York Islanders NHL 79 45 43 88 26th - - - - -
1989/90 New York Islanders NHL 74 54 51 105 38 2 0 1 1 0
1990/91 New York Islanders NHL 75 41 44 85 42 - - - - -
1991/92 Buffalo Sabers NHL 57 46 47 93 98 7th 8th 3 11 4th
1992/93 Buffalo Sabers NHL 84 53 95 148 63 7th 2 10 12 0
1993/94 Buffalo Sabers NHL 16 5 13 18th 2 - - - - -
1994/95 Buffalo Sabers NHL 22nd 12 15th 27 4th 5 2 2 4th 2
1995/96 Buffalo Sabers NHL 76 40 51 91 36 - - - - -
1996/97 Buffalo Sabers NHL 13 2 6th 8th 4th - - - - -
1997/98 New York Rangers NHL 67 23 39 62 36 - - - - -
LHJMQ total 70 104 130 234 10 15th 11 24 35 4th
International overall 58 56 55 111 22nd
NHL overall 865 468 545 1013 552 69 26th 36 62 36

International

Represented the USA at:

year team event Sp T V Pt SM
1984 United States Olympia 6th 5 3 8th 0
1987 United States Canada Cup 5 3 0 3 0
1989 United States WM 10 5 3 8th 8th
1991 United States Canada Cup 6th 3 1 4th 2
1996 United States World cup 5 2 2 4th 2
1998 United States Olympia 4th 1 1 2 0
Men overall 36 19th 10 29 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 )

Team records

  • 95 assists in one season with the Buffalo Sabers (NHL 1992/93)
  • 148 points in one season with the Buffalo Sabers (NHL 1992/93)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME LaFontaine, Pat
ALTERNATIVE NAMES LaFontaine, Patrick Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH February 22, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Louis , Missouri , United States