Pat LaFontaine
| Pat LaFontaine | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2003 | |||
| Born |
February 22, 1965 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
New York Islanders Buffalo Sabres New York Rangers |
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| National team |
 United States
|
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| NHL Draft | 3rd overall, 1983 New York Islanders |
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| Playing career | 1983–1998 | ||
Patrick Michael "Pat" LaFontaine (born February 22, 1965) is an American former ice hockey center in the National Hockey League (NHL) who spent his entire career playing for the league's New York State-based teams; LaFontaine played for the New York Islanders from 1983 until 1991, the Buffalo Sabres from 1991 until 1997, and the New York Rangers from 1997 until his retirement in 1998, scoring 468 goals and 1,013 points along the way before his career was ended by concussions. His 1.17 points per game (1,013 points over 865 games) is the best among American-born ice hockey players, active or retired. On January 27, 2017, in a ceremony during the All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Lafontaine was part of the second group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. LaFontaine served as an executive to the Buffalo Sabres' as the President of Hockey Operations until March 2014.
Although he was born in St. Louis, LaFontaine grew up in Waterford, Michigan (his father, a Chrysler executive, now an owner of multiple car dealerships, moved the family to the Detroit area in 1972) and graduated from Waterford Kettering High School. LaFontaine began his junior career with the Verdun Juniors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) during the 1982–83 season). In his only season in the QMJHL, LaFontaine contributed 104 goals and 130 assists for Verdun. LaFontaine's 234 points was tops in the league and he was awarded the Jean Béliveau Trophy as the top scorer, out-dueling future NHL icon Mario Lemieux. His rookie season broke many records, including Guy Lafleur's 40-game point-scoring streak and Mike Bossy's 70 goals by a rookie.
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