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Pat Lafontaine

Pat LaFontaine
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2003
Born (1965-02-22) February 22, 1965 (age 51)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
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
National team  United States
NHL Draft 3rd overall, 1983
New York Islanders
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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