Al Iafrate

Al Iafrate
Born	March 21, 1966 (1966-03-21) Dearborn, MI, USA
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb)
Position	Defense
Shot	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs Washington Capitals Boston Bruins San Jose Sharks
National team	United States
NHL Draft	4th overall, 1984 Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1984–1998

Albert Anthony Iafrate ( /ˌaɪ.əˈfreɪtiː/ EYE-ə-FRAY-tee; born March 21, 1966) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League between 1984 and 1998. He is perhaps most famous for his rocket slap shot that set the NHL Skills Competition record, which stood for 16 years, at 105.2 miles per hour (169.3 km/h). The record was broken in 2009 by Zdeno Chára of the Boston Bruins with a slap shot at 105.4 mph in Montreal.

Iafrate was given the nickname "the Planet" by Boston Globe sportswriter Kevin Paul Dupont for his peculiar personality.

Playing career

Iafrate was selected 4th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft after a standout career with the Detroit Compuware Spitfires and a short but distinguished stay with the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). During his time with the Bulls, Iafrate was a teammate of fellow Detroit-area natives and future NHL players Kevin Hatcher and Shawn Chambers. Iafrate played for Team USA in the 1984 Winter Olympics at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Hatcher and Iafrate would later team to quarterback the Washington Capitals power play in the early 1990s.

He played 799 career NHL games over twelve NHL seasons, scoring 152 goals and 311 assists for 463 points. He also compiled 1301 penalty minutes. His best season statistically was the 1992–93 season, when he scored 25 goals and 41 assists for 66 points with the Washington Capitals. That year the Capitals set a record for most goals by defensemen on a team in one season.

Iafrate dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, sciatic nerve damage in his back, and a ruptured appendix. Because of injuries, Iafrate missed all of the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, and played less than 70 NHL games after his 28th birthday, retiring after the 1997-98 season at age 32. Iafrate attempted comebacks during the 1998–99 and 2001–02 seasons, although these comebacks ended during training camp.

Iafrate was previously involved with the research and development department with Warrior Hockey and is currently with BASE Hockey LP as a pro analyst. BASE Hockey is a new venture providing custom hockey sticks, shooting analysis, personalized stick fitting and elite level shooting instruction. Iafrate is also the Lead Consultant for shooting and hockey sticks for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1983–84	Belleville Bulls	OHL		10	2	4	6	2		3	0	1	1	5
1984–85	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		68	5	16	21	51		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		65	8	25	33	40		10	0	3	3	4
1986–87	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		80	9	21	30	55		13	1	3	4	11
1987–88	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		77	22	30	52	80		6	3	4	7	6
1988–89	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		65	13	20	33	72		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		75	21	42	63	135		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		42	3	15	18	113		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Washington Capitals	NHL		30	6	8	14	124		10	1	3	4	22
1991–92	Washington Capitals	NHL		78	17	34	51	180		7	4	2	6	14
1992–93	Washington Capitals	NHL		81	25	41	66	169		6	6	0	6	4
1993–94	Washington Capitals	NHL		67	10	35	45	143		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Boston Bruins	NHL		12	5	8	13	20		13	3	1	4	6
1996–97	San Jose Sharks	NHL		38	6	9	15	91		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	San Jose Sharks	NHL		21	2	7	9	28		6	1	0	1	10
NHL totals				799	152	311	463	1301		71	19	16	35	77

External links

• Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
• Al Iafrate's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Al Iafrate's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Iafrate's Current Company: BASE Hockey LP

Preceded by Russ Courtnall

Toronto Maple Leafs first round draft pick 1984

Succeeded by Wendel Clark