Al Iafrate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Defense |
| Shoots | Left |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb) |
| Pro clubs | Toronto Maple Leafs Washington Capitals Boston Bruins San Jose Sharks |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | March 21, 1966 , Dearborn, Michigan, USA |
| NHL Draft | 4th overall, 1984 Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Pro career | 1984 – 1998 |
Albert Anthony "Al" Iafrate (pronounced /ˌaɪʌˈfreti/, 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 1999. 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. He was given the nickname "the Planet" by Boston Globe sportswriter Kevin Dupont for his "all world" talent.
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 Spitfires, 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, 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. These injuries ultimately led to his retirement at age 32. Iafrate attempted comebacks during the 1998–99 and 2001–02 seasons, although these comebacks ended during training camp.
Iafrate currently is involved in the research and development department with Warrior Hockey.
[edit] 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 | ||||
[edit] External links
- Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
- Al Iafrate's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Al Iafrate's biography at Legends of Hockey
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