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Brian Rafalski

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Brian Rafalski
Rafalski pictured in 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings
Born (1973-09-28) September 28, 1973 (age 51)
Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Right
Played for NHL:
New Jersey Devils
Detroit Red Wings
SEL:
Brynäs IF
SM-l:
HPK
HIFK
National team  United States
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1995–2014

Brian Christopher Rafalski (born September 28, 1973) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, in the SM-liiga Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho and Helsingin IFK in the Elitserien for Brynäs IF.

After struggling to enter the NHL, spending four seasons in European leagues, Rafalski won the Stanley Cup three times, playing in five Stanley Cup finals in his NHL career (2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009). Rafalski also played for the United States men's ice hockey team in three Olympic ice hockey tournaments (2002, 2006, and 2010).

Playing career

Amateur

As a youth, Rafalski played in the 1987 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Detroit.[1]

Rafalski played for the Madison Capitols of the United States Hockey League (USHL). In 47 games during the 1990-91 season he scored 23 points with 12 goals and 11 assists.[2]

College and European play

Rafalski played for four years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was a proficient player, scoring 45 points in 43 games in his senior year with the Badgers. He won several awards that season — he was named to the WCHA First All-Star Team, the NCAA West All-Star Team and the WCHA Defenseman of the Year. With no immediate NHL prospects, however, Rafalski travelled overseas, spending the 1995–96 season with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Elitserien.

After scoring only nine points in 22 games in Sweden, he then moved to Finland to play a season for HPK of the SM-liiga, scoring 35 points. He then moved to HIFK in 1997, where he spent two successful years. In his final year in Finland, he scored 19 goals and 53 points in 53 games, and won the Kultainen kypärä, awarded to the top SM-liiga player of the season, as voted by fellow players. Notably, he also became the first non-Finnish player to win the award.

NHL career

Rafalski on the New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils

Rafalski was named by Sporting News in 1999 as the best hockey player in the world not playing in the NHL. On May 7, 1999, Rafalski was signed by the New Jersey Devils as a free agent at the age of 25 to start the 1999–2000 season.

Immediately after arriving in New Jersey, Rafalski was partnered on defense with Devils captain Scott Stevens. The two would remain as mainstay defensive partners for five years, until Stevens' retirement in 2004. Rafalski finished his rookie season with 32 points and led all rookie defensemen in plus-minus with a +21 rating, second among Devils defensemen and tied for first amongst all rookie players. Rafalski helped the Devils win the Stanley Cup that year and along with Calder Memorial Trophy-winning teammate Scott Gomez, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.

Rafalski improved his production in his sophomore season, scoring 52 points. His 18 points during the 2001 playoffs set a team record for defensemen, although the Devils lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Finals.

In the 2001–02 season, Rafalski continued his scoring pace, registering 47 points. He was selected to participate in the National Hockey League All-Star Game, but was forced to sit out due to injury. The next season, he once again led all Devils defensemen in scoring, with 40 points. He was a vital part of a Devils defense that helped the team win the Stanley Cup again in a seven-game series win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in June 2003.

Detroit Red Wings

On July 1, 2007, the Detroit Red Wings signed Rafalski to a $30 million, five-year contract as an unrestricted free agent. Rafalski had grown up in nearby Dearborn, Michigan, and had been a Red Wings fan growing up. He was teamed with another legendary defenseman, Nicklas Lidström.

Rafalski set a career high in goals (11) after scoring against the St. Louis Blues on March 5, 2008. He would go on to score 13 goals for the season, amassing that amount in 73 games. On June 4, 2008, Rafalski helped lead the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Rafalski's third Cup victory. He helped the cause by scoring the first Red Wings goal on the power play in the first period of Game 6 to help Detroit edge Pittsburgh 3–2.

On January 1, 2009, Rafalski scored the game-winning goal for the Red Wings in the 2009 Winter Classic, the first NHL game played outdoors in Red Wings history. The Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 6–4.

On May 5, 2009, Red Wings Head Coach Mike Babcock announced that Rafalski would miss Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. It was the first time Rafalski missed the first three games of a series.[3] Rafalski finished the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs with three goals and nine assists as the Red Wings came within a game of repeating as Stanley Cup champions, falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On May 25, 2011, Rafalski announced his retirement from the NHL, walking away from the final year of his contract, citing knee and back injuries.[4] Because Rafalski retired on an under-35 contract without being bought out, the move removed his cap hit for the 2011–12 season.

In the 11 NHL seasons that Rafalski played, his team qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs every year.

On January 3, 2014, the Florida Everblades of the ECHL signed Rafalski to a contract, his first return to professional hockey since his initial retirement. He expressed a desire to return to the NHL, but was released 18 days after he signed, once again citing back issues.[5]

International play

Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Silver medal – second place 2002 Salt Lake City
Silver medal – second place 2010 Vancouver
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Germany

Rafalski represented Team USA at the 2002 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal as the U.S. lost to Canada in the finals.

Rafalski continued to represent the U.S. in international play, playing in both the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Rafalski also played in the 2010 Winter Olympics, serving as alternate captain. He scored two goals and assisted on another in Team USA's 5–3 win over Canada in group-stage play, which ensured the United States would win their group and earn a bye to the quarter-finals.[6] He finished third in the tournament in scoring (first among defensemen) with four goals and four assists.[7] He was also named as the best defenseman of the tournament, as well as being named to the tournament all-star team.[8] Unfortunately, his defensive mistake led to Canada's tournament-winning goal in overtime of the gold medal game.[9]

Awards and honors

Award Year
All-WCHA Rookie Team 1991–92
All-WCHA First Team 1994–95
AHCA West First-Team All-American 1994–95

Personal life

Rafalski and his wife Felicity have three sons — Danny, born in June 1997; Evan, born in October 2000; and Matthew, born in June 2004.[11][12]

Rafalski has a degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Economics. On a similar note, Rafalski has said during an interview that he is a political buff and frequently listens to Glenn Beck and other talk show hosts, with notable stances taken on issues such as taxation.

Speaking about his retirement, Rafalski said, "This was probably the most challenging season of my career, both physically, mentally and spiritually, but it was also the most rewarding and most blessed...The decision was made between myself and my wife approximately two months ago. We went through a long process of weighing different factors in our lives. At the end of the day it came down to priorities, with the top three priorities being serving God, serving my family and serving others." [13]

Rafalski currently resides in Waupaca, Wisconsin with his family.[14]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
1990–91 Madison Capitols USHL 47 12 11 23 — 28 — — — — — —
1991–92 University of Wisconsin–Madison WCHA 34 3 14 17 — 34 — — — — — —
1992–93 University of Wisconsin–Madison WCHA 32 0 13 13 — 10 — — — — — —
1993–94 University of Wisconsin–Madison WCHA 37 6 17 23 — 26 — — — — — —
1994–95 University of Wisconsin–Madison WCHA 43 11 34 45 — 48 — — — — — —
1995–96 Brynäs IF SEL 22 1 8 9 — 14 — — — — — —
1995–96 Brynäs IF Allsv 18 3 6 9 — 12 9 0 1 1 — 2
1996–97 HPK SM-l 49 11 24 35 24 26 10 6 5 11 — 4
1997–98 HIFK SM-l 40 13 10 23 26 24 9 5 6 11 — 0
1998–99 HIFK SM-l 53 19 34 53 38 18 11 5 9 14 — 4
1999–2000 New Jersey Devils NHL 75 5 27 32 21 28 23 2 6 8 5 8
2000–01 New Jersey Devils NHL 78 9 43 52 36 26 25 7 11 18 10 7
2001–02 New Jersey Devils NHL 76 7 40 47 15 18 6 3 2 5 −2 4
2002–03 New Jersey Devils NHL 79 3 37 40 18 14 23 2 9 11 7 18
2003–04 New Jersey Devils NHL 69 6 30 36 6 24 5 0 1 1 0 0
2005–06 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 6 43 49 0 36 9 1 8 9 3 2
2006–07 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 8 47 55 4 34 11 2 6 8 −1 8
2007–08 Detroit Red Wings NHL 73 13 42 55 27 34 22 4 10 14 6 12
2008–09 Detroit Red Wings NHL 78 10 49 59 17 20 18 3 9 12 11 11
2009–10 Detroit Red Wings NHL 78 8 34 42 23 26 12 3 8 11 4 2
2010–11 Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 4 44 48 11 22 11 2 1 3 −1 4
SM-l totals 142 43 68 111 — 68 30 16 20 36 — 8
NHL totals 833 79 436 515 178 282 165 29 71 100 42 66

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
1992 United States WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 1 1 2
1993 United States WJC 4th 7 0 2 2 2
1995 United States WC 6th 5 0 0 0 2
2002 United States OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 1 2 3 2
2004 United States WCH 4th 4 0 3 3 6
2006 United States OG 8th 5 0 2 2 0
2010 United States OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 4 4 8 2
Junior totals 14 0 3 3 4
Senior totals 26 5 11 16 12

References

  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  2. ^ "Brian Rafalski - Stats". National Hockey League. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Rafalski out for Red Wings". Detroit Free Press. May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  4. ^ "Red Wings defencemen Rafalski set to retire". The Sports Network. May 23, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  5. ^ Brian Rafalski returning to pro hockey with ECHL Florida Everblades
  6. ^ "Canada at United States Game Recap". National Hockey League. February 22, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-12-09. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "Scoring Leaders" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. February 28, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c "Vancouver Olympics All-Tournament Team". USA Hockey Magazine. February 28, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  9. ^ "Oral history of 2010 gold-medal game". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
  10. ^ "Brian Rafalski elected to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame". Detroit Free Press. August 6, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  11. ^ "2010-11 Detroit Red Wings Media Guide" (PDF). Detroit Red Wings. October 2, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  12. ^ "2010 U.S. Olympic Team Fact Sheet". Teamusa.org. February 4, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  13. ^ "Red Wings' Brian Rafalski retires with three Stanley Cups". usatoday.com. May 25, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  14. ^ Staff. "U.S. Team athletes for 2002 Winter Games", Deseret Morning News, January 30, 2002. Accessed October 18, 2015.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the Pekka Rautakallio trophy
1996–97 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Pekka Rautakallio trophy
1998–99 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Kultainen kypärä trophy
1998–99 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Matti Keinonen trophy
1998–99 		Succeeded by
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