The most gifted American scorer of his generation — 468 goals before concussions ended his career.
Pat LaFontaine was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1965. New York Islanders selected him third overall in the 1983 NHL Draft. His career produced 468 goals and 545 assists for 1,013 career points — the most by an American-born player at his retirement. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003 and named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. His finest season — 148 points for the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93 — placed him second only to Wayne Gretzky in a scoring race that season. A series of severe concussions — including one in 1996 that caused him to retire, return and then suffer another in 1998 forcing permanent retirement — cut short what would otherwise have been a 1,500-point career. He won the Bill Masterton Award for perseverance and dedication. He became President of the Buffalo Sabres after his career. He is one of the most dramatic cases in hockey history of exceptional talent whose full expression was denied by head injuries.
Hall of Fame (2003)
Career Honours
- Hall of Fame (2003)
- NHL 100 Greatest Players
- Bill Masterton Award