LaFontaine, Patrick
Hockey
b. Feb. 22, 1965, St. Louis, MO
The New York Islanders made LaFontaine the third player chosen in the 1983 NHL draft. At the time, it was the highest choice ever devoted to a U. S.-born player.
Before joining the Islanders, LaFontaine scored 111 points in 56 games for the U. S. national team and 8 points in 6 games for the U. S. Olympic team. In 15 NHL games, he had 19 points in the 1983-84 season.
His best season with the Islanders was 1989-90, when he had 54 goals and 51 assists for a total of 105 points. LaFontaine wanted his contract renegotiated in 1991 and he held out at the beginning of the season. The Islanders sent him to the Buffalo Sabres in a multi-player deal.
The 5-foot-10, 177-pound LaFontaine had his best professional season with Buffalo in 1992-93, when he scored 148 points on 53 goals and 95 assists. He missed most of the following season with a broken jaw and played only 22 games in 1994-95 because of recurrent concussions.
After playing nearly the full season in 1995-96, concussions again began limiting his playing time. He retired after the 1997-98 season.
In 865 regular season NHL games, LaFontaine scored 468 goals and 545 assists for 1,013 points. He was the third American player to record more than 1,000 points in the NHL.