Nathan LaFayette
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Nathan LaFayette (born February 17, 1973) is a former
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
player in the
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
. He was drafted by the
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the
1991 NHL Entry Draft The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was the 29th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The worst team in the previous 1990–91 season, the Quebec Nordiques, was give ...
. He played for the
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
,
Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
,
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
, and
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
. He played 187 regular season NHL games and scored 9 points in 20 playoff games.


Playing career

On April 10, 2008, LaFayette was interviewed on the Team 1040 BMac & Rintoul sports radio morning show on the "Where are they now" feature. He stated that due to injuries, his career was cut short.


Amateur

Lafayette was the
CHL Scholastic Player of the Year The CHL Scholastic Player of the Year Award is awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League player who is best combines success on the ice with success in school. It is chosen from the winners of the constituent league awards; the Daryl K. (Doc) ...
in the 1991–92 season, while he was a member of the
Cornwall Royals The Cornwall Royals were a junior ice hockey team based in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1969 to 1981, and the Ontario Hockey League from 1981 to 1992. This team shared its name with o ...
. He also played for the Kingston Frontenacs (1989–90, 1990–91) and the
Newmarket Royals The Newmarket Royals were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1992 to 1994. They played out of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. History The Royals franchise started in 1969 as the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hock ...
(1992–93), all of the OHL. His best year as an amateur came in 1992-93 when he scored 49 goals for the Newmarket Royals and helped Canada win the gold medal at the World Junior Championships.


Professional

LaFayette was drafted by the
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the
1991 NHL Entry Draft The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was the 29th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The worst team in the previous 1990–91 season, the Quebec Nordiques, was give ...
. He scored his first NHL point, an assist, on January 14, 1994 vs. the
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
setting up a two-on-one for
Craig Janney Craig Harlan Janney (born September 26, 1967) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League from 1987–88 until 1998–99, when blood clots ended his career prematurely. Playing ca ...
and
Brendan Shanahan Brendan Frederick Shanahan (born January 23, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player who currently serves as the president and alternate governor for the Toronto Maple Leafs, having previously served as the direct ...
, and Shanahan scored the goal. The Blues had intended for LaFayette to play at their minor league affiliate, the
Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen is the name of four minor league hockey clubs: *Peoria Rivermen (IHL), named as such 1984–1996, formerly the Peoria Prancers 1982–1984 *Peoria Rivermen (ECHL), 1996–2005 *Peoria Rivermen (AHL), 2005–2013 *Peoria Rivermen (SP ...
, for the whole season, but due to injuries, he played 38
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
games with the Blues before being traded. On March 21, 1994, LaFayette was traded with teammates
Bret Hedican Bret Michael Hedican (born August 10, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player, a Stanley Cup champion, and a two-time US Olympian. A product of St. Cloud State University, Hedican played with the 1992 US Olympic Team before he ...
and Jeff Brown to the
Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
in exchange for the rights to
Craig Janney Craig Harlan Janney (born September 26, 1967) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League from 1987–88 until 1998–99, when blood clots ended his career prematurely. Playing ca ...
. After sitting out the first four playoff games for Vancouver, he recorded nine points in the next 20 games. He tied his Vancouver Canuck teammate,
Bret Hedican Bret Michael Hedican (born August 10, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player, a Stanley Cup champion, and a two-time US Olympian. A product of St. Cloud State University, Hedican played with the 1992 US Olympic Team before he ...
, for the +/- lead in the 1994 playoffs with a total of +13. He remains best known as the player who hit the post in the final minutes of the 1994 finals between the Rangers and the Canucks in Game 7. On April 7, 1995, Lafayette was traded to the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
for goaltender Corey Hirsch. He played five games with the Rangers, while playing 57 games with their minor league affiliate, the
Binghamton Rangers The Binghamton Rangers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. History The market was previously served by: : Broome Dusters of the NAHL (1973 ...
. On March 14, 1996, LaFayette was again part of a blockbuster trade, going to the
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
with
Ray Ferraro Raymond Vincent Ferraro (born August 23, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and currently broadcaster for ESPN/ ABC and formerly of TSN. He played for 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whaler ...
,
Ian Laperriere Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
,
Mattias Norstrom Mattias is a masculine given name found most prominently in Northern Europe. It is a cognate of Matthew and Matthias, and may refer to: Sports * Mattias Adelstam (born 1982), Swedish footballer * Mattias Asper (born 1974), Swedish goalkeepe ...
and the Rangers' 1997 4th round pick (99th overall - Sean Blanchard), in exchange for
Jari Kurri Jari Pekka Kurri (; born May 18, 1960) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. In 2001, he became the first Finnish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017 Kurri was named on ...
,
Marty McSorley Martin James McSorley (born May 18, 1963) is a Canadian former professional hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 until 2000. A versatile player, he was able to play both the forward and defense positions. A for ...
, and
Shane Churla Shane Churla (born June 24, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted in the sixth round, 110th overall, by the Hartford Whalers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently the director of amateur scouting for th ...
. During his time there, he played right wing as well as center. Lafayette suspects that he suffered two concussions in one game with the
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
, which contributed to his hockey career being cut short. He retired in 1999 after splitting the season between the Kings and the
Long Beach Ice Dogs The Long Beach Ice Dogs were an American professional ice hockey team based in Long Beach, California at the Long Beach Sports Arena. They played until the end of the 2006–07 ECHL season. History The Ice Dogs trace their origins to the San Di ...
.


International play

In 1993, LaFayette won a gold medal at the
1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''1993 WJHC'') was the 17th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was held in Gävle, Sweden. Canada won the gold medal, its sixth championship, while Sweden won silver, and the c ...
, representing Canada.


Personal life

LaFayette was born in
New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capi ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, but grew up in Mississauga,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. After LaFayette retired from hockey in 2000, he joined Travel Guard Canada. The company, an arm of Travel Guard International, offered travel insurance plans to Canadian travellers. As of 2010, he resides in Oakville with his wife, Sherry and two children; a daughter, Piper and son, Hudson. He continues his work as an insurance executive.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International

* ''All statistics are from eliteprospects.com''


Transactions

March 21, 1994: Traded to Vancouver by St. Louis with Jeff Brown and
Bret Hedican Bret Michael Hedican (born August 10, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player, a Stanley Cup champion, and a two-time US Olympian. A product of St. Cloud State University, Hedican played with the 1992 US Olympic Team before he ...
for
Craig Janney Craig Harlan Janney (born September 26, 1967) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League from 1987–88 until 1998–99, when blood clots ended his career prematurely. Playing ca ...
, March 21, 1994. April 7, 1995: Traded to New York Rangers by Vancouver for Corey Hirsch, April 7, 1995. March 14, 1996: Traded to Los Angeles by NY Rangers with
Ray Ferraro Raymond Vincent Ferraro (born August 23, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and currently broadcaster for ESPN/ ABC and formerly of TSN. He played for 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whaler ...
,
Mattias Norstrom Mattias is a masculine given name found most prominently in Northern Europe. It is a cognate of Matthew and Matthias, and may refer to: Sports * Mattias Adelstam (born 1982), Swedish footballer * Mattias Asper (born 1974), Swedish goalkeepe ...
,
Ian Laperriere Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
and NY Rangers' 4th round choice ( Sean Blanchard) in 1997 Entry Draft for
Marty McSorley Martin James McSorley (born May 18, 1963) is a Canadian former professional hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 until 2000. A versatile player, he was able to play both the forward and defense positions. A for ...
,
Jari Kurri Jari Pekka Kurri (; born May 18, 1960) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. In 2001, he became the first Finnish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017 Kurri was named on ...
and
Shane Churla Shane Churla (born June 24, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted in the sixth round, 110th overall, by the Hartford Whalers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently the director of amateur scouting for th ...
, March 14, 1996.


Awards


OHL


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lafayette, Nathan 1973 births Living people Black Canadian ice hockey players Canadian ice hockey centres Cornwall Royals (OHL) players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Ice hockey people from Ontario Kingston Frontenacs players Long Beach Ice Dogs (IHL) players Los Angeles Kings players Newmarket Royals players New York Rangers players Sportspeople from Mississauga Sportspeople from New Westminster Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players St. Louis Blues draft picks St. Louis Blues players Vancouver Canucks players