Nathan LaFayette

Nathan LaFayette (born February 17, 1973) is a former ice hockey player in the NHL. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played for the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, and Los Angeles Kings. LaFayette was born in New Westminster, British Columbia, but grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. He played 187 regular season NHL games and scored 9 points in 20 playoff games.

Nathan LaFayette
LaFayette with the Los Angeles Kings in 1996
Born (1973-02-17) February 17, 1973
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
New York Rangers
Los Angeles Kings
NHL Draft 65th overall, 1991
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 19932000

Playing career

LaFayette as a member of the Los Angeles Kings

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 in the 1991–92 season, while he was a member of the Cornwall Royals. He also played for the Kingston Frontenacs (1989–90, 1990–91) and the Newmarket Royals (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 in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He scored his first NHL point, an assist, on January 14, 1994 vs. the Edmonton Oilers setting up a two-on-one for Craig Janney and Brendan Shanahan, and Shanahan scored the goal.[1] The Blues had intended for LaFayette to play at their minor league affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, for the whole season, but due to injuries, he played 38 NHL games with the Blues before being traded.

On March 21, 1994, LaFayette was traded with teammates Bret Hedican and Jeff Brown to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for the rights to Craig Janney. After sitting out the first four playoff games for Vancouver, he recorded nine points in the next 20 games.[2] He tied his Vancouver Canuck teammate, Bret Hedican, 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.[3][4]

On April 7, 1995, Lafayette was traded to the New York Rangers for goaltender Corey Hirsch. He played five games with the Rangers, while playing 57 games with their minor league affiliate, the Binghamton Rangers.

On March 14, 1996, LaFayette was again part of a blockbuster trade, going to the Los Angeles Kings with Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Mattias Norstrom and the Rangers' 1997 4th round pick (99th overall - Sean Blanchard), in exchange for Jari Kurri, Marty McSorley, and Shane Churla. During his time there, he played right wing as well as center.[5] Lafayette suspects that he suffered two concussions in one game with the Los Angeles Kings, which contributed to his hockey career being cut short.[6] He retired in 1999 after splitting the season between the Kings and the Long Beach Ice Dogs.[7]

International play

In 1993, LaFayette won a gold medal at the 1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, representing Canada.

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Canada
World Junior Championships
1993 Sweden

Personal life

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.[8]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1988–89 Toronto Marlboros Midget AAA GTHL 69 38 68 106 24
1988–89 Pickering Panthers MetJHL 1 0 0 0 0
1989–90 Kingston Frontenacs OHL 53681414 70110
1990–91 Kingston Frontenacs OHL 3513132610
1990–91 Cornwall Royals OHL 2816223825
1991–92 Cornwall Royals OHL 6628457326 625716
1992–93 Newmarket Royals OHL 5849388726 7461019
1993–94 Peoria Rivermen IHL 2713112420
1993–94 St. Louis Blues NHL 3823514
1993–94 Vancouver Canucks NHL 111124 202794
1994–95 Syracuse Crunch AHL 27991810
1994–95 Vancouver Canucks NHL 274482
1994–95 New York Rangers NHL 120000 80002
1995–96 Binghamton Rangers AHL 5721274832
1995–96 New York Rangers NHL 50002
1995–96 Los Angeles Kings NHL 122466
1996–97 Los Angeles Kings NHL 151348
1996–97 Phoenix Roadrunners IHL 3125716
1996–97 Syracuse Crunch AHL 2614112518 31012
1997–98 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 28781536
1997–98 Los Angeles Kings NHL 3453832 40000
1998–99 Los Angeles Kings NHL 3322435
1998–99 Long Beach Ice Dogs IHL 419132224 71018
1999–2000 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 427152233
IHL totals 9924295360 71018
NHL totals 187172037103 322798
AHL totals 1805870128129 31012

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1993 Canada WJC 7 3 1 4 0
  • All statistics are from eliteprospects.com

Transactions

March 21, 1994: Traded to Vancouver by St. Louis with Jeff Brown and Bret Hedican for Craig Janney, 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, Mattias Norstrom, Ian Laperriere and NY Rangers' 4th round choice (Sean Blanchard) in 1997 Entry Draft for Marty McSorley, Jari Kurri and Shane Churla, March 14, 1996.

Awards

OHL

Award Year
OHL CHL Scholastic Player of the Year 1991–92

References

  1. Dave Luecking (1994-01-17). "Lafayette's Point Pace Picking Up". St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO).
  2. "Canuck Class of '94".
  3. Rod Mickleburgh (2011-05-29). "The fateful shot Canucks' fans can't forget". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
  4. Wyatt Arndt (2014-10-06). "The 101 Greatest Canucks: Better to hit the post than miss completely, says Nathan Lafayette". Retrieved 2014-12-30.
  5. Jim Hodges (1998-11-29). "Maybe LaFayette Has Found the Right Spot". LA Times. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
  6. "In His Own Words: Nathan LaFayette". 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
  7. "Player Search: Nathan LaFayette".
  8. "Where are they now: Nathan Lafayette". Vancouver Canucks. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
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