Brian Rafalski

American former professional ice hockey defenseman, three-time Stanley Cup champion, and two-time Olympic silver medalist.

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

Quick Facts

Born

28 September 1973

Birthplace

Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.

Position

Defense

Shoots

Right

Played for

Brynäs IF
HPK
HIFK
New Jersey Devils
Detroit Red Wings

Draft

Undrafted

Lore & Background

After going undrafted, Rafalski spent four seasons in Europe – winning the Pekka Rautakallio trophy as best Liiga Defenseman in 1997 and 1999, the Finnish SM-liiga championship with HIFK in 1998, and the Kultainen kypärä in 1999. He entered the NHL in 1999 as a free agent with the Devils, played in five Stanley Cup Finals during the 2000s (first three with Devils, last two with Red Wings), and won three Stanley Cups (2000, 2003 with Devils; 2008 with Red Wings). He also played for the U.S. in three Olympics (2002, 2006, 2010), winning silver in 2002 and 2010.

Reader's Guide

Rafalski played youth hockey in the 1987 Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament with a team from Detroit. He played for the Madison Capitols (USHL) in 1990–91, then four years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He played in Sweden for Brynäs IF in 1995–96, then in Finland for HPK and HIFK. He signed with the Devils on May 7, 1999, and was partnered with Scott Stevens. He led all rookie defensemen in plus-minus (+21) in his rookie season, was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team, and helped the Devils win the 2000 Stanley Cup. He set a team record for defensemen with 18 points in the 2001 playoffs. He was selected to the 2002 All-Star Game but sat out due to injury. He helped the Devils win the 2003 Stanley Cup. On July 1, 2007, he signed a five-year, $30 million contract with the Red Wings. He set a career high in goals (13) in 2007–08 and helped the Red Wings win the 2008 Stanley Cup. He scored the first Red Wings goal on the power play in game six of the 2008 Final. He missed game three of the 2009 Western Conference Semi-finals due to injury. The Red Wings made the 2009 Stanley Cup Final but lost to the Penguins. He announced his retirement on May 25, 2011, citing knee and back injuries. In his 11 NHL seasons, his team qualified for the playoffs every year. On January 3, 2014, he signed with the Florida Everblades but was released 18 days later due to back issues.

Did You Know?

He was named the best defenseman of the 2010 Winter Olympics hockey tournament and was selected to the tournament all-star team.
Rafalski has a degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.