Byron Dafoe
NHL goaltender for four teams and co-founder of Athletes Against Autism.
Byron Dafoe was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who spent his NHL career with the Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, and Atlanta Thrashers from 1992 to 2004. He was born in Worthing, England, and moved to Comox, British Columbia, when he was two months old. The Capitals selected him 35th overall in the second round of the 1989 draft, and he debuted in the NHL during the 1992–93 season.
Dafoe’s path to the NHL began in junior hockey with the WHL’s Portland Winter Hawks and Prince Albert Raiders. He also played in the ECHL for the Hampton Roads Admirals, the AHL for the Baltimore Skipjacks, New Haven Nighthawks, and Portland Pirates, and the IHL for the Phoenix Roadrunners. In 1993–94, he was named a First Team AHL All-Star and won the Calder Cup with the Pirates.
During his time with the Winter Hawks, Dafoe got into an on-ice fistfight with Tri-City Americans goaltender Olaf Kölzig. The two later developed a friendly NHL rivalry—so close that they served as each other’s best man at their weddings. That friendship was on display on November 21, 1998, when a brawl between the Bruins and Capitals pulled both goalies into the action; Dafoe and Kölzig laughed as they traded punches.
Dafoe’s early NHL years in Washington were limited. He played one game in 1992–93, five the next season, and four in 1994–95, as veterans Don Beaupre and Rick Tabaracci, and later rookie Jim Carey, handled most of the work. The Capitals then traded Dafoe and winger Dmitri Khristich to the Los Angeles Kings for first- and fourth-round draft picks.
In Los Angeles, Dafoe became a regular and took over the starting role from Kelly Hrudey. He played 47 games in his first season but won only 14 on a struggling team, posting the worst goals-against average and save percentage among Kings goalies. The next year, he split duties with Stephane Fiset, and both put up similar numbers. After the season, the Kings chose Fiset as their starter and traded Dafoe—again with Khristich—to the Boston Bruins.
With Boston, Dafoe stepped into the starting job, displacing Jim Carey, who had replaced him in Washington. He played 65 games, won 30, and recorded six shutouts. The following season, he helped the Bruins win a playoff series.
Quick Facts
- Height
- 5 ft 11 in
- Weight
- 190 lb
- Played for
- Washington Capitals; Los Angeles Kings; Boston Bruins; Atlanta Thrashers
- Position
- Goaltender
- Catches
- Left
- Born
- 25 February 1971
- Birthplace
- Worthing, England
- Draft
- 35th overall
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Dafoe began his major junior career with the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL, where he had an on-ice fistfight with Tri-City Americans goaltender Olaf Kölzig. This led to a friendly rivalry that continued into the NHL; the two served as each other's best man at their weddings. On November 21, 1998, during a game between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, a violent brawl broke out, and the goalies (Dafoe and Kölzig) also fought, primarily comedic, with both laughing as they landed punches.
Dafoe was one of two goalies taken by Washington in the 1989 draft, as they used their first-round pick to select Olaf Kölzig. After limited appearances with the Capitals, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings along with winger Dmitri Khristich for a first and fourth round draft pick. With the Kings, he became an NHL regular and starter, but the team struggled. He was later traded again with Khristich to the Boston Bruins, where he excelled, posting career-best numbers in 1998–99 with a 1.99 goals against average and .926 save percentage, finishing third in Vezina Trophy voting and being named to the NHL Second All-Star Team.
After a contract dispute and injuries in Boston, Dafoe signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Thrashers nearly two months into the 2002–03 season. He struggled there, posting five wins in 17 games with a 4.36 goals against average. He exercised his player option for the 2003–04 season but played only 18 games, winning four. He retired following the 2004–05 NHL lockout.
Reader's Guide
Byron Dafoe's NHL career spanned 12 seasons and four teams, marked by a standout peak with the Boston Bruins. His 1998–99 season, in which he recorded a 1.99 goals against average and .926 save percentage, earned him third-place Vezina Trophy voting and a spot on the NHL Second All-Star Team. That season represented the statistical high point of his career, though he also posted a career-best 35 wins in 2002. Dafoe's path to the NHL began as a second-round draft pick of the Washington Capitals, who also selected Olaf Kölzig in the first round of the same draft, creating a unique goaltending tandem and lifelong friendship. The two goalies' on-ice fights—first in junior hockey and later in the NHL—became a notable piece of hockey lore, with both laughing during their comedic bout in 1998. Off the ice, Dafoe co-founded Athletes Against Autism with Kölzig and Scott Mellanby, motivated by his son's autism diagnosis. After retiring, he settled in Kelowna, British Columbia, running a custom home electrical fit-out business. His career also included a brief acting appearance in 1999 on the television show The Jersey.
Did You Know?
- Byron Dafoe was born in Worthing, England, and moved to Comox, British Columbia at two months of age.
- He and Olaf Kölzig, who were drafted by the Washington Capitals in the same year, served as each other's best man at their weddings.
- Dafoe finished third in Vezina Trophy voting and was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1998–99.
- He co-founded Athletes Against Autism with Olaf Kölzig and Scott Mellanby.
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