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	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	1993–2000

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		53	6	8	14	14		7	0	1	1	0
1990–91	Kingston Frontenacs	OHL		35	13	13	26	10		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Cornwall Royals	OHL		28	16	22	38	25		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Cornwall Royals	OHL		66	28	45	73	26		6	2	5	7	16
1992–93	Newmarket Royals	OHL		58	49	38	87	26		7	4	6	10	19
1993–94	Peoria Rivermen	IHL		27	13	11	24	20		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	St. Louis Blues	NHL		38	2	3	5	14		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		11	1	1	2	4		20	2	7	9	4
1994–95	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		27	9	9	18	10		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		27	4	4	8	2		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	New York Rangers	NHL		12	0	0	0	0		8	0	0	0	2
1995–96	Binghamton Rangers	AHL		57	21	27	48	32		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	New York Rangers	NHL		5	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		12	2	4	6	6		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		15	1	3	4	8		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Phoenix Roadrunners	IHL		31	2	5	7	16		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		26	14	11	25	18		3	1	0	1	2
1997–98	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL		28	7	8	15	36		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		34	5	3	8	32		4	0	0	0	0
1998–99	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		33	2	2	4	35		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Long Beach Ice Dogs	IHL		41	9	13	22	24		7	1	0	1	8
1999–2000	Lowell Lock Monsters	AHL		42	7	15	22	33		—	—	—	—	—
IHL totals				99	24	29	53	60		7	1	0	1	8
NHL totals				187	17	20	37	103		32	2	7	9	8
AHL totals				180	58	70	128	129		3	1	0	1	2

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.

External links

• Nathan LaFayette career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database