38 year old Brian Rafalski announced that he was going to retire after this season. The 11 year vet went undrafted but was later signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Devils in 1999. In his rookie year in 2000, he helped the Devils to their second Stanley Cup in 5 years. His professional hockey journey started 4 years before this in different European Pro leagues. He was paired with other NHL great Scott Stevens and excelled from lining with such great skill. His first year he had the highest +/- rating amongst all rookie defenseman and finished the season with an impressive 32 points.
The next few years he continued enjoying solid scoring seasons and was regarded as one of the best 2 way defenseman of the league. Once again, he helped the Devils win another Stanley Cup in 2003 against Anaheim.
In 2007 when he was signed by the Red Wings, he was lined with yet another great defenseman. Him and Nicklas Lidstrom formed a fantastic line and were potentially the best two-some in the NHL. A year after joining
Detroit, Rafalski won the cup again. An amazing 3 Stanley Cups in 7 years. He made it to the finals the next year as well and now that his career is over, it's amazing to see what he accomplished. He made the playoffs in every single season in his career and made it all the way to the finals an amazing 5 times (winning 3 times). He was a great competitor but slowed down by the end of his career due to injuries.
In the 2010 Winter Olympics, Rafalski represented USA and was the assistant captain of their ice hockey team. Although the US had to settle for the silver medal, Rafalski was the third highest scorer and highest scoring defenseman in the tournament (4 goals, 4 assists). He was also named as the best defenseman of the tournament.
Rafalski is one of the most well-liked and well-respected players in the NHL and surely will be missed by players and fans. I remember his high level of skill and he was definitely missed after leaving New Jersey. But he enjoyed a great NHL career and will hopefully make it to the Hall of Fame.
Oh and by the way, Doug Weight also retired. The 23 season vet was kind of good I guess. Unfortunately, I don't fully know Weight's career so here's his wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Weight
The next few years he continued enjoying solid scoring seasons and was regarded as one of the best 2 way defenseman of the league. Once again, he helped the Devils win another Stanley Cup in 2003 against Anaheim.
In 2007 when he was signed by the Red Wings, he was lined with yet another great defenseman. Him and Nicklas Lidstrom formed a fantastic line and were potentially the best two-some in the NHL. A year after joining
Detroit, Rafalski won the cup again. An amazing 3 Stanley Cups in 7 years. He made it to the finals the next year as well and now that his career is over, it's amazing to see what he accomplished. He made the playoffs in every single season in his career and made it all the way to the finals an amazing 5 times (winning 3 times). He was a great competitor but slowed down by the end of his career due to injuries.
In the 2010 Winter Olympics, Rafalski represented USA and was the assistant captain of their ice hockey team. Although the US had to settle for the silver medal, Rafalski was the third highest scorer and highest scoring defenseman in the tournament (4 goals, 4 assists). He was also named as the best defenseman of the tournament.
Rafalski is one of the most well-liked and well-respected players in the NHL and surely will be missed by players and fans. I remember his high level of skill and he was definitely missed after leaving New Jersey. But he enjoyed a great NHL career and will hopefully make it to the Hall of Fame.
Oh and by the way, Doug Weight also retired. The 23 season vet was kind of good I guess. Unfortunately, I don't fully know Weight's career so here's his wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Weight
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