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Nathan LaFayette
hockey player in white jersey holding hockey stick.
LaFayette with the Los Angeles Kings in 1996
Born (1973-02-17) February 17, 1973 (age 52)
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

Nathan LaFayette (born February 17, 1973) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. He played as a centre in the NHL.

Nathan was chosen by the St. Louis Blues in the 3rd round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 65th player picked overall. During his career, he played for the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, and Los Angeles Kings. He played 187 regular season games in the NHL. He also scored 9 points in 20 playoff games.

Playing Career

Nate-bk
LaFayette as a member of the Los Angeles Kings

Nathan LaFayette's hockey career ended earlier than expected because of injuries. He shared this in an interview in 2008.

Amateur Hockey Days

Nathan was a great student and athlete. He was named the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year in the 1991–92 season. At that time, he played for the Cornwall Royals. He also played for the Kingston Frontenacs and the Newmarket Royals. All these teams were part of the OHL.

His best year as an amateur was in 1992-93. He scored 49 goals for the Newmarket Royals. That same year, he helped Canada win a gold medal at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Professional Hockey Days

Nathan LaFayette was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 1991. He got his first NHL point, which was an assist, on January 14, 1994. He helped set up a goal for Brendan Shanahan. The Blues had planned for Nathan to play in their minor league team, the Peoria Rivermen. But because of injuries to other players, he played 38 NHL games with the Blues.

On March 21, 1994, Nathan was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. He moved with teammates Bret Hedican and Jeff Brown. They were traded for Craig Janney. Nathan sat out the first four playoff games for Vancouver. After that, he earned nine points in the next 20 games. He was tied for the best plus/minus rating in the 1994 playoffs. He is well-known for hitting the goal post in the final minutes of Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. This was a very close game between the Rangers and the Canucks.

On April 7, 1995, Nathan was traded again. This time he went to the New York Rangers for goalie Corey Hirsch. He played five games with the Rangers. He also played 57 games with their minor league team, the Binghamton Rangers.

On March 14, 1996, Nathan was part of another big trade. He went to the Los Angeles Kings with several other players. These included Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperrière, and Mattias Norstrom. In return, the Rangers received Jari Kurri, Marty McSorley, and Shane Churla. While with the Kings, Nathan played both centre and right wing. He believes he had two concussions in one game with the Kings. These injuries likely contributed to his hockey career ending early. He retired in 1999.

International Play

In 1993, Nathan LaFayette played for Canada. He won a gold medal at the 1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Canada
World Junior Championships
Gold 1993 Sweden

Personal Life

Nathan LaFayette was born in New Westminster, British Columbia. He grew up in Mississauga, Ontario.

After retiring from hockey in 2000, Nathan started a new career. He joined Travel Guard Canada, a company that offers travel insurance. As of 2010, he lives in Oakville with his wife, Sherry. They have two children, a daughter named Piper and a son named Hudson. He continues to work as an insurance executive.

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

Awards

OHL

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