The United States Hockey Hall of Fame has announced their latest crop of inductees for their Minnesota based institution, and former New Jersey Devil and Detroit Red Wing Defenceman, Brian Rafalski will headline it.
Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Rafalski was the defensive anchor for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was named a WCHA First Team All Star in his senior year. Going undrafted in the NHL, Rafalski turned to Europe and found his niche in the Finnish League, most notably playing for HIFK. In his final season there (1998/99) he won the Kultainen Kypara (Translated into Golden Helmet) which is the Finnish equivalent to the Lester B. Pearson Award as the players of the league decide the winner.
Rafalski would finally debut in the National Hockey League at the age of 26 with the New Jersey Devils, and quickly the NHL learned that they had missing out on a serviceable player for years. He would help them win the Stanley Cup that season and again was a member of the Devils Cup win in 2003. Rafalski would later hoist the Stanley Cup again as a member of the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. He would tally a career number of 515 NHL points and played once in the NHL All Star Game in 2004.
Internationally, Rafalski represented the United States in three Olympic tournaments (2002, 2006 and 2010) winning two Silver Medals and being named the best Defenceman of the 2010 Games.
Women’s Ice Hockey Olympian, Karyn Bye Dietz will also be inducted. She was the Alternate Captain on the United States Gold Medal team in Nagano and won the Silver Medal in Salt Lake City. Dietz was also a two time USA Woman’s Hockey Player of the Year (1995 & 1998) and entered the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2011.
A pair of Coaches joins the two players in this year’s class. Jeff Sauer began his Coaching career as an assistant at Colorado College (where he also played) and would ascend to the role of Head Coach in 1971, which was a post he would hold for eleven years. He would jump to Wisconsin and take them to two National Championships in 1983 and 1990. Sauer won two Paralympic Gold Medals as the Head Coach of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team.
The final inductee is Lou Vairo who had various stints as the Head Coach for Team U.S.A.. Vairo has also been the Director of Special Projects for the National Team since 1992.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate this year’s class and encourage all of you to visit the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota.
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