UW Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2015: Brian Rafalski
September 03, 2015 | Men's Hockey
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August 12, 2015
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com
MADISON, Wis. -- Brian Rafalski's message fulfilled a hat trick: sound, strong and straightforward.
Cautioning his hockey players at practice, he said, "We're not just doing a drill to learn a skill."
It was so much more and Rafalski wanted to make them think about what they were doing.
"We're also doing it," he explained, "to put you in game situations."
Rafalski then challenged the group with the use of hypotheticals.
"Why are we doing this?" he posed. "Why are we working on this type of turn or this type of pass? And where can we use this in a game -- not just practice it -- but apply it in a game?"
Rafalski was not playing games, mind games, with his players -- 10 and 11-year-olds in Florida. On the contrary, he was just teaching hockey the only way he knows how -- the way he was taught. "Every day I went to the rink," he said, "I worked hard and tried to get better."
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Four years ago, Rafalski moved the family to the Fort Meyers area, not exactly known for its hockey pedigree. Along with his wife Felicity, a Deforest native, Rafalski will escape to Wisconsin in the summer -- they've had a place in Waupaca for 12 years -- while "wintering" in Florida.
Seeking to stay competitively engaged with the sport, coaching was the best option, so Brian Rafalski began assisting with youth teams: the Florida Alliance AAA U-10 Major Elite Squirts and the AA Squirts for the Junior Everblades Hockey Association. His son Matthew plays on both teams.
As one of the co-coaches, Rafalski proudly noted that the Elite Squirts were ranked No. 1 in the nation this past season. "It's an age group that is exceptionally blessed with a lot of good players," he said. "They played at a high level and beat a lot of teams from Toronto, Detroit and Chicago."
One of Rafalski's teaching points revolves around "listening and paying attention." These are qualities not always found in abundance with this age group. "As they get older, they get better," he laughed. "But it's about bearing down and being mentally strong with what happens during a game."
That would entail handling the swings in momentum, dealing with the good and the bad, one of the many lessons that he teaches. In turn, he has been rewarded by the results. "It's good to see them grow," he said, "and learn the game and play it properly."
The kids definitely have the ideal teacher in the 42-year-old Rafalski who skated on three Stanley Cup champions (two with New Jersey and one with Detroit) and three Olympic teams (twice winning silver). What they have is a Hall of Famer willing to share his experiences and wisdom.
Last year, Rafalski went into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame along with his former Badger coach Jeff Sauer. This year, he's a member of the Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame class along with defensive back Jim Leonhard. Both were undersized overachievers who enjoyed professional success.
"Not being as big of a player, I had to use my skating and I had to be smarter," said Rafalski, a first- team All-American in 1995. "I was always able to come up with strategies and evaluate and find ways to beat my opponent, not by overpowering them or with my size, but by using my mind."
The 5-10 Rafalski, like the 5-8 Leonhard, played big. In 833 career regular-season NHL games, spanning 11 seasons, he accounted for 515 points, including 79 goals. In 165 Stanley Cup playoff games (he played in five finals) he had 29 goals and 100 points. He was not only smart but extremely skilled.
Resilient would be another word that would apply to Rafalski, who was born in Dearborn, Michigan, and raised in Allen Park. When he was 17, he made the commitment to relocate and play for the Madison Capitols, a junior team in the United States Hockey League. He wound up getting his high school degree from Madison East.
In 1991, Rafalski was named to the USHL All-Star team. The following season, he was skating a regular shift on defense for the Badgers. "It was a good opportunity to come in right away and start playing," he remembered. But there were growing pains.
As a sophomore, he didn't score a goal in 32 games. But he was still valued as an "honest" defenseman by the staff. Rafalski took to heart a message that was posted on a sign hanging over the entrance to the locker room: "Anyone can be great sometimes. The hardest thing is to be consistent."
As a senior, he accounted for 45 points -- 11 goals, 34 assists -- in 43 games. At the time, he pointed out, "I don't like to play on emotion. For me, personally, I think it affects my play too much. Even if I make a mistake, I just keep playing the same -- at the same consistent level every shift."
Rafalski grew in confidence and strength each year with the Badgers. By the end of his college hockey career, he could bench press over 300 pounds. Still, he had gone undrafted and it was rather obvious that the pro scouts were skeptical about his size and durability.
Upon graduation, he took a job with Philip Morris; he sold cigarettes to convenience stores.
"I wanted to stick with hockey," he told The Sporting News, "but I had to be ready with something else and Philip Morris made me a pretty good offer. I didn't go around telling anybody that cigarettes were good for them. I just tried to convince stores that it was OK for them to have them on their shelves."
Rafalski spent six months as a summer intern before returning to hockey. In 1995, he signed with a Swedish team (Brynas Gavie). That was a refresher course. For the next three seasons, he played 142 games in Finland, making a name for himself with HIFK Helsinki. He was the talk of Europe.
The Sporting News labeled him as "the best hockey player in the world not playing in the NHL."
Reflecting on his apprenticeship, he said, "I never looked too far ahead. I looked at it one year at a time. I worked on my offensive ability -- shooting and skating -- and got more confident. Skating is my game; I need to be good at that play in the NHL. I wasn't going to be a defensive defenseman at 5-10."
Patience was the key.
"It was my goal (to play in the NHL) but you can't force it, you have to do what you can do," he said. "I went to Europe for four years and I was very content. I was playing good hockey and providing for my family. I was able to expand my game and it led me to where I was supposed to be."
The path led to New Jersey. With the Devils, he was partnered on the blue line with Scott Stevens. Rafalski never stopped developing, either. "I was fortunate enough to be coached by a Hall of Fame defenseman in Larry Robinson," he said. "You're always learning and trying to grow."
Stevens was a teammate and a mentor. There were others. Rafalski learned from Slava Fetisov, Ken Daneyko and Scott Niedermayer. When he signed with Detroit as a free agent in 2007, he was paired with Nicklas Lidstrom; a dynamic tandem. And Rafalski's contributions didn't go unnoticed.
"He was an even better player when I got to watch him every day," Detroit general manager Ken Holland told NHL.com. "I'm not sure we win the Stanley Cup (in 2008) without him. He meant that much to our team paired with Nick (Lidstrom).
"His ability to spin, go back under pressure, get the puck, swing the net and make that first pass to transition the team from defense to offense meant we rarely spent a lot of time in our zone. I think he was a quiet player but respected by management, coaches and his teammates."
Rafalski never felt like he played with a chip on his shoulder -- "Absolutely not, God was going to put me exactly where I was supposed to be" -- even though he was forced to prove himself at various stages of his career. "In the end," he said, "people gave me an opportunity and I took advantage."
Injuries caught up with Rafalski, who retired in 2011. Three years later, he got the hunger to play again and signed with the Florida Everblades of the East Coach Hockey League. The Everblades were coached by former UW defenseman Greg Poss, who had preceded Rafalski with the Badgers.
But his comeback was short-lived. Rafalski, then 40, appeared in three games before his back acted up, forcing him to hang up his skates for good. "I really don't miss it," said Rafalski, who continues to serve the ECHL team as a chaplin. "This is another stage of my life; I'm being a coach. It's the next step and I've moved on to the next thing."
Which is mentoring youngsters on hockey fundamentals. Just like he was brought up.
