Al Iafrate
American ice hockey player / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Albert Anthony Iafrate (/ˌaɪ.əˈfreɪtiː/ EYE-ə-FRAY-tee; born March 21, 1966) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League in 1984 and 1998. He is most famous for his very hard slapshot. He set a record for speed during the NHL Skills Competition of 1993, which was a record for 16 years. The speed of the slapshot was 105.2 miles per hour (169.3 km/h).[1] The record was broken in 2009 by Zdeno Chára of the Boston Bruins with a slapshot at 105.4 mph in Montreal. Iafrate was born in Dearborn, Michigan, and grew up in Livonia, Michigan.
Al Iafrate | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
(1966-03-21) March 21, 1966 (age 58) Dearborn, Michigan, U.S. | ||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb) | ||
Position | Defense | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Toronto Maple Leafs Washington Capitals Boston Bruins San Jose Sharks | ||
National team | United States | ||
NHL Draft |
4th overall, 1984 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
Playing career | 1984–1998 |
Iafrate was given the nickname "the Planet" by The Boston Globe writer Kevin Paul Dupont for his not regular personality.
Throughout the world, Iafrate has been on the United States team at the 1984 Winter Olympics and 1998 IIHF World Championship.