Title	SM-liiga
Current season	2010–11 SM-liiga season
Logo	SM-liiga logo.png
Pixels	200px
Formerly	SM-sarja
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	1975
Inaugural	1975–76
Teams	14
Country	Finland
Champion	TPS
Most champs	Ilves (16)
Website	www.sm-liiga.fi (Finnish)sm-liiga.fi (English)
Ceo	Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen
Tv	URHOtv, Nelonen Sport Pro
Related comps	Mestis, Suomi-sarja

The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, but the league and association have an agreement of cooperation. SM is a common abbreviation for Suomen mestaruus, "Finnish championship".

In the 2010-11 season there are 14 teams. TPS is the reigning champion. The SM-liiga formerly had a system of automatic promotion and relegation in place between itself and the Mestis, the second highest level of competition in Finland, but the automatic system was ended in 2000. The league was opened in 2005 and allowed KalPa to get a promotion. In 2009 a new system was introduced and it includes the last placed SM-liiga team facing the Mestis champion in a best of seven playout series.

History

The SM-liiga was constituted in 1975 to concentrate the development of top level Finnish ice hockey, and pave the way towards professionalism. Its predecessor, the SM-sarja, being an amateur competition, had its disadvantages, which were perceived as impeding Finland's rise to the highest ranks of ice hockey.

One of the main problems was that the governing of the SM-sarja was based on the annual meeting of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, where all important issues were decided by vote. Since all clubs registered under the Finnish Ice Hockey Association had the right to vote, the many amateur clubs prevailed over the few business-like clubs. Therefore, the concentrated development of top-level Finnish ice hockey by the motivated and financially-capable clubs proved arduous. The new SM-liiga was to be run by a board consisting of its participating clubs only and to have an agreement of cooperation with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.

The SM-sarja was also outdated on its own, as it was run according to amateur principles. Clubs were not supposed to pay their players beyond compensation for lost wages. However, by the 1970s many clubs were already run like businesses and recruited players through a contract of employment, paying their wages secretly and often evading taxes. However, in 1974, accounting reform in Finland extended book-keeping standards to cover sports clubs, and shortfalls were exposed in audit raids. The SM-liiga was to allow wages for players, and clubs were also put under a tighter supervision. They were to establish their own association for SM-liiga ice hockey only, separating their commitments from junior activities and other sports. Copies of all player contracts were to be sent to the SM-liiga to provide players with adequate security, such as insurance and pensions.

The SM-sarja had other limits for players. According to amateur ideals, no player could represent more than one club within one season. Personal sponsorship was also forbidden. To discourage trading, a system of quarantine was in force. The SM-liiga stripped the limitations for players, replaced quarantine with a then-modest transfer payment, and introduced the transfer list. Players wanting a transfer were to sign up, and the SM-liiga would distribute the right of negotiations to clubs. In practice the list was not successful, as both parties often worked their way around the formalities.

These changes led to a transition towards professional ice hockey as the league became semi-professional. Only a few players would make a livelihood out of ice hockey in Finland in the 1970s, and many players, especially the young, would settle for a contract in the SM-liiga without a wage.

A major financial development for professional ice hockey in Finland was the introduction of playoffs. Gate receipts and other income from playoffs were pooled and distributed as a placement bonus. Although play-offs were the standard way of determining the champions in North American professional sports, at the time they were not common in Europe.

The SM-liiga was established rather hastily. The required changes were initiated in the 1974 annual meeting, and the SM-liiga was launched for the 1975–76 season. It was the first Finnish professional sports league, and its solutions were untried. However, there had been a mounting demand for these changes, as the popularity of ice hockey had been rising in the previous decade.

The SM-liiga picked up where the SM-sarja left off with its 10 clubs. The four best of the regular season were to proceed to the play-offs. The system of promotion and relegation from the SM-sarja remained in force: last-placed teams of the regular season had to qualify for their position in the SM-liiga against the best teams of the second-highest series.

The combined attendance for the first eleven regular seasons hovered around 900,000. In 1986–87, the number of games for each team was increased from 36 to 44, reaching its current level of 56 games in 2000–01, and the SM-liiga was expanded to 12 clubs for the 1988–89 season. The general popularity of ice hockey strengthened through international success of the Finland men's national ice hockey team, and the combined attendance climbed through the 1990s to about 1.8 million. This prompted an increase in the profitability of the ice hockey business and the completion of the transition to full professionalism. By the mid-1990s, all players were full-time, and by 2000, most clubs had reformed into limited companies.

Since the 2000–01 season, the SM-liiga has been closed, meaning that relegations and promotions take place only by the judgment of the board of the SM-liiga. The only such promotion took place instantly in 2000. Without the threat of relegation, the weaker clubs were supposed to be able to recuperate and improve. This had, however, a side effect: clubs with a losing record that had lost their hopes of reaching the playoffs often disposed of high-salary star players, letting down their supporters. To counteract this, the playoffs were expanded to the best 10 clubs each season from among the 13 total in the league.

Clubs

The team names are usually the traditional name of the club. All clubs are commonly known by the name of their team. Oy and Ab are short for limited company, Oyj public limited company and Ry association respectively. {|class="wikitable sortable" width 85%" |- bgcolor="#efefef" |Team name |Club's registered name |Location |Home venue, capacity |width=50| 2009-10 standing |width=50| Championships |- |Blues |Blues Hockey Oy |Espoo |Barona Areena, 7,000 |9th |0 |- |HIFK |HIFK Hockey Ab |Helsinki |Helsinki Ice Hall, 8,200 |6th |6 |- |HPK |HPK-Edustusjääkiekko Ry |Hämeenlinna |Patria-areena, 5,360 |2nd |1 |- |Ilves |Ilves-Hockey Oy |Tampere |Tampereen jäähalli, 7,600 |14th |16 |- |Jokerit |Jokerit HC Oyj |Helsinki |Hartwall Areena, 13,665 |10th |6 |- |JYP |JYP Jyväskylä Oy |Jyväskylä |Synergia-areena, 4,618 |3rd |1 |- |KalPa |KalPa Hockey Oy |Kuopio |Kuopion jäähalli, 5,225 |4th |0 |- |Kärpät |Oulun Kärpät Oy |Oulu |Oulun Energia Areena, 6,614 |5th |5 |- |Lukko |Rauman Lukko Oy |Rauma |Äijänsuo Arena, 5,400 |8th |1 |- |Pelicans |Lahden Pelicans Oy |Lahti |Isku Areena, 5,534 |12th |0 |- |SaiPa |Liiga-SaiPa Oy |Lappeenranta |Lappeenrannan jäähalli, 4,847 |13th |0 |- |Tappara |Tamhockey Oy |Tampere |Tampereen jäähalli, 7,600 |7th |15 |- |TPS |HC TPS Turku Oy |Turku |Turkuhalli, 11,820 |Champion |11 |- |Ässät |HC Ässät Pori Oy |Pori |Porin jäähalli, 6,500 |12th |2* |}

Past participants

Renamed, still in SM-liiga

JyP HT (now JYP)

Kiekko-Espoo (now Blues)

Kiekkoreipas, Hockey-Reipas, and Reipas (now Pelicans)

Relegated prior to 2000

Teams relegated were relegated to second-tier Mestis in the year shown, and are there today unless noted otherwise.

Sport (relegated 1976)

FoPS (relegated 1977, now FPS in third-division Suomi-sarja)

KOO-VEE (relegated 1980)

KooKoo (relegated 1990)

JoKP (relegated 1992, now Jokipojat)

TuTo (relegated 1996)

Format

Regular season: all teams play 60 matches, a quadruple round robin with extra local double rounds (every team plays four matches against every other team, plus two or four extra matches against defined local opponents). Each match consists of 60 minutes regulation time, and in the event of a tie, winner is decided by a four-on-four sudden death, 5-minute overtime. Ties after overtime are decided by a shootout, where each team has three shooters in the beginning. If the game is tied after three shooters, the shootout will be decided by individual shooters against one another until one scores and the other does not.

For the 2010-11 a new addition was introduced. In January 2011, each team will play 2 games (1 home, 1 away) against the same opponent. The match-ups will be decided by a system where the bottom (14th) placed team at that time chooses its opponent 1st, followed by the 13, 12th and so on. The 7th placed team is the last one to choose an opponent. The system has been criticized by many, for reasons such as "awarding" a bad position in the table and the way the match-ips are decided, since there are worries that teams will choose their opponents from the higher profile teams and their biggest rivals to achieve maximum attendance and more income through ticket sales.

Scoring: A win in regulation time is worth three points, a win by sudden death overtime two points and loss by sudden death overtime one point. Teams will be ranked by points, and teams tied by points are ranked by goal differential. Teams tied by goal differential as well are ranked by number of goals scored.

Play-offs: The six best teams at the conclusion of regular season proceed directly to quarter-finals. Teams placing between seventh and tenth (inclusive) will play preliminary play-offs best-out-of-three - the two winners take the last two slots to quarter-finals. Starting from the season 2007-2008 all series since then are best-of-seven. Losers of the semi-finals play a bronze medal match. Teams are paired up for each round according to regular season results, so that the highest-ranking team will play against the lowest-ranking, second highest against the second lowest, and so on. Higher-ranking teams play the first match at home, then by turns away, home, away, etc. Each play-off match consists of a 60-minute regulation time which in the event of a tie is followed by extra 20-minute periods of sudden death overtime, in which the first team to score wins.

Scheduling: The regular season starts around mid-September. It takes a two-week break around the end of October to the beginning of November, when Team Finland plays in a European competition. There is a two-week Christmas break. During Winter Olympic years a break is reserved for the Winter Olympic Games. The regular season is completed around mid-March and preliminary play-offs ensue almost immediately. The play-offs are completed by mid-April, so that all players are available for the World Championships.

Winners

The winners of the playoffs receive gold medals and the Kanada-malja, the championship trophy of the SM-liiga. The winners of the regular season receive a trophy (Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto) as well, though it is considered less prestigious than the bronze medals of the playoffs, similar to the difference in the National Hockey League between the status of the Stanley Cup and the Presidents' Trophy.

Trophies

The following trophies are awarded by the SM-liiga:

Kultainen kypärä - best player as voted by SM-liiga players

Kalevi Numminen trophy - best coach

Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy - rookie of the year

Matti Keinonen trophy - most effective player

Raimo Kilpiö trophy - most gentlemanly player

Urpo Ylönen trophy - best goaltender

Pekka Rautakallio trophy - best defenseman

Aarne Honkavaara trophy - most goals scored in the regular season ("best goal scorer")

Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy - most points scored during the regular season

Lasse Oksanen trophy - best player during the regular season

Jari Kurri trophy - best player during the play-offs

In 1995, the trophies were named after Finnish hockey legends. Before that, trophies were named after sponsors.

References

External links

Official website - Finnish

Official website - English

See Also

Women's Ice Hockey in Finland

Fin 1

Team	Kärpät
League	SM-liiga
Former teams	Florida Panthers
Position	Centre
Shoots	Right
Height ft	6
Height in	2
Weight lb	194
Nationality	CZE
Birth date	November 18, 1984
Birth place	Litomerice, Czechoslovakia
Draft	38th overall
Draft year	2003
Draft team	Florida Panthers
Career start	2007

Kamil Kreps (born November 18, 1984) is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing in Oulun Kärpät of the Finnish SM-liiga.

Playing career

Kreps played his junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) playing for the Brampton Battalion for three seasons. He scored 19 goals in each of his three seasons and had a high of 61 points in 2002–03.

He played his first NHL game January 7, 2007 against the Vancouver Canucks, registering two shots on net. Kreps scored his first NHL goal on April 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In the 2010 European Trophy tournament, Kreps won the scoring league in the regulation round, totalling 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 8 games.

Career statistics

{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:75%" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2001–02 | ALIGN="center" | Brampton Battalion | ALIGN="center" | OHL | ALIGN="center" | 68 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 24 | ALIGN="center" | 43 | ALIGN="center" | 14 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2002–03 | ALIGN="center" | Brampton Battalion | ALIGN="center" | OHL | ALIGN="center" | 53 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 42 | ALIGN="center" | 61 | ALIGN="center" | 12 | ALIGN="center" | 11 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 4 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2003–04 | ALIGN="center" | Brampton Battalion | ALIGN="center" | OHL | ALIGN="center" | 57 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 27 | ALIGN="center" | 46 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 12 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 15 | ALIGN="center" | 2 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2004–05 | ALIGN="center" | San Antonio Rampage | ALIGN="center" | AHL | ALIGN="center" | 58 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 11 | ALIGN="center" | 11 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2004–05 | ALIGN="center" | Texas Wildcatters | ALIGN="center" | ECHL | ALIGN="center" | 12 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 11 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2005–06 | ALIGN="center" | Rochester Americans | ALIGN="center" | AHL | ALIGN="center" | 61 | ALIGN="center" | 13 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 32 | ALIGN="center" | 20 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2006–07 | ALIGN="center" | Rochester Americans | ALIGN="center" | AHL | ALIGN="center" | 50 | ALIGN="center" | 14 | ALIGN="center" | 21 | ALIGN="center" | 35 | ALIGN="center" | 16 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 0 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2006–07 | ALIGN="center" | Florida Panthers | ALIGN="center" | NHL | ALIGN="center" | 14 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2007–08 | ALIGN="center" | Florida Panthers | ALIGN="center" | NHL | ALIGN="center" | 76 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 17 | ALIGN="center" | 25 | ALIGN="center" | 29 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2007–08 | ALIGN="center" | Rochester Americans | ALIGN="center" | AHL | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2008–09 | ALIGN="center" | Florida Panthers | ALIGN="center" | NHL | ALIGN="center" | 66 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 15 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2009–10 | ALIGN="center" | Florida Panthers | ALIGN="center" | NHL | ALIGN="center" | 76 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 9 | ALIGN="center" | 14 | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 232 ! 18 ! 42 ! 60 ! 71 ! — ! — ! — ! — ! — |}

Transactions

June 21, 2003 — Drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second round, 38th overall.

External links

Category:1984 births Category:Brampton Battalion alumni Category:Czech ice hockey players Category:Florida Panthers draft picks Category:Florida Panthers players Category:Living people Category:Rochester Americans players Category:San Antonio Rampage players Category:Texas Wildcatters players

Team	Detroit Red Wings
Former teams	New Jersey DevilsHIFK (SM-liiga)HPK (SM-liiga)Brynäs IF (SEL)
League	NHL
Position	Defense
Shoots	Right
Height ft	5
Height in	10
Weight lb	191
Ntl team	United States
Birth date	September 28, 1973
Birth place	Dearborn, MI, USA
Career start	1995
Draft	Undrafted

Brian Christopher Rafalski (born September 28, 1973) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and an alternate captain of the US Olympic Team for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Prior to joining the Red Wings, Rafalski played seven seasons with the New Jersey Devils. After struggling to enter the NHL, Rafalski has won the Stanley Cup three times and become an effective defenseman in the league. In his nine seasons in the league, he has played in five Stanley Cup finals (2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009.)

Playing career

High School

Rafalski played for the Madison Capitals of the USHL and scored 23 points with 12 goals and 11 assists

College and European play

Rafalski played for four years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was a proficient player, scoring 45 points in 43 games in his senior year. He won several awards that season; he was named to the WCHA First All-Star Team, the NCAA West All-Star Team, and the WCHA Defenseman of the Year. With no immediate NHL prospects, Rafalski travelled overseas. He spent the 1995-1996 season with Brynäs IF of the Swedish elite league. After scoring only 9 points in 22 games in Sweden, he then moved to Finland. He played a season for HPK of the SM-liiga, and scored 35 points. He travelled to HIFK in 1997, where he spent two successful years. In his final year in Finland, he scored 19 goals and 53 points in 53 games, and won the Kultainen kypärä, which is the SM-liiga trophy for best player as voted by his fellow players. Notably, he also became the first non-Finnish player to win the award.

NHL career

Rafalski was named by the Sporting News in 1999 as the best hockey player in the world not playing in the NHL. On May 7, 1999, Rafalski was signed by the New Jersey Devils as a free agent. He was 26 years of age at the start of the 1999–2000 NHL season, much older than most rookies, but he had played in some of the finest leagues in Europe. He finished the season with 32 points. He led all rookie defensemen in plus-minus with a +21 rating, second among Devils defensemen and tied for first for all rookies. Rafalski helped the Devils win the Stanley Cup that year. Along with Calder Trophy winning teammate Scott Gomez, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.

Rafalski improved his production in his sophomore season, as he scored 52 points, which did not lead the team. His 18 points during the playoffs set a team record for defensemen, although the Devils lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Finals.

In the 2001–02 NHL season, Rafalski continued his scoring ways with 47 points. He was selected to participate in the NHL All-Star Game, but was forced to sit out due to injury. The next season, he once again led all Devils defensemen in scoring with 40 points. He was a vital part of the Devils defense that helped the team win its third Stanley Cup in eight seasons, with a seven-game win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in June 2003.

On July 1, 2007, the Detroit Red Wings signed Rafalski, a Michigan native, to a $30 million, five-year contract.

Rafalski set a career high in goals (11) after scoring against the St. Louis Blues on March 5, 2008. He would go on to score 13 goals for the season, amassing that amount in 73 games. On June 4, 2008, Rafalski won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, the team he grew up rooting for. He helped out the cause by scoring the first Red Wings' goal on the powerplay in the first period to help them defeat the Penguins 3-2 in game 6.

On January 1, 2009, Rafalski scored the game winning goal for the Red Wings in the 2009 Winter Classic, the first NHL game played outdoors in Red Wings history. The Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 6-4.

On May 5, 2009, Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock announced Rafalski would miss Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. It was the first time Rafalski missed the first three games of a series. Rafalski finished the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs with three goals and nine assists as the Red Wings came within a game of repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

On January 1, 2010, Rafalski was again announced to the United States Men's Winter Olympic hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

International career

Rafalski represented Team USA at the 2002 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal as the US lost to Canada in the finals.

He has continued to represent America in international play, playing in both the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Rafalski played in the 2010 Winter Olympics while filling in as the United States' alternate captain. He finished third in the tournament in scoring (first as a defensemen scoring) with four goals and four assists. He was named as the best defenceman of the tournament as well as being named to the tournament all-star team.

Awards and achievements

1995 – Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defenseman of the Year

1995 – Western Collegiate Hockey Association First All-Star Team

1995 – NCAA West First All-Star Team

1997 – Pekka Rautakallio trophy for best defenseman in the SM-liiga

1999 – Matti Keinonen trophy for best +/- in the SM-liiga

1999 – Pekka Rautakallio trophy for best defenseman in the SM-liiga

1999 – Kultainen kypärä award for best player in the SM-liiga

1999–2000 – NHL All-Rookie Team

1999–2000 – NHL Rookie of the Month for February

1999–2000 – Won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils

2002–03 – Won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils

2003–04 – Played in NHL All-Star Game (starter for Eastern Conference)

2006–07 – Played in the 55th National Hockey League All Star Game

2007–08 – Won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings

Best Defenceman of the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament

Rafalski is from Allen Park, Michigan.

Rafalski has a degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison in Economics. On a similar note, Rafalski has said during an interview that he is a political buff and frequently listens to talk radio.

Career statistics

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" width="95%" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! colspan="6" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! colspan="6" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! +/- ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! +/- ! PIM |- ALIGN="center" | 1990–91 | Madison Capitols | USHL | 47 | 12 | 11 | 23 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1991–92 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | WCHA | 34 | 3 | 14 | 17 | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" | 1992–93 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | WCHA | 32 | 0 | 13 | 13 | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1993–94 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | WCHA | 37 | 6 | 17 | 23 | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" | 1994–95 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | WCHA | 43 | 11 | 34 | 45 | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1995–96 | Brynäs IF | Swe. II | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | — | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |- ALIGN="center" | 1995–96 | Brynäs IF | SEL | 22 | 1 | 8 | 9 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1996–97 | HPK | SM-l | 49 | 11 | 24 | 35 | — | 26 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 11 | — | 4 |- ALIGN="center" | 1997–98 | HIFK | SM-l | 40 | 13 | 10 | 23 | — | 24 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 11 | — | 0 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1998–99 | HIFK | SM-l | 53 | 19 | 34 | 53 | — | 18 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 14 | — | 4 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1998–99 | HIFK | EuroHL | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | — | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 2 |- ALIGN="center" | 1999–00 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 5 | 27 | 32 | 21 | 28 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 8 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2000–01 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 78 | 9 | 43 | 52 | 36 | 26 | 25 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 10 | 7 |- ALIGN="center" | 2001–02 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 76 | 7 | 40 | 47 | 15 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −2 | 4 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2002–03 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 79 | 3 | 37 | 40 | 18 | 14 | 23 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 18 |- ALIGN="center" | 2003–04 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 69 | 6 | 30 | 36 | 6 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2005–06 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 6 | 43 | 49 | 0 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 2 |- ALIGN="center" | 2006–07 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 8 | 47 | 55 | 4 | 34 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −1 | 8 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2007–08 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 73 | 13 | 42 | 55 | 27 | 34 | 22 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 12 |- ALIGN="center" | 2008–09 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 10 | 49 | 59 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2009–10 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 8 | 34 | 42 | 23 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 2 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan=3 | SM-liiga totals ! 142 ! 43 ! 68 ! 111 ! — ! 68 ! 30 ! 16 ! 20 ! 36 ! — ! 8 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 770 ! 75 ! 392 ! 467 ! 167 ! 260 ! 154 ! 27 ! 70 ! 97 ! 43 ! 62 |}

International play

2002 – Won silver medal with Team USA at 2002 Winter Olympics

2004 – Member of Team USA at 2004 World Cup of Hockey

2006 – Member of Team USA at 2006 Winter Olympics

2010 – Won silver medal with Team USA at 2010 Winter Olympics

Notes

External links

Rafalski's U.S. Olympic Team bio

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:American ice hockey defencemen Category:American sportspeople of Polish descent Category:Brynäs IF players Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:New Jersey Devils players Category:HIFK players Category:HPK players Category:Ice hockey personnel from Michigan Category:Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics Category:Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics Category:Madison Capitols players Category:National Hockey League All-Stars Category:Olympic ice hockey players of the United States Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States Category:People from Dearborn, Michigan Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players Category:Winter Olympics medalists Category:Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey players