Kukla's Korner Hockey
Play Like Rafalski
by Paul on 01/14/09 at 11:43 AM ET
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from Dave Waddell of the Windsor Star,
Generously listed at five-foot-10, the 191-pound Rafalski is the poster boy for the NHL’s smaller, skilled defencemen.
“It’s nice to hear guys (scouts, general managers) say we have a Brian Rafalski-style of defenceman,” said Rafalski, who is quietly putting together a career-year with 32 points and a plus-13 through 42 games….
“He opened the door for a lot of players,” said Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill, who handles Detroit’s drafting. “You didn’t see many small defencemen in the league, Phil Housley and (Reijo) Ruotsalainen in Edmonton, but Brian can move the puck better than those guys.
“He’s made everyone sit back and look at why he’s successful. Everyone has got one (small, skilled defenceman) now.
“He’s got his own style. Small guys, if they’re going to survive, you have to play like Rafalski.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: brian+rafalski
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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
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