27 greatest American NHL players of all-time

<p>Brian Rafalski isn’t like many of his countrymen on this list who were amateur stars before being high draft picks. Rafalski toiled away in Europe for five years after his college career at Wisconsin came to an end before he got his opportunity in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils at 26 years old.</p> <p>He was a steady presence on the blue line for the Devils defensive-oriented team and finished 11th in the Calder with 32 points and was a plus-22 as a rookie. He played nearly 19 minutes a night for the Stanley Cup champions. That was the first of five times Rafalski would play in the Cup Final, three with the Devils and two with the Detroit Red Wings.</p> <p>Rafalski won two Cups with the Devils and one with the Red Wings, his first season in Detroit after playing his first seven seasons in the NHL with New Jersey. Rafalski never won the Norris but he was annually in the conversation, finishing in the top-14 six different seasons.</p> <p>One of the best winners of his generation, Rafalski is ninth among American defensemen with 436 career assists and fifth with a plus-178.</p>. Defenseman. New Jersey Devils. Brian Rafalski. 25. player. 85