Pat LaFontaine’s wife, Mary Beth, worked with Sabres Wives on many fundraising campaigns in Western New York.
LaFontaine is a former American ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League and spent his entire career with the league’s New York State-based teams.
Highlights
- Ex-NHL player Pat LaFontaine was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 2004.
- Pat married Marybeth LaFontaine, who has been involved with the Companions in Courage Foundation since its inception in 1997.
- Mary and Pat donated luxury suites at the HSBC Arena for the children of Buffalo and delivered televisions and cable service to the Buffalo Children’s Hospital.
He played for the New York Islanders from 1983 until 1991, the Buffalo Sabres from 1991 until 1997, and the New York Rangers from 1997 until his retirement in 1998, scoring 468 goals and 1,013 points before his career ended by concussions.
His 1.17 points per game is the best among American-born ice hockey players, active or retired.
In 2017, LaFontaine was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in history. He served as an executive of the Buffalo Sabres as the president of hockey operations until March 2014.
The Buffalo Sabres retired LaFontaine’s number 16 on March 3, 2006. In 2004, he was also inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame.
Later, he founded the Companions in Courage Foundation, which built interactive game rooms in children’s hospitals throughout North America.
In 2010, he started commentating on MSG Network Rangers broadcasts. On November 13, 2013, LaFontaine was announced as the new President of hockey Operations for the Buffalo Sabres.
Pat LaFontaine’s Wife, Marybeth LaFontaine, Is Currently A Homemaker On Long Island
Pat LaFontaine, born in St. Louis and raised in Detroit, is nice to everyone, fans and players alike.
Mary Beth Hoey LaFontaine lived in Huntington next door to Lorne Henning, a former player and now assistant coach of the Islanders; Mr. Henning and his wife introduced the Long Island-raised Mary Beth to Pat when she was 18, and he was 19.
According to Pat, they went on a blind date to a club in Nassau County, and he was so impressed by her. They have been a couple ever since.
The pair tied the knot in 1987 and recently celebrated their 36th marriage anniversary. Mary is currently a homemaker in Long Island.
She has been involved in the Companions in Courage Foundation since its inception in 1997.
Mary and her husband donated luxury suites at the HSBC Arena for the children of Buffalo and delivered televisions and cable service to the Buffalo Children’s Hospital.
She also worked with Sabres Wives on many fundraising campaigns in western New York.
Moreover, despite being a housewife, she remains involved in community service on Long Island, volunteering countless hours at area food banks and family support centers.
In 1997, Pat was hammered with a high hit to the head, knocking him out with a concussion and resulting in post-concussion syndrome.
However, he was continuously supported by his wife, Marybeth. Pat sunk into a deep depression due to the syndrome.
He was not able to shower or leave the house. One day, when he laughed on the phone with his wife, Marybeth cried and said,
It was the first time he had laughed in three or four months.
Marybeth
LaFontaine and his wife, Marybeth, raised their three children on Long Island and now have two grandchildren.
Additional Information
- On June 7, 2006, the Islanders announced that Pat LaFontaine would return to the Islanders as Senior Advisor to the Owner.
- During the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, LaFontaine appeared in an NHL cross-promotional commercial for Honda. The commercial featured Neal Broten and Mike Richter constructing a pond hockey rink and playing a pick-up game with neighborhood children.
- His father, John LaFontaine, had dementia for seven years and was 84 when he died.
