Professional hockey player Brian Rafalski plays defense in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings.

The Dearborn, Michigan, native attended the University of Wisconsin for four years. In his senior year, he helped the Badgers win the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship.

Rafalski had a hard time trying to break into the NHL and joined the European League instead. He played one season for Sweden and another for Finland. In 1999, Rafalski got his break when Sporting News named him the best hockey player not playing in the NHL.

After the 1999 season, Rafalski got a chance to sign with the New Jersey Devils. In his second season, the Devils made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, but lost to the Colorado Avalanche. They however returned to the finals in 2003, when Rafalski win the Stanley Cup with New Jersey.

After his selections to play in the NHL All-Star Game in 2004 and 2007, the Detroit Red Wings signed Rafalski in 2007. In 2008, he helped the Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup Finals.

Rafalski also joined Team USA in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. In each appearance he helped the team reach gold medal game, but the U.S. fell short both times, taking home the silver. He topped the 2010 tournament for scoring by a defenseman and finished third in the entire field for points. Rafalski was named the best defenseman in the tournament as well.

Rafalski played in 78 of 82 regular season games with the Red Wings in the 2009-10 campaign. He notched eight goals and 34 assists for 34 total points. The blue liner also recorded 26 penalty minutes and a +/- of +23 for the year.http://redwings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8467856