According to LaFontaine himself, his voice cracked at the age of 13 in the middle of a sentence, giving him the bass tones that would later bring him much fame and success.

LaFontaine did not win the game, and offered to record the listener's answering machine message himself.

One trailer for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy not only spoofs the " In a World Where " theme, but also includes LaFontaine parodying himself when the narrator defines what a trailer is, saying " Trailers also normally employ ( enter Don's voice ) ' A deep voice, that sounds like a seven-foot-tall man, who has been smoking cigarettes since childhood '.” The trailer is voiced by fellow voice-over artist Stephen Fry.

During the 2009-2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, LaFontaine appeared in an NHL cross-promotional commercial for Honda, featuring Neal Broten, Mike Richter, and himself constructing a pond hockey rink and playing a pick-up game with neighborhood children.

LaFontaine also appeared in EA Sports Cyberathlete Commercials where the 3-D version of himself scored a goal while a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

LaFontaine, the Islanders ' remaining superstar, was frustrated with the team's lack of success and the progress of his contract negotiations, and held out rather than report to camp before 1991 – 92.

He dealt LaFontaine, Randy Wood and Randy Hillier ( along with future considerations ) to the Buffalo Sabres in return for Pierre Turgeon, Benoit Hogue, Uwe Krupp and Dave McLlwain.

Only two months after the diagnosis, missing 24 out of 84 games, he came back to win his fourth Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion with 160 points, edging out Pat LaFontaine and Adam Oates.

During his recovery, he was personally encouraged by fellow NHL players Eric Lindros and Pat LaFontaine, who were also dealing with serious concussions.

Although public sentiment sided with Messier, as he led the team to two first-place regular season finishes and the Stanley Cup, General Manager Neil Smith figured out that he had Gretzky and Pat LaFontaine as top centermen, and he came close to signing Joe Sakic from the Colorado Avalanche At 36 years old, Messier signed with the Vancouver Canucks to a high-priced free agent contract, where he would be reunited with Mike Keenan, who was the Rangers ' head coach in 1994, who would be hired as the Canucks ' general manager and head coach early in the 1997 – 98 season.

LaFontaine continued to work as a recording engineer after discharge and began working at the National Recording Studios in New York City, where, in 1962, he had the opportunity to work with producer Floyd Peterson on radio spots for Dr. Strangelove.

LaFontaine claimed that it was this company that first came up with many of the famous movie trailer catch phrases, including his own future signature phrase, " in a world ..."

On Friday August 22, 2008, LaFontaine was at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California with a pulmonary embolism and was reported to be in critical condition the following Tuesday.

On September 6, 2008, America's Most Wanted showed a visual with a picture of him with words below that said " In Memoriam: Don LaFontaine August 26, 1940-September 1, 2008.

Comedian-actress Janeane Garofalo formerly performed " an impression of every movie trailer ever made " with the words, " In a WORLD !…" saying that every movie trailer seems to begin with LaFontaine saying, " In a world …" or " In a town …"

On April 12, 2007, LaFontaine appeared on an episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with ousted American Idol finalist Haley Scarnato to provide humorous " movie trailer "- esque commentary, as a spoof of his Geico commercial.

* Online Interview with Don LaFontaine in 2006

After four plus years with the Sabres, Turgeon was traded on October 25, 1991, along with Benoît Hogue, Uwe Krupp and Dave McLlwain, to the New York Islanders for Pat LaFontaine, Randy Wood, Randy Hillier, and future considerations.

Because many of his trailers have begun with the words " In a world ", there is controversy over whether his voice has immortalized them ( Don LaFontaine claimed to have actually created the catchphrase ).

The others were Mike Donnelly and former teammates Jason Dawe and Pat LaFontaine, Biron will have played almost his entire career in the state of New York, except for a brief 2-year stint with the Philadelphia Flyers.

LaFontaine began his junior career with the Verdun Juniors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League ( QMJHL ) during the 1982 – 83 season ).

Pat LaFontaine was selected by the Islanders in the 1st round as the 3rd pick overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft with the draft pick they had acquired from the Rockies.

LaFontaine, frustrated with his situation on Long Island, turned down a four year, $ 6 million contract offer and refused to report to the Islanders for the start of the 1991 – 92 NHL season.

The 1990 – 91 season was another strong season for LaFontaine, but the Islanders did not have a good season, finishing a dismal 25 – 45 – 10.

Patrick Michael LaFontaine ( born February 22, 1965 ) is an American former ice hockey center in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) who spent his entire career playing for the league's New York-based teams ; LaFontaine skated 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 along the way before his career was ended by concussions.

LaFontaine finished as runner-up to Mario Lemieux in the scoring race and earned a spot on the postseason NHL All-Star Second Team.

The announcer heard on the show for its first two decades was voice-over artist Don LaFontaine, who died on September 1, 2008.

The younger of the two sisters and daughter of Big Deedee LaFontaine Thorne.

In his only season in the QMJHL, LaFontaine contributed 104 goals and 130 assists for Verdun.

LaFontaine exploded offensively in the 1992 – 93 season with a personal-best and team-record 148 points ( 53 goals and 95 assists ).

Pat LaFontaine scored 104 goals and 130 assists for 234 points in the 1982-83 season, winning the Jean Béliveau Trophy as the top scorer, out-dueling future NHL icon Mario Lemieux.

LaFontaine lent his very distinctive voice to thousands of movie trailers during his career, spanning every genre from every major film studio, including The Cannon Group, for which he voiced one of their logos.

He later resigned the captaincy during the 1992 – 93 NHL season, in favor of LaFontaine.

" Anderson was also the announcer of America's Funniest Home Videos from 1989 to 1995 and did the voiceover for the previews of new episodes during the first three seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation until he was replaced by Don LaFontaine.

Jim Devellano, the Red Wings ' then-general manager, wanted to draft Pat LaFontaine, who had grown up outside Detroit and played his junior hockey in the area ; however, when the New York Islanders took LaFontaine third overall, Devellano settled on Yzerman, drafting him fourth.

* April 18, 1987: " Easter Epic " – Pat LaFontaine of New York Islanders scores a goal against Washington Capitals at 8: 47 of the 4th overtime which ends longest game seven in NHL playoff history.

After that low output, Islanders management released Trottier from his contract, believing that his best years were behind him and that younger centers such as Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter should get his ice time.

LaFontaine would have a promising career ahead as one of the team's best players, but he was unable to reverse the Islanders ' gradual slide.

In the 1987 playoffs, LaFontaine scored a famous goal in the 4th overtime period of the seventh and decisive game between the Islanders and Washington Capitals, known as the " Easter Epic ".

On June 7, 2006, the Islanders announced that Pat LaFontaine would return to the Islanders as Senior Advisor to the Owner.

This was short-lived, however, as LaFontaine resigned in protest only six weeks later on July 18, the same day that Neil Smith was fired by the Islanders.

He was the Islanders ' goaltender in 1987 when they defeated the Washington Capitals in the longest game in club history, a four-overtime Game 7 thriller known as the " Easter Epic ", which was won on a goal by Pat LaFontaine after 68: 47 of overtime.

At the beginning of the 1991 – 92 season, Krupp was included by the Sabres in the Blockbuster trade that sent Pierre Turgeon to the New York Islanders for Pat LaFontaine on October 25, 1991.