LaFontaine was fearless. He wasn't afraid to go into the high traffic areas, or take a hit to make a play. It's likely one of the reasons he suffered multiple concussions that ultimately ended his career. While he didn't play with a hard, physical edge, dishing out checks like say, a Theo Fleury, he never once let the opposition intimidate him. He was a phenomenally talented forward, likely the best forward to come out of the U.S. in the past 25 years. Immensely talented, too. He consistently scored at a 90-100 point clip on Long Island, despite playing with guys who were past their prime (Trottier) or guys who were better suited to second line duty. When he got to Buffalo and played with some highly-skilled players (Mogilny, Hawerchuk, Andreychuk, Audette when his head was on straight), he was magical, when healthy.
It's hard to say this about a guy who will finish in the top 25 all-time scorers, but Turgeon has always left me wanting more. With the exception of his last two years in St. Louis, and brief spurts in Buffalo, NYI and Montreal, he always left me expecting more. Slick, smart and dazzlingly talented, he's the type who could get 90 points in a season, and have everyone complain about his play, because he was capable of more. (I remember one quote about his 1993-94 play: "He scored 94 of the most forgettable points in league history."). With his skill, he should have been a perennial top 5 or 10 scorer. Injuries can be blamed for only so much. Soft as a Nerf ball. Weak leader. Inconsistent. Defensively inept. He will be the highest scoring forward never to get into the HHOF.