Peter Ihnačák

Peter Ihnačák
Born (1957-05-03) May 3, 1957
Poprad, TCH
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Toronto Maple Leafs
National team  Czechoslovakia
NHL Draft 25th overall, 1982
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 1978–1997

Peter Ihnačák (born May 3, 1957 in Poprad, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia) is a former Slovak ice hockey centre.

Draft

He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1982 NHL Entry draft as their 3rd choice, 25th overall.

Career

A star in Slovakia, Ihnacak was prohibited from playing outside of the Communist bloc because members of his family had already fled Slovakia. He went on to play eight seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1982 until 1990.

In his first year with the Maple Leafs, he amassed a total of 66 points (28 goals and 38 assists), the rookie record within the Maple Leafs organization until it was passed by Auston Matthews in 2017.[1]

In Europe, he played with the teams of ŠKP Poprad (Slovakia), HC Dukla Jihlava, HC Sparta Prague (both in the Czech Republic), Freiburg and Krefeld Pinguine (both in Germany).[2]

International career

He was to play in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, but was removed from the team because he was considered a flight risk. Eventually, due to his development as a player, Ihnacak's coach pushed for his inclusion on the 1982 World Championship team, which was to play in Helsinki, Finland. There, Ihnacak successfully (with the aid of his older brother John) made his way to Stockholm, and from there to New York.[3]

Coaching career

He was also the head coach of the team of Nuremberg Ice Tigers (Germany).[4] Ihnačák is currently a European-based scout for the Washington Capitals.

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM +/- PP SH GW GP G A Pts PIM
1982–83 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 28 38 66 44 +6 6 0 2 -- -- -- -- --
1983–84 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 47 10 13 23 24 -21 5 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
1984–85 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 22 22 44 24 -26 8 0 1 -- -- -- -- --
1985–86 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 63 18 27 45 16 -9 5 0 1 10 2 3 5 12
1986–87 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 58 12 27 39 16 +5 4 0 1 13 2 4 6 9
1987–88 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 68 10 20 30 41 -6 0 0 0 5 0 3 3 4
1988–89 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 26 2 16 18 10 +3 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
1989–90 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 5 0 2 2 0 +3 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
8 years Totals NHL 417 102 165 267 175 -45 28 0 5 28 4 10 14 25

Personal

Ihnačák's younger brother, Miroslav Ihnačák, was selected by the Maple Leafs in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. After Ihnačák defected, Miroslav was forbidden to play in international tournaments, for fears he may defect as well. This didn't stop him, as he would join his brother and the Maple Leafs in December 1985. Miroslav would play parts of two seasons with the Maple Leafs, and one game with the Detroit Red Wings, before returning to Europe and finishing his career in Slovakia in 2006.[5]

References

  1. ↑ NHL (2017-04-08). "Auston Matthews of Maple Leafs scores 40th goal". NHL.com. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
  2. ↑ «Junge Spieler brauchen Eiszeit» Toronto-Scout Peter Ihnacak im Gespräch
  3. ↑ 'Enemy Of The State' For former Toronto Maple Leaf Peter Ihnacak, escaping to the west was about more than hockey -- it was about finally being free 'enemy of the state' Archived 2013-01-29 at Archive.is
  4. ↑ Peter Ihnacak klagt gegen Nürnberg Ice Tigers: Ex-Coach will sich seinen Abschied "versilbern"
  5. ↑ Hockey Hall of Fame (2017). "Miroslav Ihnacak Page". LegendsofHockey.net. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
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