Peter Ihnačák

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Peter Ihnačák
Born (1957-05-03) May 3, 1957 (age 64)
Poprad, Czechoslovakia
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) 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 and playoffs[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1977–78 ASD Dukla Jihlava CSSR 8 0 3 3 6 — — — — —
1978–79 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 42 22 12 34 14 — — — — —
1979–80 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 44 22 12 34 18 — — — — —
1980–81 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 44 23 22 45 22 — — — — —
1981–82 TJ Sparta ČKD Praha CSSR 39 16 22 38 30 — — — — —
1982–83 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 28 38 66 44 — — — — —
1983–84 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 47 10 13 23 24 — — — — —
1984–85 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 22 22 44 24 — — — — —
1985–86 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 63 18 27 45 16 10 2 3 5 12
1986–87 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 58 12 27 39 16 13 2 4 6 9
1986–87 Newmarket Saints AHL 8 2 6 8 0 — — — — —
1987–88 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 68 10 20 30 41 5 0 3 3 4
1988–89 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 26 2 16 18 10 — — — — —
1988–89 Newmarket Saints AHL 38 14 16 30 8 — — — — —
1989–90 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 5 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
1989–90 Newmarket Saints AHL 72 26 47 73 40 — — — — —
1990–91 EC Hedos München GER 20 6 17 23 23 — — — — —
1990–91 EHC Freiburg GER 10 5 5 10 12 — — — — —
1991–92 EHC Freiburg GER 41 21 26 47 34 4 0 0 0 4
1991–92 HC Ajoie NDA — — — — — 1 0 0 0 0
1992–93 HC Ajoie NDA 13 3 9 12 10 — — — — —
1992–93 Krefelder EV 1981 GER 15 5 5 10 10 4 1 3 4 2
1993–94 Krefelder EV 1981 GER 42 10 25 35 25 5 3 2 5 6
1994–95 Krefelder EV 1981 DEL 19 7 6 13 8 15 2 4 6 16
1995–96 Krefeld Pinguine DEL 47 9 34 43 22 5 1 4 5 2
1996–97 Krefeld Pinguine DEL 48 20 17 37 30 3 1 0 1 4
CSSR totals 177 83 71 154 90 — — — — —
NHL totals 417 102 165 267 175 28 4 10 14 25

International[]

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1976 Czechoslovakia EJC
1977 Czechoslovakia WJC 7 2 5 7 0
1982 Czechoslovakia WC 4 0 0 0 0

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.today
  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.

External links[]

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