Peter Ihnačák
Peter Ihnačák (born May 3, 1957) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey centre. He initially played in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League before defecting during the Cold War and joining the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played eight seasons with the Maple Leafs.
| Peter Ihnačák | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
May 3, 1957 Poprad, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
ASD Dukla Jihlava TJ Sparta ČKD Praha EC Hedos München Toronto Maple Leafs EHC Freiburg HC Ajoie Krefeld Pinguine | ||
| National team |
 Czechoslovakia | ||
| NHL Draft |
25th overall, 1982 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1978–1997 | ||
Playing career
A star in Czechoslovakia, Ihnačák was prohibited from playing outside of the Communist bloc because members of his family had already fled the country after the Soviet invasion during the Prague Spring in 1968.[1][2] He was to play in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York but was removed from the team because he was considered a flight risk. During the 1982 IIHF World Championship in Helsinki, Finland, he got on the same plane as then Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Gerry McNamara. On the plane, McNamara was tipped off that Ihnačák intended to defect and the Maple Leafs used their second round selection, 25th overall that they had received in the Darryl Sittler trade to pick him in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. At the World Championship, Ihnačák defected with the help of his brother John. He was in the opening night lineup of the 1982–83 NHL season, playing on a line with Walt Poddubny and Miroslav Fryčer.[1] 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.[3] He went on to play eight seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) until 1990.
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).[4]
Post-playing career
He was also the head coach of the team of Nuremberg Ice Tigers (Germany).[5] Ihnačák was a former scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs[4] and later became a European-based scout for the Washington Capitals.[1]
Personal life
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 did not 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.[6]
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 |
References
- Hornby, Lance (24 February 2017). "Maple Leafs' rookie record holder Ihnacak reflects on escaping Iron Curtain". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- "'Enemy Of The State'". National Post. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29.
- "Auston Matthews of Maple Leafs scores 40th goal". NHL.com. 2017-04-08. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
- ""Junge Spieler brauchen Eiszeit"". eishockey.info (in German). 18 October 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- Peter Ihnacak klagt gegen Nürnberg Ice Tigers: Ex-Coach will sich seinen Abschied "versilbern"
- Hockey Hall of Fame (2017). "Miroslav Ihnacak Page". LegendsofHockey.net. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database