Peter Ihnačák

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Peter Ihnačák
Born (1957-05-03) May 3, 1957 (age 67)
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

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.

Playing career

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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

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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

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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

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Regular season and playoffs

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c Hornby, Lance (24 February 2017). "Maple Leafs' rookie record holder Ihnacak reflects on escaping Iron Curtain". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  2. ^ "'Enemy Of The State'". National Post. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29.
  3. ^ "Auston Matthews of Maple Leafs scores 40th goal". NHL.com. 2017-04-08. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
  4. ^ a b ""Junge Spieler brauchen Eiszeit"". eishockey.info (in German). 18 October 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  5. ^ Peter Ihnacak klagt gegen Nürnberg Ice Tigers: Ex-Coach will sich seinen Abschied "versilbern"
  6. ^ Hockey Hall of Fame (2017). "Miroslav Ihnacak Page". LegendsofHockey.net. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
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