- Peter Ihnačák
Peter Ihnačák (born
May 3 ,1957 inPoprad ,Czechoslovakia , nowSlovakia ) is a former Slovakice hockey centre.A star in Slovakia, Ihnacak was prohibitted from playing outside of the
Communist bloc because members of his family had already fled Slovakia. 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 inHelsinki ,Finland . There, Ihnacak successfully (with the aid of his older brother John) made his way toStockholm , and from there to New York.He went on to play eight seasons with the
Toronto Maple Leafs of theNational Hockey League from 1982 until 1990. He was drafted by theToronto Maple Leafs in the 1982 NHL Entry draft as their 3rd choice, 25th overall. He is the elder brother of the Toronto Maple Leafs'Miroslav Ihnačák .In his first year with the Maple Leafs, he amassed a total of 66 points (28 goals and 38 assists), a rookie record within the Maple Leafs organization, which he holds until today.
In
Europe , he played with the teams of ŠKP Poprad (Slovakia),HC Dukla Jihlava ,HC Sparta Prague (both in theCzech Republic ), Freiburg andKrefeld Pinguine (both inGermany ). He was also the head coach of the team of Nuremberg Ice Tigers (Germany).He is currently a German-based scout for the Maple Leafs.
Career statistics
References
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September 2 ,2006 , National PostVerify source|date=August 2008
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