Peter Mahovlich

Last updated
Peter Mahovlich
Pete Mahovlich.jpg
Mahovlich in 2008
Born (1946-10-10) October 10, 1946 (age 76)
Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
National teamFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 1963
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 19651982

Peter Joseph Mahovlich (born October 10, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive. Known in his playing years as "Little M", as his older brother Frank was the "Big M", Mahovlich played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with several clubs, including the Montreal Canadiens, where he played with his brother and was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams.

Contents

Early life

Mahovlich played as a first baseman on his high school baseball team, beating out Gord Kirke for the position. [1]

Playing career

Mahovlich was drafted second overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1963 NHL Amateur Draft. He played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings twice, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, the Ontario Hockey Association's Hamilton Red Wings, the AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets, Montreal Voyageurs, Adirondack Red Wings, the Central Hockey League's Fort Worth Wings and the IHL's Toledo Goaldiggers.

Mahovlich was an important contributor to the Canadiens' cup-winning teams of 1971, 1973, 1976 and 1977, before eventually being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He enjoyed a breakout season in 1970–71, scoring 35 goals in the regular season and another 10 in the playoffs as the Canadiens won the championship. His best year came in 1974–75, when he racked up 117 points as part of a deep forward corps that included the likes of Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Cournoyer, Steve Shutt and Bob Gainey. He hit the 100-point mark again the following year, finishing with 105.

Immensely popular as a Pittsburgh Penguin, cheers of "Pete, Pete" were common when Mahovlich made one of his end-to-end dashes up ice. He was characterized as easy-going, joyful, and a party-goer in Ken Dryden's book The Game.

In his 16-year NHL career, Mahovlich totalled 288 goals and 485 assists for 773 points in 884 games. Internationally, he was a member of the 1972 Summit Series, in which he scored a memorable shorthanded goal in Game 2 of the series. He also played on the 1976 Canada Cup team.

Post-playing career

After his retirement, Mahovlich was head coach of the Toledo Goaldiggers, IHL Colorado Rangers (co-coach), Denver Rangers, CHL Fort Worth Fire, and the AHL Cape Breton Oilers. He is also the brother of former Canadian Senator and former hockey star Frank Mahovlich. The two were teammates on the Red Wings from 1967 to 1969 and on the Canadiens from 1971 to 1974.

Mahovlich was a scout for the Edmonton Oilers from 1995 to 1997 before joining the Tampa Bay Lightning and then the Atlanta Thrashers. He is currently a pro scout for the Florida Panthers.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1963–64 Hamilton Red Wings OHA 5420274767
1964–65 Hamilton Red WingsOHA5520355588
1965–66 Hamilton Red WingsOHA4614223612140002
1965–66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 30110
1966–67 Detroit Red WingsNHL3413416
1966–67 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 1847113790002
1967–68 Detroit Red WingsNHL15641013
1967–68 Fort Worth Wings CPHL 42201434103
1968–69 Detroit Red WingsNHL3022421
1968–69 Fort Worth WingsCHL3419173654
1969–70 Montreal Canadiens NHL36981751
1969–70 Montreal Voyageurs AHL3121194077
1970–71 Montreal CanadiensNHL78352661181201061643
1971–72 Montreal CanadiensNHL75353267103602212
1972–73 Montreal CanadiensNHL612138594917491322
1973–74 Montreal CanadiensNHL7836377312262134
1974–75 Montreal CanadiensNHL80358211764116101610
1975–76 Montreal CanadiensNHL8034711057613481224
1976–77 Montreal CanadiensNHL76154762451345919
1977–78 Montreal CanadiensNHL173586
1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL5725366137
1978–79 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL601439533920110
1979–80 Detroit Red WingsNHL8016506669
1980–81 Detroit Red WingsNHL2414526
1980–81 Adirondack Red Wings AHL3718183649181181923
1981–82 Adirondack Red WingsAHL802245677142132
1985–86 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 234101450
NHL totals88428848577391688304272134

International

YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
1972 Canada SS71124
1976 Canada CC 71455
Senior totals142579

See also

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References

  1. Livesey, Bruce (2006-01-25). "The champs' champion". Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
Preceded by
None
Detroit Red Wings first round draft pick
1963
Succeeded by