Peter Stastny
Nordiques great and Hall of Famer who defected from Czechoslovakia and piled up 1,239 NHL points.
via Wikipedia: Peter Šťastný · see source
Peter Šťastný, nicknamed Peter the Great and Stosh, is a Slovak Canadian former ice hockey player and politician who spent 16 seasons in the NHL, from 1980 to 1995, with the Quebec Nordiques, New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues. He was among the first major stars from Eastern bloc hockey to reach the league, and through the 1980s only Wayne Gretzky scored more points. In 977 games he recorded 450 goals and 789 assists for 1,239 points. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998, he and linemate Michel Goulet were the first Hall of Famers to earn their places mainly with the Nordiques, the franchise that became the Colorado Avalanche.
Quick Facts
- Hall of Fame
- 1998
- Born
- 18 September 1956
- Birthplace
- Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
- Position
- Centre
- Shoots
- Left
- Played for
- Slovan Bratislava
- Quebec Nordiques
- New Jersey Devils
- St. Louis Blues
- Draft
- Undrafted
Facts from the source article.
Background
Born on 18 September 1956 in Bratislava, Šťastný came from a family of hockey-playing brothers. He joined Slovan Bratislava in 1974 and helped Czechoslovakia win the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1976 and 1977. His outspoken nature brought pressure from the Communist regime, and with his wife Darina pregnant he resolved to leave. In August 1980, during a tournament in Innsbruck, Austria, he defected with Darina and his brother Anton. Nordiques executive Gilles Leger and team president Marcel Aubut flew over to help, and on 25 August the family reached Vienna and asked for asylum at the Canadian embassy. They signed with Quebec the next day. His older brother Marián arrived the following year, making them the third trio of brothers on one NHL team.
Did You Know?
- He shares the NHL record for assists in a season by a rookie, 70, with Joe Juneau.
- He was general manager of the Slovak team that won the 2002 IIHF World Championship.
- He entered the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2000.
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