Michael Peca
Two-time Selke Trophy winner and former Sabres captain.
Last updated
Michael Peca is a former professional hockey player who won the Frank J. Selke Trophy twice, in 1996–97 and 2001–02.[1] Peca announced his retirement from professional hockey on January 19, 2010.[2]
Life and work
For the 2000–01 season, Peca and the Buffalo Sabres could not agree on a contract.[3] Due to his tendency to deliver hard, open-ice hits, Peca earned the nickname "Captain Crunch".[1] On March 26, 1998, Peca was given a three-game suspension by the NHL for an illegal check against Vancouver Canucks defenseman Mattias Öhlund during the 1997–98 season.[1] A one-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets was signed by Peca on August 21, 2007.[4]
During Columbus's opening game of the 2008–09 season on October 11, 2008, Peca grabbed referee Greg Kimmerly's arm, resulting in an indefinite suspension that was later cut to five games.[4]
What the cited sources add
A Blackhawks.com release states Peca, 51, was most recently an assistant coach with the New York Rangers from 2023-25.[5] In his first season during the 2023-24 campaign, Peca helped the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final and a Presidents’ Trophy after finishing the season with a league-leading 55-23-4 record and 114 points.[5] A Canadian Press article from 2009 mentions Peca's daughter, five-year-old Emily Peca, and that he was a forward for the Columbus Blue Jackets.[6] That article also discusses the club's evaluation of re-signing unrestricted free agent centres including Peca.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Michael Peca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Peca follows Hasek footsteps back to Buffalo", USA Today, March 11, 2002; "And another thing: Former Hawks coach Mike..." Strom, Rich. Chicago Tribune. April 3, 1998. Retrieved February 14, 2021. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Michael Peca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Michael Peca retires after 13 NHL seasons", NHL News, January 19, 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Michael Peca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Tucker keeping quiet about Islanders", CBC Sports, March 18, 2003 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Michael Peca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Peca suspended indefinitely", NHL News, October 12, 2008; "NHL bans Peca five games for grabbing referee", AFP, October 17, 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "RELEASE: Blachawks hire Anders Sorensen and Michael Peca as assistant coaches", Blackhawks.com, May 27, 2025. facts only, no text reused. nhl.com
- "Columbus Blue Jackets hope youngsters learned from playoff run", September 25, 2010. facts only, no text reused. thehockeynews.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Michael Peca (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Gold Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics
- Gold 1994 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- Gold Olympic Games — 2002 Salt Lake City
- Gold World Junior Championships — 1994 Czech Republic
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1990–91 | OHL | 62 | 14 | 27 | 41 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 1991–92 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 39 | 16 | 34 | 50 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991–92 | OHL | 27 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 32 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 6 | |
| 1992–93 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 55 | 38 | 64 | 102 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | AHL | 9 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1993–94 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 55 | 50 | 63 | 113 | 101 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 30 |
| 1993–94 | Vancouver Canucks | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1994–95 | AHL | 35 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 33 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 1995–96 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 68 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 79 | 20 | 29 | 49 | 80 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 61 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 57 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | |
| 1998–99 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 82 | 27 | 29 | 56 | 81 | 21 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 18 |
| 1999–2000 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 73 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 67 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| New York Islanders | NHL | 80 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 62 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2002–03 | New York Islanders | NHL | 66 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 43 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2003–04 | New York Islanders | NHL | 76 | 11 | 29 | 40 | 71 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 71 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 56 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 20 | |
| 2006–07 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 35 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007–08 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 65 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2008–09 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 71 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 58 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| NHL totals | 864 | 176 | 289 | 465 | 798 | 97 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 80 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Canada | WJC | Gold | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 2001 | Canada | WC | 5th | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 2002 | Canada | OG | Gold | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Junior totals | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |||
| Senior totals | 9 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | |||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| Frank J. Selke Trophy | 1997, 2002 | |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Michael Peca (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Michael Peca (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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