View: Previous | Next
| 1983 NHL DRAFT PICK |
 |
Peter Zezel
Selected in
second round
No. 41 overall by Philadelphia Flyers
Born
April 22, 1965
 | Position:
Center
Height: 5-10 Weight: 195
Shoots: Left
|
|
| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Toronto (OHL)
Birthplace:
Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario |
 |
 |
|
| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1981-82 |
Don Mills | MTJHL |
40 | 43 |
51 | 94 |
36 | | 1982-83 |
Toronto | OHL |
66 | 35 |
39 | 74 |
28 |
|
PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous: Was Toronto's fourth-round pick, No. 55 overall, in 1982
OHL priority selection. ... Was also an outstanding soccer player growing up
in Toronto, playing three games at the striker position for the NASL's
Toronto Blizzard during the 1982 season. He also played on Canada's national
Under-21 soccer team at age 15 in 1980-81. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: October 11, 1984 (Washington at
Philadelphia)
Numbers: 25 (Philadelphia); 9, 25
(St. Louis); 25 (Washington);
25 (Toronto); 25 (Dallas); 22 (New Jersey); 22
(Vancouver)
Stanley Cup: Never won.
Playing Status:
Active (OHA Sr.) |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1984-1999 |
Phila., STL, Wash.,
Tor., Dal., N.J., Van. | 873 |
219 | 389 |
608 | 484 |
|
| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS |
| Years | Teams |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1985-1997 |
Philadelphia St. Louis,
Toronto ,Dallas, N.J. | 131 |
25 | 39 |
64 | 83 |
|
NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Stanley Cup Finals (Lost): 1985, 1987 (Philadelphia)
St. Louis Star of the Game Award: 1988-89
NHL Records: Most assists in one period of one playoff game (3 at
N.Y. Rangers on April 13, 1985, shares record)
Philadelphia Records:
Most assists in one period of one playoff game (3 at N.Y. Rangers on April
13, 1985, shares record)
Philadelphia Playoffs Goals
Leader: 1986 (3, tie)
St. Louis Playoffs Points
Leader: 1989 (12)
St. Louis Playoffs Goals
Leader: 1989 (6)
Miscellaneous: Had assist in his first NHL game. ... Missed part of
1984-85 season with broken bone in left hand, an injury suffered during
Philadelphia's Nov. 1, 1984, game vs. Winnipeg. He did not return to action
until Philadelphia's Dec. 3, 1984, game at N.Y. Rangers. ... Set
Philadelphia single-season record (since broken) for assists by rookie
with 46 in 1984-85. ... Finished fifth in 1984-85 NHL rookie scoring race
with 61 points. ... Named NHL Player of Week for the week ending Jan. 12,
1987. ... Missed remainder of 1986-87 regular season and start of 1987
playoffs with torn medial (meniscus) cartilage in left knee, an injury
diagnosed after Philadelphia's March 19, 1987, game vs. Los Angeles. The
injury required arthroscopic surgery on March 21, 1987, and Zezel did not
return to action until Game 2 of Philadelphia's first-round playoff series
vs. N.Y. Rangers on April 9, 1987. He scored a short-handed goal in that
game. ... Missed part of 1987-88 season with sprained right ankle, suffered
in Philadelphia's Oct. 31, 1987, game at Hartford. He did not return to
action until Philadelphia's Nov. 18, 1987, game at New Jersey. ... Missed
part of 1987-88 season with slight separation of left shoulder, an injury
suffered during Philadelphia's March 25, 1988, game at Washington. He did
not return to action until Philadelphia's April 2, 1988, game at Quebec. ...
Led Philadelphia with 14 power-play goals in 1987-88. ... Missed parts of
1988-89 season with pulled groin, an injury suffered during St. Louis' Dec.
13, 1988, game at New Jersey. He did not return to action until St. Louis'
Dec. 22, 1988, game vs. Detroit. ... Missed pat of 1988-89 season with
bruised sternum, an injury suffered during St. Louis' Jan. 25, 1989, game at
Hartford. ... Suffered sprained right knee when he got tangled up with Dirk
Graham's stick during St. Louis' March 5, 1989, game at Chicago, but did not
miss any games. ... Played on line with Brett Hull for St. Louis in 1989-90.
... Missed parts of 1989-90 season with bruised shoulder and with bruised
heel. ... Missed part of 1989-90 season with bruised right hip, an injury
suffered when he was checked by Duane Sutter and Jocelyn Lemieux during St.
Louis' March 11, 1990, game vs. Chicago. ... Missed part of 1990-91 season
with sprained left ankle, an injury suffered when he was checked by Garth
Butcher during Washington's Oct. 30, 1990, game at Vancouver. He did not
return to action until Washington's Dec. 20, 1990, game at St. Louis. ...
Missed part of 1990-91 season with re-aggravation of left ankle injury,
suffered when he was checked by Normand Rochefort during Washington's Dec.
28, 1990, game vs. N.Y. Rangers. ... Scored goal and had two assists in his
first game with Toronto on Jan. 17, 1991, vs. Pittsburgh. ... Named Toronto
Defensive Player of Month for October 1991. ... Missed part of 1991-92
season with sprained knee, an injury suffered during Toronto's Nov. 14,
1991, game at Chicago. He did not return to action until Toronto's Nov. 30,
1991, game vs. Minnesota. ... Missed part of 1991-92 season with damaged
cartilage in knee, an injury suffered during Toronto's March 5, 1992, game
at Calgary. The injury required surgery, and Zezel did not return to action
until Toronto's April 12, 1992, game vs. N.Y. Islanders. Missed part of
1992-93 season with bruised knee, an injury suffered during Toronto's Nov.
5, 1992, game at Chicago. He did not return to action until Toronto's Nov.
19, 1992, game at San Jose. ... Missed part of 1992-93 season with sprained
wrist, an injury suffered in Toronto's Jan. 6, 1993, game vs. Vancouver.
He did not return to action until Toronto's Jan. 16, 1993, game, vs.
Chicago. ... Missed part of 1992-93 season with sprained neck, an injury
suffered during Toronto's March 25, 1993, game at Minnesota. He did not
return until Toronto's April 8, 1993, game at Winnipeg. ... Scored
Toronto's only overtime goal of the 1992-93 regular season in 2-1 win vs.
St. Louis on April 13, 1993. ... Missed part of 1993 playoffs with sprained
neck, an injury suffered during Game 3 of Toronto's Campbell Conference
finals series at Los Angeles on May 21, 1993. ... Missed half of 1993-94
season with back injury, suffered during Toronto's Oct. 15, 1993, game vs.
Detroit. He did not return to action until Toronto's Jan. 13, 1994, game vs.
Dallas. ... Missed part of 1993-94 season with back spasms,
suffered during Toronto's Jan. 29, 1994, game vs. Pittsburgh. ... Sent by
Toronto with Grant Marshall to Dallas on Aug. 10,
1994, as compensation for Toronto's July 29, 1994, signing of restricted free agent Mike
Craig. ... Missed start of 1995 season with cartilage damage in right knee,
an injury suffered in a January 1995 practice following the end of the
1994-95 NHL lockout. After a two-game conditioning assignment with Kalamazoo
(IHL), he made his 1995 season debut until Dallas' March 1, 1995, game at
Edmonton. He scored a goal in that game. ... Signed with St. Louis as an unrestricted free agent on Oct. 19,
1995. ... Missed parts of 1995-96 season with bruised finger, an injury
suffered during St. Louis' Nov. 11, 1995, game at N.Y. Islanders, and with
hip flexor injury, suffered in St. Louis Nov. 29, 1995, game vs.
Montreal. ... Missed part of 1995-96 season with sprained left wrist, suffered during St. Louis' Jan. 4, 1996, game at Chicago. He did not
return to action until St. Louis' Feb. 6, 1996, game vs. Dallas. ... Missed
part of 1995-96 season with sprained neck, an injury suffered during St.
Louis' Feb. 20, 1996, game vs. Ottawa. ... Missed parts of 1996-97 season
with torn abdominal muscle, an injury suffered during St. Louis' Oct. 26,
1996, game vs. Washington, and with sore back, an injury suffered during St.
Louis' Dec. 19, 1996, game vs. Pittsburgh. ... Missed part of 1996-97 season
with strained back, an injury suffered during St. Louis' Jan. 20, 1997, game
at N.Y. Islanders. He did not return to action until St. Louis' Feb. 8,
1997, game at Boston. ... Missed parts of 1996-97 season with stiff neck, an
injury suffered during New Jersey's March 15, 1997, game vs. Washington, and
with the flu, an illness contracted in April 1997. ... Missed remainder of
1996-97 regular season and start of 1997 playoffs with bruised knee, suffered
in New Jersey's April 9, 1997, game at Florida. He did
not return until Game 3 of New Jersey's second-round series at
N.Y. Rangers on May 6, 1997. ... Scored goal on first shift in a
Vancouver uniform on Feb. 6, 1998, vs. Edmonton. ... Missed part of 1997-98
season with strained abdominal muscle, an injury suffered during Vancouver's
April 6, 1998, game at Edmonton. ... Missed part of 1998-99 season with
strained hip flexor, suffered during Vancouver's Oct. 30, 1998,
game vs. Pittsburgh. ... Broke nose during Vancouver's Nov.
25, 1998, game at Toronto, but did not miss any games. ... Missed part of 1998-99 season with broken tibia, an
injury suffered during Vancouver's Jan. 2, 1999, game vs. Montreal. He did not return until Vancouver's March 5, 1999, game vs. Calgary.
Zezel Leaves the NHL:
Zezel was traded by Vancouver to Anaheim
in exchange for future considerations on March 23, 1999, but the trade was
voided on March 24, 1999, because Zezel never reported to Anaheim. Zezel opted to end his NHL career rather than go to Anaheim because his
3-year-old
niece Jilliann, the daughter of his sister, was dying from neuroblastoma
cancer back in Scarborough, Ontario, and he wanted to spend more
time with his family. Zezel had told his agent, Mike Gillis, to let the
Canucks know that he was considering quitting hockey to be with his niece
and would only accept a trade to Toronto or Buffalo. Jilliann died on May
16, 1999, but Zezel opted to remain out of the NHL, retiring for the first
time that summer. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams:
Toronto (OHL); Kalamazoo (IHL); Albany (AHL); Cambridge (OHA Sr.)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
OHL All-Star Game: 1984 (Toronto)
Toronto Molson Cup (Three-Stars Leader): 1983-84
Miscellaneous: Finished fourth in
OHL with 133 points for Toronto in 1983-84. ... Finished third in OHL with
86 assists for Toronto in 1983-84. ... Appeared in the 1985 film
Youngblood as one of the hockey playing extras. ... Had never played in
minor leagues until he played two games for Kalamazoo (IHL) in 1995. ...
Came out of retirement in December 2002 to join Cambridge (OHA Sr.) for
remainder of the 2002-03 season. ... Played pro soccer for the North York
Rockets of the Canadian Soccer League during the summer of 1991. ...
Suffered from rare blood disorder hemolytic anemia, first diagnosed two years after
his retirement during the summer of 2001. The illness caused his red blood
cell count to plummet and nearly cost him his life. ... Ran the Peter Zezel
Hockey and Soccer camps in Etobicoke, Ontario after his retirement. ... Has own official website at www.peterzezel.com,
which offers information about hockey and soccer camps. ... Also coached
minor hockey after his retirement, molding his coaching style in the
tradition of Mike Keenan, who had coached him 11 years in the NHL. |
| HOW HE GOT AWAY |
| TRADE:
Philadelphia traded Zezel to St. Louis in exchange for Mike Bullard on
November 29, 1988. |
|
|
Visit the new
Hockey Draft Central |
HockeyDraftCentral.com is in the middle of rebuilding. You are looking at a page
that is not yet updated but is still part of the old site. Check out the new look.
• New Home Page
|
|
SNAPSHOT '83 | | Total Selected: |
242 | | Forwards: |
134 | | Defense: |
86 | | Goaltenders: |
22 | | Major Junior: |
122 | | Tier II/Jr. B: |
19/5 | | College Players: |
15 | | High School: |
47 |
| Canadian: |
148 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
0 | | USA Citizens: |
60 | | U.S.-Born: |
60 |
| European: |
34 |
| Reached NHL: |
113 |
| Stanley Cup: |
21 | | Hall of Fame: |
4 |
| All-Star Game: |
20 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
7 |
| Olympians: |
34 |
| Picks Traded: |
41 |
|
| 