| Round | Overall |
| 5 | 67 |
 |
 |
Right-hand shot
Pre-Draft Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1968-69 | Fort William | TBJHL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 1969-70 | Fort William | TBJHL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 1970-71 | Denver | WCHA | 36 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 46 |
Pre-Draft Notes
Played for Fort William (TBJHL) in 1970 Memorial Cup tournament.
Career Vitals
| First contract: | August 27, 1974 |
| Debut: | October 20, 1979 (Philadelphia at Detroit) |
| Final NHL game: | April 26, 1981 (playoffs) (Philadelphia vs. Calgary) |
| Retired: | 1985 |
| Stanley Cup: | Never won |
| Numbers worn: | 21, 28 |
Career NHL Statistics
Team:
Philadelphia
Years: 1979-1981. Playoffs: 1980-1981
| Regular Season | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 2 years | 143 | 3 | 23 | 26 | 297 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 2 years | 25 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 34 |
| Complete statistics available at NHL.com | |||||
Pre-Draft Highlights
Scored 11 goals and 22 points in 24 games as a 16-year-old rookie with
Fort William (TBJHL) in 1967-68. ... Scored two goals and four points in 12
Memorial Cup tournament games with Fort William (TBJHL) in 1970. ... Was a
pitcher on Thunder Bay Senior Little League baseball teams that won Canadian
national championships in 1966 and 1967.
Career Highlights
Also played center and right wing during career. ... Played on Denver (WCHA) team that lost to Wisconsin in NCAA title game on March 17, 1973. ... Served as Denver co-captain as a senior in 1973-74. ... Earned WCHA All-Star Honorable Mention with Denver in 1973-74. ... Won Denver Bill Masterton Award as team MVP in 1973-74. ... Played on 1975-76 St. Georges de Beauce team that won NAHL regular-season title. ... Won AHL Calder Cup with Nova Scotia in 1976 after appearin in one playoff game for the team following call-up from NAHL. ... Played on 1976-77 Nova Scotia team that won AHL regular-season title. ... Won AHL Calder Cup with Nova Scotia in 1977. ... Played on 1977-78 Maine team that won AHL regular-season title. ... Won AHL Calder Cup with Maine in 1978. ... Played on 1978-79 Maine team that won AHL regular-season title. ... Won AHL Calder Cup with Maine in 1979. ... Played on Philadelphia team that set NHL record with 35-game unbeaten streak (25-0-10) from Oct. 14, 1979, to Jan. 6, 1980. ... Played on Philadelphia team that lost to N.Y. Islanders in 1980 Stanley Cup Finals. ... Won AHL Calder Cup with Maine in 1984, becoming fourth player in AHL history to win the Calder Cup five times. The five Calder Cup championships remains a league record. ... Led AHL playoffs with 105 penalty minutes for Maine in 1984. ... Won AHL Calder Cup as assistant coach with Hartford in 2000. ... Inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the 1966 Fort William Americans Senior Little League team that won Canadian national championship. . ... Inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 as member of 1967 Fort William Americans Senior Little League team that won Canadian national championship. ... Inducted into the Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
Transaction History
July 1977 -- Signed with
Philadelphia as an unrestricted free agent.
March 1983 -- Signed with Maine
(AHL) as an unrestricted free agent after returning from season in
Italy.
Life Outside the NHL
Full Name: Michael P.
Busniuk
Nickname: "Poliziotto"
(cop in Italian)
Other Post-Draft Teams: Denver (WCHA); Nova Scotia (AHL); Beauce (NAHL); Maine (AHL); Brunico (Italy);
Thunder Bay (Central Sr.)
Education: Graduated from University
of Denver in 1974.
Career Beyond Hockey: Returned to
Thunder Bay, Ontario, after his retirement and worked for four years as
elementary and high school teacher while also serving as an assistant
coach for Thunder Bay (MJHL/OPJHL). He then served as development
coordinator in charge of coaching and player development for the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association's Northwest Ontario branch prior to
becoming a full-time major-junior coach.
Family: Younger brother of former
NHL player Ron Busniuk. ... Father of former women's college player and
coach Kate Busniuk. ... Uncle of former minor-leaguer Bryson Busniuk.
Non-Playing Career
|
COACHING CAREER Named player-assistant coach for Brunico (Italy) prior to 1982-83 season and remained in that position through 1984-85 season. ... Named Thunder Bay (MJHL/OPJHL) assistant coach prior to 1985-86 season and remained in that position through 1990-91 season. ... Named Tri-City (WHL) co-coach on Aug. 12, 1991, and remained in that position until Sept. 2, 1993. ... Named Binghamton (AHL) assistant coach on Sept. 2, 1993, relocated with team to Hartford in June 1997, and remained in that position through 2001-02 season. ... Named Muskegon (UHL) head coach prior to 2002-03 season and remained in that position until July 25, 2003. ... Named Binghamton |
(AHL) assistant coach on July 25, 2003, and remained
in position until June 22, 2010. ... Named Lakehead (OUA)
assistant coach on Sept. 14, 2010, and remained in that position
until Oct. 18, 2012. ... Named Lakehead (OUA) interim head coach
on Oct. 18, 2012, and remained in that position until March 27,
2013. ... Named Brunico (Italy) head coach on July 1, 2013, and
remained in that position until Dec. 9, 2013. MANAGEMENT CAREER Named Director of Hockey Operations for Muskegon (UHL) prior to 2002-03 season and remained in that position until July 25, 2003. |
Miscellaneous:
| Shifted from his natural position of defense to center for Denver (WCHA) in 1972-73. | Is only player in AHL history to play for four straight Calder Cup champions (1976 to 1979). | Came out of retirement to play for hometown Thunder Bay Twins (Central Sr.) in 1986-87. | Turned down offer to become head coach of Johnstown (ECHL) in 1995. |
| SNAPSHOT '71 | |
| Total Selected: | 117 |
| Forwards: | 63 |
| Defense: | 45 |
| Goaltenders: | 9 |
| Major Junior: | 84 |
| College Players: | 19 |
| Canadian: | 107 |
| Euro-Canadian: | 2 |
| American: | 8 |
| European: | 0 |
| Reached NHL: | 50 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 5 |
| Hall of Fame: | 3 |
| All-Star Game: | 10 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 5 |
| Olympians: | 4 |
| Picks Traded: | 18 |
| 1971 PICKS BY TEAM | ||
| Boston | Buffalo | California |
| Chicago | Detroit | Los Angeles |
| Minnesota | Montreal | New York |
| Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | St. Louis |
| Toronto | Vancouver | |
OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1971