| Peter Stastny |
| Peter Stastny Center Left-Handed Shot Height: 6' 1", Weight: 200 pounds Born: 9.18.56 Bratislava, Slovakia |
| How he arrived: Traded by the Quebec Nordiques for Craig Wolanin and future considerations, 3.6.90 How he left: Did not resign with the Devils (Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues, 3.9.94) |
|
| Regular Season Statistics with the Franchise Stats in bold signifies team leader. |
Stastny was a scoring machine dating back to his days in the former Czechoslovakia. He is also often considered as the most
prolific scorer in the 80s next to Wayne Gretzky.
So the Devils getting him was to fill the need of a top offensive center, which Stastny, even without getting the 100-point season
he was accustomed to in Quebec City, was able to do.
But his backstory is probably the most interesting one to me.
He, along with his brother Anton, had defected from Czechoslovakia after (not immediately after, though) the Lake Placid
Olympics to sign with the Nordiques. Another brother, Marian, would join them a year later. He would ultimately gain Canadian
citizenship and had played for Canada in the 1985 Canada Cup, which cause an uprise in his former homeland.
And of course, in 1993, Czechoslovakia would split, and Bratislava, where he was born, was indeed part of the land that would
be named Slovakia. So after his final season with the Devils, he would play on the team he played for before his defection
(Slovan Bratislava) and help establish a national team program there, which he played on in the Lillehammer games. It was a
proud day for him and his home country; he was proud to call himself a Slovak.
In 1998, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2004, he took a seat on the European Parliament representing
Slovakia.
He has two sons that play hockey professionally. Paul, as we know, is one of the stars for the Avalanche currently. Yan used to
play for the Blues and Bruins, and currently plays for Nuremberg in the DEL.
prolific scorer in the 80s next to Wayne Gretzky.
So the Devils getting him was to fill the need of a top offensive center, which Stastny, even without getting the 100-point season
he was accustomed to in Quebec City, was able to do.
But his backstory is probably the most interesting one to me.
He, along with his brother Anton, had defected from Czechoslovakia after (not immediately after, though) the Lake Placid
Olympics to sign with the Nordiques. Another brother, Marian, would join them a year later. He would ultimately gain Canadian
citizenship and had played for Canada in the 1985 Canada Cup, which cause an uprise in his former homeland.
And of course, in 1993, Czechoslovakia would split, and Bratislava, where he was born, was indeed part of the land that would
be named Slovakia. So after his final season with the Devils, he would play on the team he played for before his defection
(Slovan Bratislava) and help establish a national team program there, which he played on in the Lillehammer games. It was a
proud day for him and his home country; he was proud to call himself a Slovak.
In 1998, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2004, he took a seat on the European Parliament representing
Slovakia.
He has two sons that play hockey professionally. Paul, as we know, is one of the stars for the Avalanche currently. Yan used to
play for the Blues and Bruins, and currently plays for Nuremberg in the DEL.
| Back to: |
| Entry Draft: None |
|
| Playoff Statistics with the Franchise |
