Peter Šťastný

Infobox President
name = Peter Šťastný


imagesize = 220px
order = Member of the European parliament
for Slovakia
term_start = July 20, 2004
term_end =
predecessor =
successor =
birth_date = August 3, 1932
birth_place =
spouse =
party = Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party, (EPP-ED)Infobox Ice Hockey Player
position = Centre
played_for = St. Louis Blues
New Jersey Devils
Quebec Nordiques
shot = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1.5
weight_lb = 195
nationality = SVK
nationality_2 = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1956|09|18
birth_place = Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
career_start = 1973
career_end = 1995
halloffame = 1998

Peter Šťastný (born September 18, 1956 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia) is a Slovak professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1980 to 1995. During his time with the Quebec Nordiques, Stastny became a Canadian citizen. Since 2004, he has also served as a Member of the European Parliament for Slovakia. During his NHL career, he played with the Quebec Nordiques, New Jersey Devils, and St. Louis Blues.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998 and ranks 34th all time in NHL points (and second overall for Slovakians).

NHL career

Peter Šťastný was a prolific scorer in the NHL in the 1980s. He started his career in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques in 1980 and was traded in 1989 to the New Jersey Devils. He retired as a member of the St. Louis Blues in 1995, the next season after his retirement, the team he started his career with became the Colorado Avalanche.

When the startling news broke in 1980 that Czechoslovakia player of the year, Peter Šťastný, and his brother Anton, had defected to Canada to play with the Quebec Nordiques, it represented a watershed moment in professional hockey as one of the first major stars of Eastern bloc hockey to join the NHL. The following year, his brother Marián joined them to become the third trio of brothers to play on the same professional hockey team (the first being the Bentley brothers of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1940s and the second being the Plager brothers of the St. Louis Blues in the 1970s).

The trickle of Czechslovak and Soviet hockey players rapidly became a flood following his footsteps. According to Peter, his defection "was the best decision I ever made. It has given my family the choices and options that people behind the Iron Curtain could only dream of. Then, to play pro hockey with my two brothers was like icing on the cake."

On the ice, Peter proved to be both consistent and productive. He scored 450 goals and added 789 assists for a total of 1239 points in the regular season. After retiring as a player, he captained the Slovak national team in various international tournaments and still enjoys huge popularity among Slovaks.

NHL Milestones and Records

*1st player in NHL history to collect over 100 points in rookie year (109). Note: Wayne Gretzky had 137 points in his first year in the NHL (1979–80), but was not considered a "rookie", due to his time spent with the World Hockey Association's Indianapolis Racers and Edmonton Oilers, where he won the rookie of the year award in that league during the 1978–79 season with 104 points.
*One of four players to record 1000 or more points in the decade of the 1980s (1059). Previously, only Phil Esposito had topped 1000 points in one decade.
*One of 7 players in NHL history to record at least 6 consecutive 100+ point seasons.
*Shares NHL record for assists by a rookie (70) with Joe Juneau.
*Holds NHL record for points in a road game with 8 (four goals and four assists on February 22, 1981 against Washington Capitals).
*Recorded 100th NHL point with an assist on March 29, 1981 against the Montreal Canadiens.
*Recorded 1000th NHL point on October 19, 1989 with a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks, and was the second European-born player, and first trained in Europe, in NHL history to do so. Stan Mikita, the first European-born player to score 1000 points, was born in Slovakia, but raised in Canada.

Family

Along with his brothers (and teammates), Marián and Anton, Peter also has an older brother, Vladimír, who was assistant coach of the Slovakia national ice hockey team.

Peter is the father of Yan Stastny, who made his NHL debut in 2005–06 with the Edmonton Oilers, and Paul Stastny, who began his career with the Colorado Avalanche (the same franchise as the Quebec Nordiques, Peter's first NHL team) in 2006–07. Born in Quebec City but raised in St. Louis, Yan [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/2005-05-10-worlds-stastny_x.htm played for Team USA] in the 2005 IIHF World Championships, making the Šťastnýs the first hockey family known to have represented four different countries (Czechoslovakia, Canada, Slovakia, USA) in international play. Paul recently broke the record for a scoring streak in a rookie season in the NHL and was a finalist for the 2006–2007 Calder Trophy—the NHL honour for "Rookie of the Year" won by his father in 1980–81.

Awards

*Calder Memorial Trophy - 1981
*Played in 6 NHL All-Star Games - 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988
*World Championships Best Forward Award - 1995
*Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame - 1998
*Ranked number 56 on "The Hockey News"' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, the highest-ranking Slovakian-trained (or Czechoslovakian-trained) player - 1998
*Inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame - 2000
*Inducted into Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame - 2002

Career statistics

International play

*Played for Czechoslovakia in IIHF World Championships - 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
*Played for Czechoslovakia in 1980 Winter Olympics
*Played for Czechoslovakia in Canada Cup - 1976
*Played for Canada in Canada Cup - 1984
*Played for Slovakia in 1994 Winter Olympics
*Played for Slovakia in IIHF World Championships - 1995

Political career

Šťastný also joined the political arena. In 2004, he headed the European elections candidate list of the main ruling-coalition party in Slovakia, the SDKU, and was elected as one of its three Members of the European Parliament.

ee also

* List of retired NHL players
* List of NHL statistical leaders
* List of NHL seasons
* Notable families in the NHL
* List of NHL players with 1000 points

Bibliography

* "2003 NHL Official Guide & Record Book", pages 167, 196, 200. Dan Diamond and Associates, Inc. ISBN 0–920445–79–9 (Canada), ISBN 1–57243–500–3 (United States)

External links

*Legendsmember|Player|P199803|Peter Stastny