Despite having been selected by the Vancouver Canucks during the 1992 NHL entry draft, ice hockey centre Mike Peca spent most of 1990 through 1994 in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sudbury Wolves (1990-1992) and the Ottawa 67’s (1991-1994). He did, however, have nine games with the Hamilton Canucks of the American Hockey League prior to his four matches with Vancouver in 1994. This was also the year that he represented Canada at the World Junior Championships, earning a gold medal from the tournament. After splitting the 1994-1995 season between the Canucks and the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch he was sent to the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and stayed with them until 2000, earning the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward in 1997 and captaining the squad from 1997 until his departure. He had a contract dispute for the 2000-2001 season and did not play professionally, although he did captain Team Canada at the 2001 World Championships, but did not reach the podium. He re-emerged in the NHL in 2001 with the New York Islanders and stayed with them until 2004. Along the way he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy for a second time in 2002, which was also the year that he represented Canada as alternate captain at the Winter Olympics, suiting up for six matches and taking home one of Canada’s first gold medals in Olympic ice hockey in five decades. After being traded from the Islanders he skated with the Edmonton Oilers (2005-2006), Toronto Maple Leafs (2006-2007), and the Columbus Blue Jackets (2007-2009) prior to announcing his retirement in January 2010.
Canada