Tony Hrkac facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tony Hrkac
Hrkac in 2008
Born	(1966-07-07) July 7, 1966 (age 58) Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	St. Louis Blues Quebec Nordiques San Jose Sharks Chicago Blackhawks Dallas Stars Edmonton Oilers New York Islanders Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Draft	32nd overall, 1984 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	1987–2005 2009–2010
Website	http://www.hrkac.com

Anthony "Tony" Hrkac (born July 7, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for 18 seasons! Tony has Croatian and Ukrainian family roots. He was a talented centre who played for many teams in the NHL.

Tony Hrkac's Hockey Journey

Tony Hrkac had an amazing career in hockey, starting in college and then playing professionally for many years.

College Hockey Star

Tony was picked by the St. Louis Blues in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. This was a big deal, as he was the 32nd player chosen overall!

He decided to play college hockey first at the University of North Dakota. In the 1986–87 season, Tony won the Hobey Baker Award. This award goes to the best men's college hockey player in the United States.

That year, Tony led his team to a national championship! His team was even nicknamed the "Hrkac Circus" because of how exciting they were. He scored an incredible 116 points that season. This is still the highest number of points ever scored by a player in a single NCAA college hockey season.

Playing in the NHL

Tony Hrkac made his NHL debut with the St. Louis Blues in 1987. He played for the Blues for a few seasons. Later, he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques.

During his NHL career, Tony played for nine different teams! These teams included:

• St. Louis Blues
• Quebec Nordiques
• San Jose Sharks
• Chicago Blackhawks
• Dallas Stars
• Edmonton Oilers
• New York Islanders
• Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
• Atlanta Thrashers

Tony played in 758 NHL games. He scored 132 goals and made 239 assists. He also played in 41 playoff games. In one playoff game in 1988, he scored four goals against the Chicago Blackhawks! This set a record for the St. Louis Blues.

A highlight of his career was winning the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in the 1998–99 season. This is one of the biggest trophies in hockey!

Minor League Success and Retirement

After his time in the NHL, Tony played in the minor leagues. In 2003–04, he was a key player for the Milwaukee Admirals. They won the Calder Cup, which is the championship trophy for the AHL.

Tony retired from playing hockey after the 2004–05 season. However, he came out of retirement briefly in 2009 to play for the Houston Aeros at 42 years old!

In 2008, the Milwaukee Admirals honored Tony by retiring his number 26 jersey. This means no other player on that team will ever wear that number again. It's a huge honor!

Coaching Hockey

After his playing career, Tony Hrkac became a coach. In 2006, he was named the first men's hockey coach for Concordia University Wisconsin. He coached there until 2012.

Awards and Honors

Tony Hrkac received several important awards and honors during his hockey career:

• Won the Stanley Cup with the 1998-99 Dallas Stars