Jeff Farkas

Jeffrey Thomas Farkas (born January 24, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey center. He was drafted in the third round, 57th overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1997 NHL entry draft. He played 11 games in the NHL for the Maple Leafs and Atlanta Thrashers between 2000 and 2003, mainly playing in the minor American Hockey League, before a spinal injury during a game forced his early retirement. Internationally Farkas played for the American national junior team at three World Junior Championships, winning a silver medal in 1997.

Playing career After playing four seasons of college hockey for Boston College, Farkas joined the Maple Leafs' roster for the 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He appeared in three games during that postseason, recording one goal. Despite his playoff success, Farkas appeared in only eight games for the Maple Leafs over the next two seasons, and three more for the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2002–03 season.

While playing for the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves in 2003, Farkas was pushed from behind, and fell headfirst into the boards during a game against the Rochester Americans. He suffered a fractured fifth cervical fracture and, according to medical reports, came within millimeters of being rendered quadriplegic. The injury forced Farkas' early retirement from the sport.

In 2014 Farkas was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1993–94 Nichols School CISAA 28 27 57 84 25 — — — — — 1994–95 Niagara Scenic EJHL 47 54 55 99 70 — — — — — 1995–96 Niagara Scenic MetJHL 47 42 70 112 75 — — — — — 1996–97 Boston College HE 35 13 23 36 34 — — — — — 1997–98 Boston College HE 40 11 28 39 42 — — — — — 1998–99 Boston College HE 43 32 25 57 56 — — — — — 1999–00 Boston College HE 41 32 26 58 61 — — — — — 1999–00 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL — — — — — 3 1 0 1 0 2000–01 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 77 28 40 68 62 4 1 2 3 4 2000–01 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2001–02 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 6 0 2 2 4 2 0 0 0 0 2001–02 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 71 16 34 50 49 4 0 0 0 0 2002–03 Manitoba Moose AHL 39 11 14 25 28 — — — — — 2002–03 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2002–03 Chicago Wolves AHL 24 5 12 17 14 — — — — — AHL totals 211 60 100 160 153 8 1 2 3 4 NHL totals 11 0 2 2 6 5 1 0 1 0

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1996 United States WJC 6 1 1 2 6 1997 United States WJC 6 1 1 2 4 1998 United States WJC 7 6 4 10 6 Junior totals 19 8 6 14 16

Awards and honors Award Year Hockey East All-Tournament Team 1998, 1999 All-Hockey East First Team 1999–00 AHCA East First-Team All-American 1999–00 All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 2000