Peter Mahovlich

Peter Joseph Mahovlich (born October 10, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive. Known in his playing years as "Little M", as his older brother Frank was the "Big M", Mahovlich played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with several clubs, including the Montreal Canadiens, where he played with his brother and was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams.

Early life Mahovlich played as a first baseman on his high school baseball team, beating out Gord Kirke for the position. Like his brother Frank, Peter attended St. Michael's College School in Toronto (1961–63) where he played on their Junior B Hockey team.

Playing career Mahovlich was drafted second overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1963 NHL amateur draft. He played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings twice, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, the Ontario Hockey Association's Hamilton Red Wings, the AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets, Montreal Voyageurs, Adirondack Red Wings, the Central Hockey League's Fort Worth Wings and the IHL's Toledo Goaldiggers.

Mahovlich was an important contributor to the Canadiens' cup-winning teams of 1971, 1973, 1976, and 1977, before eventually being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He enjoyed a breakout season in 1970–71, scoring 35 goals in the regular season and another 10 in the playoffs as the Canadiens won the championship. His best year came in 1974–75 when he racked up 117 points as part of a deep forward corps that included the likes of Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Cournoyer, Steve Shutt and Bob Gainey. He hit the 100-point mark again the following year, finishing with 105.

During his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the cheer of "Pete, Pete" became common when Mahovlich made one of his end-to-end dashes up ice. He was characterized as easy-going, joyful, and a party-goer in Ken Dryden's book The Game.

In his 16-year NHL career, Mahovlich totalled 288 goals and 485 assists for 773 points in 884 games. Internationally, he was a member of the 1972 Summit Series, in which he scored a memorable shorthanded goal in game two of the series. He also played on the 1976 Canada Cup team.

Post-playing career

After his retirement, Mahovlich was head coach of the Toledo Goaldiggers, IHL Colorado Rangers (co-coach), Denver Rangers, CHL Fort Worth Fire, and the AHL Cape Breton Oilers. He is also the brother of former Canadian Senator and former hockey star Frank Mahovlich. The two were teammates on the Red Wings from 1967 to 1969 and on the Canadiens from 1971 to 1974.

Mahovlich was a scout for the Edmonton Oilers from 1995 to 1997 before joining the Tampa Bay Lightning and then the Atlanta Thrashers. He is currently a pro scout for the Florida Panthers.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1963–64 Hamilton Red Wings OHA 54 20 27 47 67 — — — — — 1964–65 Hamilton Red Wings OHA 55 20 35 55 88 — — — — — 1965–66 Hamilton Red Wings OHA 46 14 22 36 121 4 0 0 0 2 1965–66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 3 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 1966–67 Detroit Red Wings NHL 34 1 3 4 16 — — — — — 1966–67 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 18 4 7 11 37 9 0 0 0 2 1967–68 Detroit Red Wings NHL 15 6 4 10 13 — — — — — 1967–68 Fort Worth Wings CPHL 42 20 14 34 103 — — — — — 1968–69 Detroit Red Wings NHL 30 2 2 4 21 — — — — — 1968–69 Fort Worth Wings CHL 34 19 17 36 54 — — — — — 1969–70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 36 9 8 17 51 — — — — — 1969–70 Montreal Voyageurs AHL 31 21 19 40 77 — — — — — 1970–71 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 35 26 61 181 20 10 6 16 43 1971–72 Montreal Canadiens NHL 75 35 32 67 103 6 0 2 2 12 1972–73 Montreal Canadiens NHL 61 21 38 59 49 17 4 9 13 22 1973–74 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 36 37 73 122 6 2 1 3 4 1974–75 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 35 82 117 64 11 6 10 16 10 1975–76 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 34 71 105 76 13 4 8 12 24 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens NHL 76 15 47 62 45 13 4 5 9 19 1977–78 Montreal Canadiens NHL 17 3 5 8 6 — — — — — 1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 57 25 36 61 37 — — — — — 1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 60 14 39 53 39 2 0 1 1 0 1979–80 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 16 50 66 69 — — — — — 1980–81 Detroit Red Wings NHL 24 1 4 5 26 — — — — — 1980–81 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 37 18 18 36 49 18 1 18 19 23 1981–82 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 80 22 45 67 71 4 2 1 3 2 1985–86 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 23 4 10 14 50 — — — — — NHL totals 884 288 485 773 916 88 30 42 72 134

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1972 Canada SS 7 1 1 2 4 1976 Canada CC 7 1 4 5 5 Senior totals 14 2 5 7 9