Playing Career
Pete 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.
He 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.
Pete was immensely popular as a Pittsburgh Penguin, and cheers of "Pete, Pete" were common when he made one of his end-to-end dashes up ice. Pete was characterized as easy going, joyful, and a party-goer in Ken Dryden's book The Game.
In his 16-year NHL career, he 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 2 of the series. He also played on the 1976 Canada Cup team.
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