Michael Anthony Peca (born March 26, 1974) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

forward who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) for the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

, and the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

. After retiring as a player, he began a coaching career culminating in NHL assistant coach positions for the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

, and currently the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

Playing career

Peca began his junior career with the

Sudbury Wolves The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at the Junior ice hockey, junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game k ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

(OHL) after they selected him in the first round of the 1990 player draft. He was traded to the

Ottawa 67's The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's currently play thei ...

where he blossomed into one of the league's top offensive players. He was drafted in the second round, 40th overall, by the

in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Canucks in the 1993–94 season, playing four games before cracking the lineup as a regular in the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season. He was then traded to the

during the 1995 NHL Entry Draft as part of a package that sent

Alexander Mogilny Alexander Gennadevich Mogilny (; born 18 February 1969) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player and the current president of Amur Khabarovsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was the first National Hockey League (NHL) drafte ...

from Buffalo to Vancouver. Peca twice won the Frank J. Selke Trophy for being the best defensive forward, in 1996–97 and 2001–02. He captained the Buffalo Sabres to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999. His nickname was "Captain Crunch" because of his penchant for delivering bone-crushing open ice hits. During the 1997–98 season Peca was suspended three games by the NHL for an illegal hit on Vancouver Canucks defenseman Mattias Öhlund on March 26, 1998. Michael Peca

For the 2000–01 season, Peca and the Buffalo Sabres could not agree on a contract. Peca went without a contract the entire season. Peca was later traded to the

in exchange for

Tim Connolly Timothy L. Connolly (born May 7, 1981) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Playing career Amateur ...

and

Taylor Pyatt Taylor William Pyatt (born August 19, 1981) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes, Phoenix Coyo ...

, where he led the Islanders to their first playoff berth in seven years. Peca was hip-checked by

' Darcy Tucker during the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs in game five of the first round. The check blew out Peca's MCL and ACL on his left knee, ending his season and delaying his entry into the 2002–03 season. No penalty was assessed, but the NHL made clipping illegal as a result of the incident. Peca was acquired by the

in a trade with the Islanders in exchange for Mike York. He was part of the

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

Edmonton Oiler team that made a run to the

Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, ) is the annual championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional spo ...

. Peca had six goals and five assists in the 2006 playoffs. On July 18, 2006, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they had signed Peca as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

to a one-year, $2.5 million contract for the 2006–07 season, making Tucker and Peca teammates. During a game against the

on December 22, 2006, Peca collided with Chicago defenceman Jim Vandermeer with 5:17 left in the first period. Vandermeer was assessed a minor penalty and a game misconduct for the hit. Peca sustained a fractured tibia at the base of his right knee and suffered significant ligament damage, and missed the remainder of the 2006–07 season. On August 21, 2007, Peca signed a one-year contract with the

. On October 11, 2008, he received an indefinite suspension (later reduced to a five-game suspension) after grabbing referee Greg Kimmerly's arm in Columbus' first game of the 2008–09 season. On January 19, 2010, through the

National Hockey League Players' Association The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA, ) is the trade union, labour union for the group of professional List of NHL players, hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey ...

(NHLPA), Peca announced his retirement from professional hockey.

International play

Peca was first selected to represent

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

at the 1994 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, capturing the gold medal. He captained the senior Canadian team at the 2001 World Championships in Germany before he was selected as a member of the gold medal-winning Canadian ice hockey team at the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Coaching career

Beginning in the 2012–13 season, Peca was named head coach of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the

Ontario Junior Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league dates back to 1954 where i ...

(OJHL), where he coached through the 2013–14 season. After the 2012–13 season, he was named OJHL Coach of the Year. In his two years coaching, he had 66 wins in 108 regular season games. Michael Peca served as head coach of the Bantam Major Jr. Sabres in addition to his duties as general manager and director of hockey operations for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. On February 10, 2021, Peca was hired by the

to be a player development coach working with the "taxi squad" players for the 2020–21 season. In 2021, he was hired by the Buffalo Sabres as an assistant coach with their

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

affiliate, the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

. Peca was announced as an assistant coach with the Rangers on June 20, 2023, joining under new head coach

Peter Laviolette Peter Philip Laviolette Jr. (born December 7, 1964) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally undrafted by t ...

. On May 27, 2025, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks under Jeff Blashill.

Personal life

Michael Peca's hometown is

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, but he moved to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

to attend Canterbury High School. Peca and his wife, Kristin Herzog, now live in Getzville, New York, with their two children.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* * ''Note: While Peca was injured during (part of) the 1997–98 season, Donald Audette served as captain.
Additionally, Peca sat out the

2000–01 NHL season The 2000–01 NHL season was the 84th regular season of the National Hockey League. With the addition of the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild, 30 teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Avalan ...

, in a contract dispute (later asking for a trade). The Sabres captaincy remained vacant, until after Peca was traded.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Peca, Michael 1974 births Living people Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent Buffalo Sabres captains Buffalo Sabres players Canadian ice hockey centres Columbus Blue Jackets players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Edmonton Oilers players Frank Selke Trophy winners Hamilton Canucks players Ice hockey people from Toronto Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics New York Islanders players New York Rangers coaches Olympic gold medalists for Canada Olympic ice hockey players for Canada Olympic medalists in ice hockey Ottawa 67's players Sudbury Wolves players Syracuse Crunch players Toronto Maple Leafs players Vancouver Canucks draft picks Vancouver Canucks players