John Benedict "Peanuts" O'Flaherty (April 10, 1918 — July 16, 2008) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player who played 21 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

with the

New York Americans The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...

and

Brooklyn Americans The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play i ...

. He was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Playing career

Peanuts received his nickname when a Toronto sports writer spotted him selling peanuts at

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

in 1933.
Legends of Hockey. Retrieved Oct. 30, 2007. In 21 career NHL games O'Flaherty recorded 5 goals and an assist for 6 points. He played several seasons in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

with the Pittsburgh Hornets in the 1940s. His son,

Gerry O'Flaherty Gerard Joseph O'Flaherty (born August 31, 1950) is a Canadian-American retired professional ice hockey player. During a playing career that lasted from 1971 to 1979 he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Atlanta Flames of t ...

, would go on to play in the NHL from 1971 to 1979.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1918 births 2008 deaths Brooklyn Americans players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Canadian people of Irish descent New York Americans players Pittsburgh Hornets players Ice hockey people from Toronto Springfield Indians players Toronto Marlboros players Toronto St. Michael's Majors players {{canada-icehockey-winger-1910s-stub