Anthony Francis Huck (born December 4, 1945) is a Canadian former

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 ...

player. Huck played professionally in both 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) and

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

(WHA) between 1970 and 1978. However, his greatest contributions may have been with the Canadian national team during years before NHL players were allowed to compete internationally. His amateur career peaked at the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. The 1968 Winter Games marked the first time ...

where he helped the team win the bronze medal. In 1999, Huck was inducted into the

IIHF Hall of Fame The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Interna ...

Amateur career

Huck excelled in

junior hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...

with the

Regina Pats The Regina Pats are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1917, the Pats are the world's oldest continuously operating major junior hockey franchise in its original location and using its original name. The ...

. His achievements included winning the scoring title, making the all-star team and being named league MVP. After junior, Huck shocked many by joining the Canadian national team instead of the NHL. At the time the program, run by Father David Bauer, afforded hockey players the alternative of pursuing higher education while still playing hockey. Huck wanted to study law. He was with the national team from 1965 to 1969 winning the bronze medal at the

1968 Olympics 1968 Olympics may refer to: * 1968 Summer Olympics, which were held in Mexico City, Mexico * 1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 Feb ...

and also bronze at the

IIHF World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), first officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the E ...

in 1966 and 1967.

Professional career

After playing with the national team, Huck began his professional career with the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

, followed by two seasons with the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

and the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

Denver Spurs The Denver Spurs were a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Spurs began play in the Western Hockey League in 1968, and played at the Denver Coliseum. The Spurs became the first professional sports team in Colorado to win a champions ...

. He then moved over to the WHA, joining the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

and

Minnesota Fighting Saints The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name of two professional ice hockey teams based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that played in the World Hockey Association. The first team was one of the WHA's original twelve franchises, playing from 1972 to 1976 ...

. In all, Huck played three seasons in the NHL and five in the WHA. He retired after the 1977-78 season.

Personal life and post-hockey career

Huck graduated from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

with a law degree in 1970. Today he is a practicing lawyer in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He is also senior partner in a firm which specializes in helping former athletes make the transition to life after their sporting career.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Honours and awards

* Named to First All-Star Team 1966 and 1968 IIHF World Championships. * Inducted International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1999 * WHL Most Valuable Player, 1971–72 * Inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of fame in 2006

References

External links

*
Biography
in the

Regina Leader-Post The ''Regina Leader-Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper published in Regina, Saskatchewan, owned by Postmedia Network. Founding The newspaper was first published as ''The Leader'' in 1883 by Nicholas Flood Davin, soon after Edgar Dewdney, Lieutenan ...

Testimonial
from the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fall {{DEFAULTSORT:Huck, Fran 1945 births Living people 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Denver Spurs (WHL) players Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) players Ice hockey players at the 1968 Winter Olympics IIHF Hall of Fame inductees Minnesota Fighting Saints players Montreal Canadiens players Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Olympic ice hockey players for Canada Olympic medalists in ice hockey Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players St. Louis Blues players Ice hockey people from Regina, Saskatchewan Winnipeg Jets (WHA) players Winnipeg Warriors coaches