Fred Perlini (born April 12, 1962) 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 ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

. He was selected by the

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 ...

of 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) in the eighth round (158th overall) of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, for whom he eventually played eight games between 1981 and 1984. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1981 to 1996, was spent in the United Kingdom's lower levels.

Playing career

Perlini played

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

for his hometown Sault Ste. Marie Legion of the OMHA. He played in the 1975

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

with Sault Ste. Marie. In 1978, he scored 107 points in just 27 games for his minor team. He later played

junior ice 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 ...

in 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) to play for the

Toronto Marlboros The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was an ice hockey franchise in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1903, it operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and la ...

where he played for three years, accumulating more than 200 points in just 170 games. In 1981 Perlini scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

for the Toronto Marlboros one afternoon, and also played and scored for the

on the same day. Perlini only made eight appearances in the NHL, all with the Maple Leafs, scoring two goals and adding three assists. He took part in six Maple Leafs training camps as well as one with the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

and one with the

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 ...

. Perlini played for four years in the

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 ...

(AHL) for the

St. Catharines Saints The St. Catharines Saints was a minor league ice hockey team in St. Catharines, Ontario. It played in the American Hockey League from 1982 to 1986 as the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs. History The Moncton-based New Brunswick Hawks had been ...

and

Baltimore Skipjacks The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The Skipjacks originated in 1979, and played as the Baltimore Clippers in the Eastern Hockey League for two seasons. The team was ...

, where he notched up an impressive 140 points. In 1986 Perlini moved to the United Kingdom to play for the

Nottingham Panthers The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. RHPS are the Panthers' major sponsor for 2024–25. The Nottingham Panthers have won four league ...

of the

British Hockey League The British League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1982 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League. Note that the league never had 'hockey' in its title. The le ...

(BHL), where he spent just one season scoring an incredible 171 points in just 35 games. He continued in this rich goal-scoring form with two more consecutive 170 point seasons for the

Fife Flyers The Fife Flyers are a Ice hockey in Scotland, Scottish professional ice hockey team in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Established in 1938, the Flyers are the oldest still-extant club in the country. The Flyers play their home games at Fife Ice Arena, which ...

and Deeside Dragons scoring 103 goals in each of those seasons. He went on to play seven more seasons in the British leagues for

Trafford Metros The Manchester Minotaurs were an ice hockey team currently playing in the English National Ice Hockey League North, Division 1. They were previously known as the Manchester Phoenix ENL (2007–2009), and the Trafford Metros (2009–2013). Hist ...

Blackburn Hawks The Blackburn Hawks (formerly known as the Blackhawks and the Lancashire Hawks) are a British ice hockey team situated in Blackburn, Lancashire. They are presently affiliated with the EIHA Moralee Conference (NIHL N1) and have previously compete ...

Streatham Redskins The Streatham Ice Hockey Club (formerly Streatham Redskins and RedHawks) is a British ice hockey club based in Streatham, London, England. Amongst the oldest British ice hockey teams still in existence, they were founded in 1932 as Streatham, a ...

, Basingstoke Beavers, Lee Valley Lions and finally playing three seasons for the

Guildford Flames The Guildford Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Guildford, Surrey and they play their home games in the Guildford Spectrum. They compete in the top-tier of hockey in the United Kingdom, the Elite Ice Hockey League. Founded in ...

. Perlini scored more than 1400 points in British league games. During the 2000–01 season, his jersey number 11 shirt

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

by the Guildford Flames for outstanding contributions to Guildford ice hockey while playing as well as contributions off the ice to the community and junior programs.

Post-playing career

After finishing his career in Guildford in 1996, Perlini was appointed as Head of Junior Hockey, where he remained until September 2007 when he and his family returned home to Canada. In that time he coached the Guildford U10s, U12s, U14s, U16s, and U19s to Southern Division Titles on various occasions.

Family

His oldest son, Brett, has played professional hockey with Fred's old club, the

of the

EIHL The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to internationally as the British Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level ...

. Younger son Brendan is also a professional hockey player, and was drafted in the first round (12th overall) of the 2014 NHL draft by the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

*
Guildford Junior Ice Hockey Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perlini, Fred 1962 births Living people Baltimore Skipjacks players Basingstoke Beavers players Canadian ice hockey centres Fife Flyers players Guildford Flames players Ice hockey people from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Nottingham Panthers players Telford Tigers players Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Marlboros players Trafford Metros players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen