Fran Huck
Anthony Francis Huck (born December 4, 1945) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. Huck played professionally in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1970 and 1978. However his greatest contributions may have been with the Canadian national team during years before NHL professionals were allowed to compete internationally. His amateur career peaked at the 1968 Winter Olympics where he helped the team win the bronze medal. In 1999, Huck was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.
| Fran Huck | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
December 4, 1945 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Minnesota Fighting Saints ZSC Lions | ||
| National team |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada | ||
| Playing career | 1969–1978 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 1968 Grenoble | |
| World Championships | ||
| 1966 Yugoslavia | |
| 1967 Austria | |
Amateur career
Huck excelled in junior hockey with the Regina Pats. His achievements included winning the scoring title, making the all-star team and being named league MVP.[1] After junior, Huck shocked many hockey 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.[2] Huck wanted to study law. He was with the national team from 1965 to 1969 winning the bronze medal at the 1968 Olympics and also bronze at the IIHF World Championships in 1966 and 1967.
Professional career
After playing with the national team, Huck began his professional career with the Montreal Canadiens, followed by two seasons with the St. Louis Blues and the Western Hockey League's Denver Spurs. He then moved over to the WHA, joining the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Fighting Saints. 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 with a law degree in 1970. Today he is a practicing lawyer in British Columbia. He is also senior partner in a firm which specializes in helping former athletes make the transition to life after their sporting career.[3]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1962–63 | Regina Pats | SJHL | 28 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 1963–64 | Regina Pats | SJHL | 62 | 86 | 67 | 153 | 104 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 40 | 60 | ||
| 1963–64 | Estevan Bruins | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1963–64 | Edmonton Oil Kings | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1964–65 | Regina Pats | SJHL | 56 | 77 | 59 | 136 | 36 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 18 | ||
| 1964–65 | Edmonton Oil Kings | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 4 | ||
| 1965–66 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Ottawa Nationals | OHA Sr | 18 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 31 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 29 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1971–72 | Denver Spurs | WHL | 72 | 28 | 63 | 91 | 83 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 16 | ||
| 1972–73 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 58 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1973–74 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 74 | 26 | 48 | 74 | 68 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1974–75 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 78 | 22 | 45 | 67 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 6 | ||
| 1975–76 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 59 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Zürcher SC | NLB | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1977–78 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 228 | 67 | 127 | 194 | 133 | 23 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 94 | 24 | 30 | 54 | 38 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | ||||
Honours and awards
- Named to First All-Star Team 1966 and 1968 IIHF World Championships.[4]
- Inducted International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1999[5]
- WHL Most Valuable Player, 1971–72
- Inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of fame in 2006
References
- "Regina Pats History: 1963-1964 - Season - the Fran Huck Era". Archived from the original on 2009-10-30. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
- "UBC Sports Hall of Fame :: Inductees". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
- "Fran Huck". LinkedIn. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- "The Official Website of Hockey Canada".
- Morris, David (31 October 1999). "He's one of just a few". Regina Sun. Regina, Saskatchewan. p. 30. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Biography in the Regina Leader-Post
- Testimonial from the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fall