Anthony Francis Huck (born December 4, 1945) is a Canadian former
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 hock ...
player. Huck played professionally in both 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 ...
(NHL) and
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
(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 tenure culminated at the
1968 Winter Olympics
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...
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 hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...
with the
Regina Pats
Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to:
Places Canada
* Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province
** Regina (electoral district)
** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina
France
* Régina, French Guiana, a commune
United States
* R ...
. His achievements included winning the scoring title, making the all-star team and being named league MVP. 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. 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
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, it is the sport's highest profile annual ...
in 1966 and 1967.
Professional career
After playing with the national team, Huck began his professional career with the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
, 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 in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
and the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major 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 h ...
's
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 team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...
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 19 ...
. 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 Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.[British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...](_blank)
. 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
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 Inter ...
in 1999
* WHL Most Valuable Player,
1971–72
* Inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of fame in 2006
References
External links
*
Biographyin the
Regina Leader-Post
The ''Regina Leader-Post'' is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and a member of the Postmedia Network.
Founding
The newspaper was first published as ''The Leader'' in 1883 by Nicholas Flood Davin, soon after Edgar Dewdney, Li ...
Testimonialfrom the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huck, Fran
1945 births
Living people
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