Jeffrey Thomas Farkas (born January 24, 1978) is an American former 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 ...

center 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 eccentrici ...

. He was drafted in the third round, 57th overall, 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. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

in the

1997 NHL Entry Draft The 1997 NHL Entry Draft was the 35th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 21, 1997. As of 2022, the only remaining active player in the NHL from the 1997 draft class is Joe Thornton. Selections ...

. He played 11 games in the NHL for the Maple Leafs and Atlanta Thrashers between 2000 and 2003, mainly playing in the minor

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 ...

, before a spinal injury during a game forced his early retirement. Internationally Farkas played for the American national junior team at three World Junior Championships, winning a silver medal in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

Playing career

After playing four seasons of college hockey for Boston College, Farkas joined the Maple Leafs' roster for the 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He appeared in three games during that postseason, recording one goal. Despite his playoff success, Farkas appeared in only eight games for the Maple Leafs over the next two seasons, and three more for the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2002–03 season. While playing for the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

in 2003, Farkas was pushed from behind, and fell headfirst into the boards during a game against the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, ...

. He suffered a fractured fifth

cervical vertebra In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In sa ...

and, according to medical reports, came within millimeters of being rendered

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or ...

. The injury forced Farkas' early retirement from the sport. In 2014 Farkas was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farkas, Jeffrey Thomas 1978 births Living people American men's ice hockey centers AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Atlanta Thrashers players Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey players Chicago Wolves players Ice hockey players from New York (state) Manitoba Moose players People from Williamsville, New York Sportspeople from Erie County, New York People with tetraplegia St. John's Maple Leafs players Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Maple Leafs players