Miroslav Fryčer (27 September 195927 April 2021) was a Czech

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 ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

who played eight seasons in 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). He played for the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (french: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the W ...

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 ...

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, and

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

from 1981 to 1989. After retiring, he served as head coach of

Orli Znojmo Orli Znojmo (in English Znojmo Eagles) is a Czech-based ice hockey team that currently plays in the 2nd Czech Republic Hockey League. The club Orli Znojmo is based in Znojmo and their home arena is Nevoga Arena. From 1999 to 2009, the club comp ...

in the Austrian-based

Erste Bank Hockey League The ICE Hockey League (International Central European Hockey League), known as the win2day ICE Hockey League for sponsorship reasons, is a Central European hockey league that also serves as the top-tier ice hockey league in Austria, it currently f ...

. He was often referred to by his nicknames of Mirko or Miro. Fryčer played hockey in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

until he

defected In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

in 1981. He was signed by the

and made his NHL debut that same year, before being traded to the

. He spent seven seasons with that organization, making one All-Star appearance in 1985 and leading the team in points one year later. After a public spat with head coach John Brophy, Fryčer was traded to the

at the end of the 1987–88 season. He was then dealt to the

in January 1989, before returning to Europe.

Early life

Fryčer was born in

Opava Opava (; german: Troppau, pl, Opawa) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Opava (river), Opava. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia. It was a histori ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, on 27 September 1959. He played for Vitkovice from 1976 until 1981. He defected to Canada via

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, in 1981 when he was with the Czechoslovakian national team from the team hotel, together with his parents, his then-wife and their 10-month old daughter. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

before the 1981–82 season.

Professional career

Nordiques and Maple Leafs (1981–1988)

Fryčer started his NHL career with the Quebec Nordiques in 1981. In his

Colisée de Québec Colisée de Québec (later known as Colisée Pepsi) is a defunct multi-purpose arena located in Quebec City, Quebec. It was the home of the Quebec Nordiques from 1972 to 1995, during their time in the World Hockey Association and National Hockey ...

debut, he 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 wic ...

in a 6–4 win over the

. This, along with his 20 goals in 49 games, drew the interest of the Leafs. Fryčer was subsequently traded to that franchise on 9 March 1982, for

Wilf Paiement Wilfrid Paiement, Jr. (; born October 16, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right wing who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 through 1988, for seven different NHL teams. He is the younger brother of former NHL ...

. He played a key role in keeping the Leafs in contention for the playoffs that year, coming on as an

extra attacker An extra attacker in ice hockey and ringette is a forward or, less commonly, a defenceman who has been substituted in place of the goaltender. The purpose of this substitution is to gain an offensive advantage to score a goal. The removal of the ...

with less than a minute remaining and scoring the game-winning goal against 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 s ...

. He finished his debut season with the second-most hat-tricks in the league with five. Fryčer hit 20 or more goals in his first three full NHL seasons (1982, 1983, and 1985). He was named to his only All-Star Game in 1985, and was the only player from the Leafs to be selected. He went on to lead the franchise in

points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

with 75 the following season. He scored four of the Leafs' eleven goals in a 11–9 win over the

in January 1986. This was the highest scoring game at the

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

. The Leafs advanced to the

Stanley Cup playoffs The Stanley Cup playoffs (french: Les séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley) is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series to determine the league champion and the winner ...

, where they eliminated the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

in an upset, before bowing out in the Division Finals to the Blues in seven games. He finished third in the NHL in hat-tricks (3) that year. The Leafs brought in John Brophy in 1986 to replace

Dan Maloney Daniel Charles "Snowshoes" Maloney (September 24, 1950 – November 19, 2018) was a professional ice hockey left winger in the National Hockey League (NHL) and NHL coach. Playing career Drafted 14th overall by the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1970 ...

as head coach. Fryčer, who had hoped that the latter would stay on for an additional season, was stripped of the alternate

captaincy A captaincy ( es, capitanía , pt, capitania , hr, kapetanija) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule ...

and clashed publicly with Brophy over the next two seasons. Brophy attempted to goad Fryčer during one practice by slashing him on his surgically repaired knee, thus re-injuring it. After a defeat at the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

, the pair engaged in a physical altercation that saw Fryčer grab Brophy by the throat. At the conclusion of the 1987–88 season, in which the Leafs won only 21 games, both Fryčer and

Börje Salming Anders Börje Salming (; 17 April 1951 – 24 November 2022) was a Swedish ice hockey player. He was a defenceman who played professionally for 23 seasons, for the clubs Brynäs IF, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and AIK. He spent 16 s ...

pointed the finger at Brophy for the team's dismal performance. Fryčer, requested to be traded, contended that 90 percent of the players "despise working for the coach" and he vowed to never play under Brophy again. About a month after the outburst, new Leafs general manager

Gord Stellick Gord Stellick (born May 26, 1957 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian sports broadcaster and former NHL executive. Stellick formerly hosted The Fan 590 Morning Show with Don Landry, and also appears on Hockey Central on Rogers Sportsnet. Currently, ...

confirmed that Fryčer would not be returning to the team the following year. He was subsequently traded to the

on 10 June 1988 for

Darren Veitch Darren William Veitch (born April 24, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player whose career was beset by injuries. He played 511 career NHL games for the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, and was on ...

Red Wings and Oilers (1988–1989)

During the first half of the 1988–89 season, Fryčer scored 7 goals and added 8 assists in 23 games for the Red Wings. In his second game back at the Maple Leaf Gardens in December 1988, he scored two goals in an 8–2 win for his new team. Fryčer celebrated by flashing the

middle finger The middle finger, long finger, second finger, third finger, toll finger or tall man is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is typically the longest digit. In anatomy, it is also called ...

at Brophy while skating past the Leafs bench. He stated after the game that he hoped to get Brophy fired, adding that "he deserves it"; and Brophy was indeed dismissed as head coach that same month. Fryčer was traded mid-season to the

on 3 January 1989. He played 14 games for the franchise (contributing 5 goals and 5 assists), before opting to play in Europe during the

1990 Stanley Cup playoffs The 1990 Stanley Cup playoffs for the National Hockey League (NHL) championship began on April 5, 1990, following the 1989–90 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, from the top four teams of the four divisions, played best-of-sev ...

. He consequently missed out being part of the Oilers' Stanley Cup-winning team that year. He went on to play two seasons in Freiburg for

EHC Freiburg EHC Freiburg, is a professional ice hockey team based in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. They play in the DEL 2, the second-highest level of ice hockey in Germany. History The club was created as EHC Freiburg in 1984. In 2003, they became cham ...

and a season with HC Brunico, playing in Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

and in

Alpenliga The Alpenliga was an international professional ice hockey league which existed between 1991 and 1999. It was contested by club teams from Austria, Italy and Slovenia. In 1994-95 and 1995–96, the Alpenliga was part of a larger competition call ...

International

Fryčer played for the

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

national team at the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

. He finished the tournament with one goal and two assists and the team placed fifth overall.

Post-playing career

After retiring from professional hockey, Fryčer served as head

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

of HC Vítkovice, and coached in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He was later the coach of Czech-based

team

for the 2018-19 and 2019–20 seasons.

Personal life

Fryčer was married three times. His first two marriages ended in divorce. Fryčer was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment in 1986, after being convicted for a second time of

impaired driving Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

. He later released an autobiography in 2018 titled ''My Wild Hockey Life'', which detailed his defection and his struggle with health problems partly brought on by

alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of unhealthy alcohol drinking behaviors, ranging from binge drinking to alcohol dependence, in extreme cases resulting in health problems for individuals and large scale social problems such as alcohol-relat ...

early in his career. He underwent a

liver transplant Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a Liver disease, diseased liver with the healthy liver from another person (allograft). Liver transplantation is a treatment option for Cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and ...

in 1999, and a

kidney transplant Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantati ...

in 2018. Fryčer died on 27 April 2021 in his hometown of Kobeřice, Czech Republic. He was 61, and had reportedly been hospitalized for a blood disorder.

Career statistics

Sources:

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frycer, Miroslav 1959 births 2021 deaths Czech ice hockey coaches Czech ice hockey right wingers Czechoslovak ice hockey right wingers Czechoslovak defectors HC Vítkovice players Detroit Red Wings players Edmonton Oilers players EHC Freiburg players Fredericton Express players Ice hockey players at the 1980 Winter Olympics National Hockey League All-Stars Olympic ice hockey players of Czechoslovakia Sportspeople from Opava Quebec Nordiques players Toronto Maple Leafs players Undrafted National Hockey League players Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in Canada Czechoslovak emigrants to Canada Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in the United States Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in West Germany Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in Germany Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in Italy Czechoslovak expatriate ice hockey people Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Germany Expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Expatriate ice hockey players in West Germany Expatriate ice hockey players in Canada Expatriate ice hockey players in Italy

Early life

Professional career

Nordiques and Maple Leafs (1981–1988)

Red Wings and Oilers (1988–1989)

International

Post-playing career

Personal life

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

See also

References

External links