Peter "Pistol Pete" Horeck (June 15, 1923 — August 29, 2009) was a Canadian 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 hock ...

player who played in the

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for the

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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

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

between 1944 and 1952.

Early life

Horeck was born and raised in Massey, Ontario, a small town located about 100 km southwest from

Sudbury, Ontario Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the fifth largest in Canada. It is a ...

. He was one of eight boys in his family. He took up the sport of hockey in the town.

Career

Pre NHL

Horeck left his hometown to play for the Parry Sound Pilots along with Doug Orr, the father of

Bobby Orr Robert Gordon Orr (born March 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time. Orr used his ice skating speed, scoring, and play-making abilities to revolutionize the pos ...

. After his tenure in Parry Sound, He played one year in the

Eastern Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart, ...

and four years in the

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 Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

NHL

Horeck started his

career with the

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

. In his second season, he recorded a career high 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points in all 50 games to make him one of the leagues top scorers that year. Horeck was traded midway through the 1946–47 season to the

where he would spend another three years. He recorded 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points in 10 games during the 1947–48 playoffs where Detroit would lose to 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 final. Horeck joined the

before the 1950–51 season. With his production starting to decline, He left the NHL after the 1951–52 season.

Post NHL

Horeck moved back up north to the

Northern Ontario Hockey Association The Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) is an ice hockey governing body for minor, junior and senior ice hockey. The NOHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The major league run by the NOHA is the Northern ...

where he would play for five years for the

Sudbury Wolves The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at the Junior ice hockey, junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game k ...

and the Soo Indians. He would then spend the rest of his career in various minor leagues until his retirement from hockey in 1960.

Later life

After his retirement, Horeck would settle in

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...

for the rest of his life until his death after a long battle with

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

and

neuropathy Peripheral neuropathy, often shortened to neuropathy, is a general term describing disease affecting the peripheral nerves, meaning nerves beyond the brain and spinal cord. Damage to peripheral nerves may impair sensation, movement, gland, or o ...

on Saturday, August 29, 2009 in

. He is considered a hero in his hometown of Massey.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1923 births 2009 deaths Atlantic City Sea Gulls (EHL) players Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey forwards Charlotte Clippers players Chicago Blackhawks players Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players Detroit Red Wings players Eastern Hockey League coaches Ice hockey people from Ontario Ice hockey player-coaches Louisville Rebels players Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players People from Sudbury District Providence Reds players Washington Lions players {{Canada-icehockey-player-stub