Tom Peluso is an American retired ice hockey right wing who was an All-American for Denver.

Career

Peluso helped his high school team, Greenway, make consecutive tournament appearances in the state tournament in 1969 and '70. He performed so well that he was one of the few

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

players recruited to Denver by

Murray Armstrong Murray Alexander Armstrong (January 1, 1916 – December 8, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ice hockey Head Coach. Playing career Armstrong played junior hockey with the Re ...

. Peluso swiftly proved that he belonged by finishing third on the team in scoring with 51 points and helped the pioneers win a conference co-championship and return to the national tournament. The following season Peluso led the Pioneers with 69 points, winning both the regular season and tournament championships in the WCHA. He was named as an All-American and finished 4th in the nation in scoring but Denver lost the national semifinal for the second year in a row and ended up 4th for the tournament. After Denver's season ended, Peluso joined the US National Team for the

1972 Ice Hockey World Championships The 1972 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 39th edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia from 7 to 22 April 1972, and the Czechoslovakia national team won the tournament, the third ti ...

. The team was looking for a promotion to the top division after being relegated the year before. The team ended up second in their division, being denied promotion due to a 5–6 loss to Poland. Despite the unfortunate result, Peluso was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1972 NHL Draft, joining the growing number of college players being considered by pro teams. Rather than return to Denver, Peluso embarked on a professional career and joined the

Dallas Black Hawks The Dallas Black Hawks were a minor-league professional ice hockey team in Dallas, in the U.S. state of Texas. It was a member of the Central Hockey League and played home games at State Fair Coliseum. Origins and relocation to Dallas The Blac ...

in 1972. He missed part of his first season with a torn abdominal muscle but played well enough that, after two years with the club, including the 1974 Adams Cup, he was chosen by the Kansas City Scouts in the Expansion Draft. Peluso was a rising star for the Scouts in 1975, finishing 4th on the Port Huron Flags with 56 points. His professional career was cut short the following year by injuries and he returned home to

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

Personal life

Peluso's brother Jim played hockey at Denver as well. The two played together in Tom's sophomore season. He had two other family members play college hockey as well; cousin

Mike Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...

(born 1965) played for Alaska Anchorage and later won a

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

with the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

while nephew

(born 1974) played for Minnesota Duluth and retired after 38 games in the NHL.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peluso, Tom 1952 births Living people American ice hockey right wingers Ice hockey players from Minnesota Sportspeople from Grand Rapids, Minnesota Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey players Chicago Blackhawks draft picks Dallas Black Hawks players Port Huron Flags players Toledo Goaldiggers players AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans