Fran Huck
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image = File:Fran Huck 1973.jpg
| image_size =
| position = Centre
| played_for = Montreal Canadiens
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets
Minnesota Fighting Saints
ZSC Lions
| shoots = Left
| height_ft =5
| height_in = 7
| weight_lb =165
| ntl_team = Canada
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|12|4|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| career_start = 1969
| career_end = 1978
}}
{{MedalTableTop|name=}}
{{MedalCompetition|Winter Olympics}}
{{MedalBronze| 1968 Grenoble|}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalBronze| 1966 Yugoslavia|}}
{{MedalBronze| 1967 Austria|}}
{{MedalBottom|}}
Anthony Francis Huck (born December 4, 1945) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. Huck played professionally in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1970 and 1978. However, his greatest contributions may have been with the Canadian national team during years before NHL players were allowed to compete internationally. His amateur career peaked at the 1968 Winter Olympics where he helped the team win the bronze medal. In 1999, Huck was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.
Amateur career
Huck excelled in junior hockey with the Regina Pats. His achievements included winning the scoring title, making the all-star team and being named league MVP.{{Cite web |url=http://www.reginapatshistory.com/2009/05/1963-1964-season.html |title=Regina Pats History: 1963-1964 - Season - the Fran Huck Era |access-date=2009-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030011833/http://www.reginapatshistory.com/2009/05/1963-1964-season.html |archive-date=2009-10-30 |url-status=dead }} After junior, Huck shocked many 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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ubcsportshalloffame.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?person_id=55&searchall=1 |title=UBC Sports Hall of Fame :: Inductees |access-date=2009-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927231643/http://www.ubcsportshalloffame.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?person_id=55&searchall=1 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }} 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 in 1966 and 1967.
Professional career
After playing with the national team, Huck began his professional career with the Montreal Canadiens, followed by two seasons with the St. Louis Blues and the Western Hockey League's Denver Spurs. He then moved over to the WHA, joining the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Fighting Saints. 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 with a law degree in 1970. Today he is a practicing lawyer in British Columbia. He is also senior partner in a firm which specializes in helping former athletes make the transition to life after their sporting career.{{cite web|title=Fran Huck|publisher=LinkedIn|accessdate=March 12, 2013|url=http://www.linkedin.com/pub/fran-huck/1b/443/614}}
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||||||
| 1962–63
| SJHL | 28 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 20
| 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1963–64 | Regina Pats | SJHL | 62 | 86 | 67 | 153 | 104
| 19 | 22 | 18 | 40 | 60 |
| 1963–64
| M-Cup | — | — | — | — | —
| 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1963–64 | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | —
| 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 1964–65
| Regina Pats | SJHL | 56 | 77 | 59 | 136 | 36
| 12 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 18 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1964–65 | Edmonton Oil Kings | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | —
| 10 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 4 |
| 1965–66
| Intl | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1966–67 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1967–68
| OHA Sr | 18 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 24
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1968–69 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1969–70
| Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1969–70 | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1969–70
| AHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1970–71 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1970–71
| Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 31 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 18
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1970–71 | NHL | 29 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 18
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 1971–72
| WHL | 72 | 28 | 63 | 91 | 83
| 9 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 16 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1972–73 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 58 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 20
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1973–74
| WHA | 74 | 26 | 48 | 74 | 68
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1974–75 | WHA | 78 | 22 | 45 | 67 | 26
| 12 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 6 |
| 1975–76
| Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 59 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 27
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1976–77 | NLB | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1976–77
| Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10
| 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1977–78 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | WHA totals ! 228 !! 67 !! 127 !! 194 !! 133 ! 23 !! 3 !! 15 !! 18 !! 4 | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 94 !! 24 !! 30 !! 54 !! 38 ! 11 !! 3 !! 4 !! 7 !! 2 |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em" | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! rowspan="102" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||
| 1966
| Canada | WC | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1967 | Canada | WC | 7 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 6 |
| 1968
| Canada | OLY | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 10 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1969 | Canada | WC | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4"| Junior totals ! 31 !! 16 !! 17 !! 33 !! 36 |
Honours and awards
- Named to First All-Star Team 1966 and 1968 IIHF World Championships.{{Cite web|url=http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/5049/la_id/1.htm|title = The Official Website of Hockey Canada}}
- Inducted International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1999{{cite news|title=He's one of just a few|last=Morris|first=David|date=31 October 1999|newspaper=Regina Sun|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|page=30|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/regina-sun-fran-huck-1999/127353139/|access-date=30 June 2023}}
- WHL Most Valuable Player, 1971–72
- Inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of fame in 2006
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{icehockeystats}}
- [http://www2.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/features/patshockey/story.html?id=c1985636-7fe5-4a4e-8eda-ba6a3f5f18dd Biography] in the Regina Leader-Post
- [http://www.sshfm.com/inductees/Inductee_2006_Bios_FINAL.pdf Testimonial] from the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huck, Fran}}
Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen
Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Category:Canadian ice hockey centres
Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches
Category:Denver Spurs (WHL) players
Category:Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) players
Category:Ice hockey players at the 1968 Winter Olympics
Category:IIHF Hall of Fame inductees
Category:Minnesota Fighting Saints players
Category:Montreal Canadiens players
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Canada
Category:Olympic ice hockey players for Canada
Category:Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Category:Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players
Category:St. Louis Blues players
Category:Ice hockey people from Regina, Saskatchewan