Miroslav Ihnačák

Miroslav Ihnačák ( born February 19, 1962 in Poprad, Czechoslovakia ) is a former Slovak ice hockey player and current coach, who has played in its active from 1978 to 2006 include for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League.

• 2.1 International

Career

Career as a player

Miroslav Ihnačák began his career as a hockey player in his hometown at the SKP Poprad PS, for which he was active in the second Czechoslovak League from 1978 to 1981. He then played four years for the TJ VSZ Kosice in the first league, the highest Czechoslovak league. During this period, he was selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1982 in the ninth round as a total 171 players from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Having previously had been his brother fled the country and he had received from the authorities permission to leave Czechoslovakia, he was allowed to be used only in tournaments in his home country and in the Soviet Union. The 1985/86 season he began in Košice, the end of the season won the Czechoslovak league titles before him just before Christmas with his fiancée over Austria managed to escape and he signed a contract with his draft team Toronto Maple Leafs. In Toronto he could not meet the high expectations and denied in one and a half years only 55 games for the Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League, where he scored eight goals and had nine assists. In the following years he has been an increase for Toronto's farm team in the American Hockey League, the St. Catharines Saints and then its successor Newmarket Saints team in the American Hockey League action. In the season 1987/88 he played even exclusively for Newmarket in the AHL.

On November 18, 1988 Ihnačák awarded a contract as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings, but could not prevail there. In addition to a further use for NHL Detroit, he played until 1991 exclusively in the AHL for the Adirondack Red Wings - with whom he 1988/89 was the Calder Cup win in season - and Halifax Citadel. For the 1991/92 season the links Sagittarius returned to Europe, where he received a contract with BSC Preussen from the Bundesliga. In the following season, he moved several times the club and stood for the Mannheimer ERC in the Bundesliga, the SKP Poprad PS in Czechoslovakia and the EV train in the Swiss National League A on the ice. In the season 1993/ 94 of the Slovak played again in North America, where it ran aground in a single game for the Milwaukee Admirals in the International Hockey League. In addition, he scored this season in seven games three goals and seven assists for the EV Landsberg in the 2nd Hockey League. The 1994/95 season he began again in Germany at second division Heilbronner EC, but finished it with his former club TJ VSZ Kosice in the newly established after the division of Czechoslovakia Slovak Extraliga and won with his team at the end of the season to the national championship. For this success, he was the main contributor in the playoffs, when he scored six goals and 14 assists. He was both the best template provider and scorer of the playoffs.

From 1995 to 1998 Ihnačák stood by the ERC Selb in the sub-prime first League South under contract. In the 1998/99 season he was again able to win with his longtime former club from Košice, the Slovak Championship. In the following years the veteran striker was one of the lead players in the Slovaks before he played in the 2004/05 season once again for the Extraliga - HK SKP Poprad participants in his hometown. Following the 2005/06 season, which he spent at the MHC Martin, he ended his career at the age of 44 years.

Internationally

For Czechoslovakia Ihnačák took part in the Under-18 European Junior Championships in 1979 and 1980. In the U18 European Championship in 1979, he was elected to the All-Star team. For Slovakia, he participated in the B World Cup 1995, in which his team achieved promotion to the A World Championship.

Career as a coach

Following his playing career was Ihnačák Hockey coach. In this capacity, he worked on the HK VTJ Trebišov In the 2008 /09 season he was with GKS Tychy in Poland Ekstraliga behind the gang. In the 2010/11 season, he oversaw the HK Ves ​​.

Awards and achievements

Internationally

Statistics

Family

His brother Peter Ihnačák was also a professional hockey player and both played together at times for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL. His nephew Brian Ihnačák is a professional ice hockey player.