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Mike Peluso (ice hockey, born 1965)

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For the ice hockey player of the same name born in 1974, see Mike Peluso (ice hockey b. 1974).

Mike Peluso
Born (1965-11-08) November 8, 1965 (age 58)
Pengilly, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Chicago Blackhawks
Ottawa Senators
New Jersey Devils
St. Louis Blues
Calgary Flames
NHL draft 190th overall, 1984
New Jersey Devils
Playing career 1990–1998

Michael David Peluso (born November 8, 1965), is an American former professional ice hockey player. Peluso was known primarily as an enforcer throughout his National Hockey League (NHL) career. Peluso played in the NHL from 1990 until 1998 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, and Calgary Flames. He won the Stanley Cup in 1995 with New Jersey.

Early life[edit]

Peluso was born in Pengilly, Minnesota. His father was a steelworker and his mother a childcare worker. He had three older brothers. He liked sports, but was never great at them, he played hockey with his brothers, lining up as a defenseman when playing for his high school team, the Greenway Raiders.[1][2] In his senior year, Peluso only played 12 games due to a teacher strike.[2]

Playing career[edit]

Peluso was drafted by the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the tenth round, 190th overall, in the 1984 NHL entry draft out of high school. The Devils selected him mainly for his size, but both Peluso and the team believed that he should return to school.[1] Peluso earned a scholarship to the University of Alaska Anchorage where he studied sociology while playing for the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program beginning in the 1985–86 season.[2][3] The NCAA did not allow fighting and Peluso became the Seawolves' all-time scoring leader at defense, and set records for assists and points in a season by a defenseman. Peluso was named captain of the team for three years and was twice named an All-Great West Conference selection. The Seawolves won the Jeep/Nissan Classic tournament in December 1988. He remained at Alaska Anchorage until 1989.[4]

The Devils never attempted to sign Peluso and he became a free agent at the end of his college tenure. He first enquired with the Minnesota North Stars, but they declined. Peluso then signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1989. Upon joining the Hawks, he was switched to forward and encouraged to fight in order to stay in the lineup by coach Mike Keenan.[5] He was assigned to Chicago's affiliate, the Indianapolis Ice of the International Hockey League (IHL), where under coach Darryl Sutter, he was taught how to be a role player.[6] Peluso was recalled by Chicago early in the 1989–90 season but never saw game time. He was returned to Indianapolis where he missed time with a broken cheekbone suffered in a fight. He was recalled again to replace the suspended Dave Manson in December 1989 and played in his first NHL game on December 28. He fought Basil McRae of the Minnesota North Stars in his first NHL game, during which McRae attempted to knee Peluso and was ejected from the game for it. On the ensuing power play, the Blackhawks' Denis Savard tied the game at 1–1, which ended up being the final score.[7] Peluso played one more NHL game, before being returned to Indianapolis on January 1, 1990 when Steve Thomas returned from injury.[8] Peluso registered 408 penalty minutes (PIM) in 63 games during the 1991–92 NHL season, becoming one of only three players in NHL history, and the most recent, to have accumulated 400 PIM or more in a single season and the third highest total in NHL history.[9] Peluso played a key role in the Blackhawks run to the Stanley Cup finals in the 1992 playoffs where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.[10]

With the rules around fighting changing in the NHL, the Blackhawks chose to keep Stu Grimson over Peluso and Peluso was left exposed for the 1992 NHL expansion draft. He was selected by the Ottawa Senators as the second forward chosen by the team. During his only season in Ottawa, he set the club record for most penalty minutes in a single season (318), but was allowed to play a more offensive role, scoring 15 goals along with 25 points, good for fifth on the team.[11] A popular player with fans,[12] he fell out with management over his role on the team,[13] believing he was more than just an enforcer.[12] On June 26, 1993, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils to complete an earlier transaction that sent Craig Billington, Troy Mallette and Cosmo Dupaul, New Jersey's fourth-round choice in 1993 entry draft, to Ottawa for Peter Sidorkiewicz.

As in Ottawa, Peluso's gritty, hard-nosed and intimidating style made him something of a popular player in New Jersey. He was an integral part of the infamous "Crash Line" with Randy McKay and Bobby Holík, a fourth-line combination whose energy and timely goal-scoring helped the Devils win their first of three Stanley Cups in 1995.[14]

Peluso then played for the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. His career came to an end after suffering a spinal cord injury in 1997. He retired after the 1997–1998 season.

Career statistics[edit]

Bold indicates led league

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1983–84 Greenway High School HS-MN 12 5 15 20 30 — — — — —
1984–85 Stratford Cullitons MWJHL 40 10 35 45 114 — — — — —
1985–86 University of Alaska Anchorage GWHC 32 2 11 13 59 — — — — —
1986–87 University of Alaska Anchorage GWHC 30 5 21 26 68 — — — — —
1987–88 University of Alaska Anchorage GWHC 35 4 33 37 76 — — — — —
1988–89 University of Alaska Anchorage GWHC 33 10 27 37 75 — — — — —
1989–90 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 2 0 0 0 15 — — — — —
1989–90 Indianapolis Ice IHL 75 7 10 17 279 14 0 1 1 58
1990–91 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 53 6 1 7 320 3 0 0 0 2
1990–91 Indianapolis Ice IHL 6 2 1 3 21 5 0 2 2 40
1991–92 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 63 6 3 9 408 17 1 2 3 8
1991–92 Indianapolis Ice IHL 4 0 1 1 15 — — — — —
1992–93 Ottawa Senators NHL 81 15 10 25 318 — — — — —
1993–94 New Jersey Devils NHL 69 4 16 20 238 17 1 0 1 64
1994–95 New Jersey Devils NHL 46 2 9 11 167 20 1 2 3 8
1995–96 New Jersey Devils NHL 57 3 8 11 146 — — — — —
1996–97 New Jersey Devils NHL 20 0 2 2 68 — — — — —
1996–97 St. Louis Blues NHL 44 2 3 5 158 5 0 0 0 25
1997–98 Calgary Flames NHL 23 0 0 0 113 — — — — —
NHL totals 458 38 52 90 1951 62 3 4 7 107

Injury and lawsuit[edit]

On December 18, 1993, while playing for the New Jersey Devils in a game against the Quebec Nordiques, Peluso was injured in a fight against Tony Twist.[15] He was diagnosed with a concussion and sat out the next two games before returning to action five days later.[16] Despite his continuing to play Peluso suffered a seizure and Dr. Marvin Ruderman allegedly wrote in January 1994 that Peluso:

"...should not sustain any further trauma to his head or he will suffer additional seizures and long-lasting brain damage...."[15]

Because his role with the team was as an enforcer Peluso was expected to both sustain and dole out punishment, or as his lawsuit states:

"...he was on the ice to fight."[17]

Peluso remained on the roster and continued to play for the Devils for much of the next three years, including winning the 1995 Stanley Cup, but recalls overhearing then-trainer Teddy Schuch wonder as to Peluso's health only to be overruled by team doctor Barry Fisher.[15] Peluso was later traded to the St. Louis Blues during the 1996–97 NHL season before finishing his professional career with the Calgary Flames the following year.

In 2012, after years of suffering from seizures, dementia, memory loss, anxiety and depression, Peluso filed for workers' compensation in California, naming the last four teams he had played for in his NHL career (he suited up for the Ottawa Senators prior to sustaining the concussion) as defendants.[18] In the filing Peluso alleged that he spent tens of thousands of dollars on medical procedures and medication to alleviate his ailments. After several years of litigation Peluso was offered a $325,000 settlement but rejected the offer in August 2017.[19]

Several months passed with no resolution in the matter and in January 2019 Peluso sued the New Jersey Devils, former general manager Lou Lamoriello and doctors Marvin Ruderman, Len Jaffe and Barry Fisher.[17] The suit alleged that Peluso's medical issues resulted from the injury he sustained in 1993, that team owners knew about the damage and hid the severity of the injury from him and the two teams that signed him subsequently. The case was dismissed in August 2019.[20]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b Fischler 1994, p. 47.
  2. ^ a b c MacGregor 1993, p. 119.
  3. ^ Fischler 1994, p. 48.
  4. ^ "Mike Peluso to be enshrined". Grand Rapids Herald Review. August 23, 2002. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  5. ^ Fischler 1994, pp. 45, 47.
  6. ^ MacGregor 1993, p. 120.
  7. ^ Sassone, Tim (December 29, 1989). "Hawks lose appeal on Manson". Arlington Heights Daily Herald. p. 27. Retrieved July 17, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
  8. ^ Sassone, Tim (January 2, 1990). "Thomas expected back for Edmonton contest". Arlington Heights Daily Herald. p. 27. Retrieved July 17, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
  9. ^ Bamford 2016, p. 254.
  10. ^ Fischler 1994, p. 45.
  11. ^ MacGregor 1993, pp. 121, 124.
  12. ^ a b MacGregor 1993, p. 124.
  13. ^ Fischler 1994, p. 46.
  14. ^ Resch & Kerwick 2007, pp. 89, 91.
  15. ^ a b c "Former Devil Mike Peluso's lawsuit says team hid extent of his head injury". ESPN. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  16. ^ "Mike Peluso". NHL.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Former NJ Devils enforcer Mike Peluso sues team, Lou Lamoriello over head injuries". North Jersey Record. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  18. ^ Demberger, Autumn (August 23, 2017). "Gag Order Thrown Out in Former NHL Player Michael Peluso's Workers' Comp Case". Risk and Insurance. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  19. ^ Westhead, Rick (March 7, 2018). "Psychoanalyst: Peluso's life in danger if he has to travel for workers' compensation case". TSN. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  20. ^ Hoffman, Mark A. (August 27, 2019). "NHL player's lawsuit against teams, Chubb dismissed". Business Insurance. Retrieved July 16, 2024.

References[edit]

  • Bamford, Tab (2016). 100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know Before They Die. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-62937-245-7.
  • Fischler, Stan (1994). Bad Boys 2: More Legends of Hockey's Toughest, Meanest, Most Feared Players. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. ISBN 0-07-551637-3.
  • MacGregor, Roy (1993). Road Games: A Year in the Life of the NHL. Toronto: MacFarlane Walter & Ross. ISBN 0-921912-70-6.
  • Resch, Glenn; Kerwick, Mike (2007). Tales from the Devils Ice. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58261-825-8.

External links[edit]

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