Pete Mahovlich

Peter Mahovlich
Born	Peter Joseph Mahovlich (1946-10-10) October 10, 1946 Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player, coach, executive, scout
Years active	1963–1986 (playing)
Known for	Four-time Stanley Cup champion with Montreal Canadiens; NHL player, coach, and scout

Peter Joseph Mahovlich (born October 10, 1946) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and executive. Often referred to as "Little M" to differentiate him from his elder brother Frank ("Big M"), Mahovlich competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) for multiple franchises, most prominently the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he secured four Stanley Cup championships.

Playing career

Selected second overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1963 NHL amateur draft, Mahovlich’s professional career featured periods with the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Additionally, he spent time in minor leagues including the American Hockey League (AHL) with teams such as the Pittsburgh Hornets, Montreal Voyageurs, and Adirondack Red Wings, along with the Central Hockey League's Fort Worth Wings and the International Hockey League's Toledo Goaldiggers.

Mahovlich played a significant role in Montreal’s Stanley Cup triumphs of 1971, 1973, 1976, and 1977. His breakout campaign occurred during the 1970–71 season when he tallied 35 goals in the regular season and added 10 more in the playoffs. His most productive year was in 1974–75, amassing 117 points while playing alongside prominent forwards like Guy Lafleur and Jacques Lemaire. He followed this with another impressive season in 1975–76, accumulating 105 points.

Renowned for his energetic style and friendly demeanor, Mahovlich earned considerable admiration from Pittsburgh Penguins supporters, a sentiment highlighted in Ken Dryden’s book The Game. Over a span of 16 NHL seasons, he compiled totals of 288 goals and 485 assists, reaching an aggregate of 773 points across 884 games.

On the international stage, Mahovlich represented Canada during the 1972 Summit Series, notably scoring a shorthanded goal in Game 2. He also participated on Canada’s roster for the 1976 Canada Cup.

Post-playing career

Following his retirement from playing, Mahovlich transitioned into coaching roles with teams including the Toledo Goaldiggers (IHL), Colorado Rangers (IHL) as co-coach, Denver Rangers (CHL), Fort Worth Fire (CHL), and Cape Breton Oilers (AHL). He is also known as the brother of Frank Mahovlich—a former Canadian Senator and hockey star—with whom he shared ice time on both the Detroit Red Wings (1967–1969) and Montreal Canadiens (1971–1974).

Mahovlich worked as a scout for the Edmonton Oilers between 1995 and 1997 before joining scouting staffs for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Atlanta Thrashers. Presently, he holds a professional scouting position with the Florida Panthers.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1963–64	Hamilton Red Wings	OHA		54	20	27	47	67		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Hamilton Red Wings	OHA		55	20	35	55	88		—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	Hamilton Red Wings	OHA		46	14	22	36	121		4	0	0	0	2
1965–66	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		3	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		34	1	3	4	16		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		18	4	7	11	37		9	0	0	0	2
1967–68	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		15	6	4	10	13		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Fort Worth Wings	CPHL		42	20	14	34	103		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		30	2	2	4	21		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Fort Worth Wings	CHL		34	19	17	36	54		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		36	9	8	17	51		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Montreal Voyageurs	AHL		31	21	19	40	77		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		78	35	26	61	181		20	10	6	16	43
1971–72	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		75	35	32	67	103		6	0	2	2	12
1972–73	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		61	21	38	59	49		17	4	9	13	22
1973–74	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		78	36	37	73	122		6	2	1	3	4
1974–75	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	35	82	117	64		11	6	10	16	10
1975–76	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	34	71	105	76		13	4	8	12	24
1976–77	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		76	15	47	62	45		13	4	5	9	19
1977–78	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		17	3	5	8	6
1977–78	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		57	25	36	61	37
1978–79 NHL season	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		60	14	39	53	39
1979–80 NHL season	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		80	16	50	66	69
1980–81 NHL season	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		24	1	4	5	26
1980–81 AHL season	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		37	18	18	36	49

 1981-82   Adirondack Red Wings   AHL   80   22   45   67   71   4   2   1   3   2  1985-86   Toledo Goaldiggers   IHL   23   4   10   14   50   -   -   -   -   -

NHL totals			884	288	485	773	916	88	30	42	72	134

International

Year	Team	Tournament		Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Penalty Minutes
1972	Canada	SS		7	1	1	2	4
1976	Canada	CC		7	1	4	5	5
Senior career totals				14	2	5	7	9

See also

• List of family relations in the NHL