The Toronto Marlies select
Peter Zezel,C
Peter Zezel,C
In Peter Zezel's first NHL season, he established a Flyers rookie record of 46 assists while helping the team to a berth in the Stanley Cup finals. He was quickly regarded as one of the league's premier faceoff men and used his tenacious style to earn himself duty on the penalty-killing unit.
Zezel played a vital role in the resurgence of the Maple Leafs in the early 1990's as a checking centre and faceoff specialist, but he also added his share of timely goals using the soft hands and hard shot developed in his junior days.
Zezel was a face off machine because he studied how an opponent would take their face off and try to exploit their weakness. He would also see the ref's pucking dropping mechanics and try and use this to his advatage and if that didnt work he would tie up the opposition players stick and kick the puck with his feet.
The faceoff is perhaps the most under-appreciated element of the game but on closer inspection it plays a critical role. It’s one of those games-within-a-game that coaches and players zero in on.
“People in the stands don’t take much notice of it, but players do,†says Zezel. “We know how important they are. We know how a game can change on who wins a faceoff. I took a lot of pride in taking faceoffs. I never wanted to chase the puck. The idea was to gain possession and have them chase you.â€
Part of Zezel’s pre-game preparation was to look at tapes of the opponent’s centermen and study their tendencies when taking a draw. Zezel also kept a mental book on each referee and linesman and he studied their mechanics when they dropped the puck.
Zezel had a routine of his own when he was taking a defensive draw. He would skate small circles before taking the faceoff, studying how the opposition had lined up for the draw. He was trying to get a sense of the play the opponent’s were trying to work off the faceoff.
“I would circle (the faceoff dot) to make sure the goalie was ready. When I saw how they were lining up, I’d tell the goalie what I thought they were trying to do. It was important to see how the other team was lining up. You take a faceoff against a left-handed shot you know he is going to try to backhand it to the defenseman for a shot from the point.†- By Alan Adams
Zezel's skills were not only limited to the ice. He saw action with the Toronto Blizzard of the North American Soccer League and the North York Rockets of the Canadian Soccer League.
Zezel was traded by Van to Anaheim in exchange for future considerations on March 23,99, but the trade was voided on Mar 24,99, because Zezel never reported to Anaheim.
Zezel opted to end his NHL career rather than go to Anaheim because his 3-year-old niece Jilliann, the daughter of his sister, was dying from neuroblastoma cancer back in Scarborough, Ontario, and he wanted to spend more time with his family. Zezel's agent Mike Gillis let the Canucks know that he was considering quitting hockey to be with his niece and would only accept a trade to Toronto or Buffalo. Jilliann died on May 16, 1999, but Zezel opted to remain out of the NHL, retiring for the first time that summer. He never came back to the nhl.
He is currently recovering from hemolytic anemia , a rare disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than the body can replace them. Zezel was diagnosed with the condition in the summer of 2001. A side effect of the medication is weight gain.
He has had two bouts of this blood disease one attacked his red blood cells the other attacked his white blood cells.
"I’m just taking it easy now. I can’t get too worked up because that seems to trigger it. I’m really taking it easy."
Zezel was anything but laid back during his 15-year NHL career that included two tours with the Blues, 1988-89 and 1989-90, and 1995-96 and 1996-97. In 873 career games, he scored 219 goals and 389 assists for 608 points. He also played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks
Zezel is also working with former NHLers Bill Berg and Mark Osborne on a scouting website for players (www.playerprospect.com). The site allows teams from across North America to discover players who fly under the radar screen and track their progress
Peter played 873 NHL games scored 219 goals and tallied 608 career points
Career Highlightslayed in over 1000 NHL games, Holds flyers record for assists by a rookie,Went to the Cup finals with the flyers twice, On Jan16, 1991 Peter realized a childhood dream and got traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He helped lead the leafs to the conference finals twice
