Peter Joseph Backor (April 29, 1919 – June 30, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 36 games in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1944–45 season The rest of his career, which lasted from 1939 to 1956, was spent in the minor leagues. he won the Stanley Cup with Toronto in 1945.
| Pete Backor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | April 29, 1919 Fort William, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died | June 30, 1988 (aged 69) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1938–1956 | ||
Career
Pete Backor was born in 1919 in Fort William, Ontario to Slovak parents who emigrated from Orava in northern Slovakia to Canada. Although he played just a single season in the NHL, Backor made it count as he helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup in 1945. After that season he spent the next 11 years playing in the minor leagues for the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL with whom he won the Calder Cup in 1952, the Hollywood Wolves of the PCHL and the Sault Ste. Marie Indians of the NOHA. Backor retired from hockey in 1956.
He was one of the first players of Slovak descent in the NHL.
Personal life
He was brother-in-law to another NHL legend of Slovak descent Rudy Migay who played for Toronto Maple Leafs.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1938–39 | Fort William Forts | TBSHL | 23 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1939–40 | St. Catharines Saints | OHA Sr | 29 | 27 | 17 | 44 | 28 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1940–41 | St. Catharines Saints | OHA Sr | 31 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 20 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 12 | ||
| 1941–42 | St. Catharines Saints | OHA Sr | 27 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 11 | ||
| 1942–43 | St. Catharines Saints | OHA Sr | 21 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 1943–44 | St. Catharines Saints | OHA Sr | 28 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1943–44 | Montreal Royals | QSHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | ||
| 1943–44 | Port Arthur Shipbuilders | TBSHL | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1944–45 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 36 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1945–46 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 61 | 5 | 26 | 31 | 65 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1946–47 | Hollywood Wolves | PCHL | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1946–47 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 48 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 30 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1947–48 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 68 | 14 | 39 | 53 | 63 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1948–49 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 68 | 10 | 42 | 52 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1949–50 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 63 | 8 | 29 | 37 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1950–51 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 71 | 7 | 33 | 40 | 80 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1951–52 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 57 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 49 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 1952–53 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 53 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 36 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | ||
| 1953–54 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 45 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1954–55 | Sault Ste. Marie Indians | NOHA | 34 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1955–56 | Sault Ste. Marie Indians | NOHA | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| AHL totals | 534 | 60 | 218 | 278 | 442 | 52 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 48 | ||||
| NHL totals | 36 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Achievements
- AHL First All-Star Team (1946, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951)
- Stanley Cup Champions 1945 (with Toronto)
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Picture of Pete Backor's Name on the 1945 Stanley Cup Plaque