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In 1987 Tony Hrkac appeared to be on his way to NHL stardom. A gifted offensive player, Hrkac seemed to have everything it took to succeed in the NHL; great hands, terrific vision of the ice, and a uncanny ability to make precision passes. After winning the Hobey Baker award at the University of North Dakota, Hrkac, who set several NCAA scoring records which still stand, signed with the Blues and hoped to make an immediate impact.
After a rookie season in which he had 37 assists and 48 points, Hrkac raised the expectation bar in the 1988 playoffs when he lit up current ESPN analyst and then Chicago Blackhawks goalie Darren Pang, for four goals in one playoff game.
Read that again, and take note. That's because Hrkac, not some guy named Hull, owns the Blues record for most goals scored in a single playoff game (four).
The next season Hrkac seemed to be in a holding pattern as he threw in 17 goals and had 45 points, before moving onto Quebec the following season--in a much-ballyhooed trade in which the Blues acquired defenseman Jeff Brown.
The Blues GM at the time, Ronald Caron, has since stated that Hrkac's lack of maturity played a role in his trade to Quebec.
In 1990-91 with the Nordiques he had his best season, point-wise, since his rookie year with 16 goals and 32 assists for 48 points, for the then-dreadful Nords.
He moved onto San Jose and Chicago in an injury plagued 1991-92 season which saw him score just three goals in 40 games.
A 132 point season with Indianapolis of the IHL in 1992-93 earned him a 36 game encore with the Blues in 1993-94, but he failed to take advantage of the chance, scoring just 6 goals and 11 points.
Most observers felt that Hrkac didn't get quality ice time with the Blues during his second tour of duty...but perhaps he didn't fit in as a role player. So he was banished to the IHL for the next three seasons, where he would toil for the Milwaukee Admirals. As expected he put up more fine offensive numbers in the second best league in North America, but no NHL teams noticed.
That is, until 1997 when the Dallas Stars, who are coached by Ken Hitchcock (who also coached against Hrkac in the IHL) signed him to a 2-year contract.
It was Hrkac's last chance and he almost blew it. His performance in the 1997 Dallas training camp was terrible. After all those seasons in the IHL, Hrkac was jarred by returning to NHL competition. He was sent to Michigan of the IHL and it seemed that he would stay there.
But when Mike Modano was sidelined with an injury, Hrkac was recalled. He played on the second line and on the power play and responded with five goals and eight points in just 13 games.
When Modano was back healthy, Hrkac was send back to Michigan, but had to clear waivers before going back down. The Edmonton Oilers snapped him up and he finished out last season in Alberta. His final numbers: 13 goals, 14 assists, in only 49 games. Not bad.
More important, though, Tony Hrkac was an NHL player again.
Dallas then reacquired him from Nashville last summer and he has been a mainstay in their lineup all season.
It was a most unusual occurrence--Hrkac had gone from off the NHL map, to becoming a key contributor to the best team in the NHL during the 1998-99 regular season.
He finally seems to fit in as a role player, he can play 10-12 minutes a night (some nights more) and be productive with checking wingers, and his offensive ability gives Dallas threats down the middle on three lines.
Now with old buddy Brett Hull on hand (as well as former North Dakota teammate Ed Belfour), Tony Hrkac hopes to play a role in helping lead the Dallas Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup.
In this age of multi-million dollar salaries in sports, Hrkac's story is a heart warming one. His passion and love for the game wouldn't allow him to quit, and now at the age of 32, Tony Hrkac has the chance to carve out a successful NHL career for himself after all.
He's never wanted anything more.
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Editor's note: Mike Rainey is a producer at KFNS AM-590, St. Louis' all-sports station, and also can be heard on KFNS' Blues post-game shows.
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