Tony Tanti

Tony Tanti (born September 7, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario) is a retired professional player. He was a left winger and played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks. Originally drafted 12th overall by the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, he also played briefly for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres in the latter stages of his NHL career. After twelve seasons in the NHL, Tanti began a playing career in Germany's Bundesliga. He played in Berlin for six seasons before retiring after the 1997–98 season.

Playing career
As a junior in the Ontario Hockey League for three seasons, Tanti played with the Oshawa Generals, breaking a league rookie record previously set by Wayne Gretzky. Tanti still holds the record for most goals by a rookie with 81 in 1980–81. He was selected by the Chicago Black Hawks as the 12th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, but was traded after just three games over two seasons to the Vancouver Canucks for feared fighter and able scorer Curt Fraser in 1982-83.

As a proficient scorer in junior, Vancouver hoped he'd bring that scoring touch to the West Coast. In his first full season as a Canuck (1983–84), he set a new club goal scoring record with 45, passing Darcy Rota's total of 42 from the previous season. Adding 41 assists for 86 points, he finished second in team scoring to linemate Patrik Sundstrom. He followed that up with two consecutive 39-goal seasons before earning the Cyrus H. McLean Trophy as the Canucks leading points scorer in 1986–87 and 1987–88. In eight seasons with the Canucks, Tanti totaled 250 goals and 220 assists for 470 points - sixth overall in all-time franchise scoring. He is also second in all-time power play goals with 102.

At the height of his game, Tanti was one of the most feared snipers in the league. At just 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), 180 pounds (82 kg), he had a knack for eluding opposing checkers and darting around defensemen. He earned the Canucks' Most Exciting Player Award five years in a row (1983–84 through 1987–88), leading the team in goal scoring in that same span. He was also selected to play in the 1984 and 1986 NHL All-Star Game. Although he was unable to play in 1984 due to injury, in 1986, he played on a line with Denis Savard and Mark Messier, and scored the first goal of the event. He was named Vancouver Canucks MVP for the 1987–88 season. Internationally, he played for Canada at the 1983 World Junior Championships and at the World Championships in 1985, 1986, and 1987. He was invited to the training camp for the 1987 Canada Cup, but failed to make the team.

Tanti concluded his NHL career with brief stints in Pittsburgh and Buffalo before playing for six seasons in Berlin, Germany. He has now retired from the game and resides in West Vancouver, working as an agent for a wholesale flooring business. In his spare time, he coaches youth hockey alongside another former Canuck Dave Babych.

Awards and achievements

 * NHL All-Star Game - 1984, 1986
 * Most Exciting Player Award (Vancouver Canucks) - 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
 * Cyrus H. McLean Trophy (Vancouver Canucks' leading scorer) - 1987, 1988
 * Cyclone Taylor Trophy (Vancouver Canucks MVP) - 1988

Records

 * Ontario Hockey League rookie goal scoring record - 81 (1980–81)