Tony Hrkac

Anthony J. "Tony" Hrkac (born July 7, 1966, in Thunder Bay, Ontario) is a retire Canadian professional ice hockey centre.

Playing career
Hrkac was drafted in the second round, 32nd overall, by the St. Louis Blues in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. Hrkac played collegiately at the University of North Dakota, and was the recipient of the Hobey Baker Award for top men's collegiate hockey player during the 1986–87 season. He led the team—widely known during this period as the "Hrkac Circus" (the name rhymes) -- to a national championship and his 116 points that season still stands as the NCAA single-season scoring mark. He made his National Hockey League debut with the Blues during the 1987 NHL playoffs, appearing in three games. After two-plus seasons with the Blues, he was traded (along with Greg Millen) to the Quebec Nordiques in exchange for Jeff Brown.

In his NHL career, Hrkac would play for the Blues, Nordiques, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and Atlanta Thrashers. His rights were also held by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, but he did not play for either team. In 758 career NHL games, Hrkac scored 132 goals and added 239 assists. He also appeared in 41 playoff games, scoring seven goals and adding seven assists. He was a member of the 1998–99 Dallas Stars team which won the Stanley Cup.

Hrkac returned to the minor leagues in 2003 after he was unable to sign with an NHL club. He was a key player on the Calder Cup champion Milwaukee Admirals in 2003–04. While there were rumours that the St. Louis Blues were seeking to sign him for one last stint with his original team, Hrkac retired after the 2004–05 season.

Hrkac came out of retirement for the 2008–09 season, at the age of 42, by signing with the AHL's Houston Aeros on March 11, 2009.

Awards and achievements

 * Hobey Baker Award (top player in NCAA): 1986–1987 season
 * Led the IHL in points scored (132) and was named league MVP as a member of the Indianapolis Ice in 1992–93.
 * Hrkac's #26 was retired by the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals on March 14, 2008.

Coaching career
On September 19, 2006, Concordia University (Wisconsin) officials announced that the university added Division III men’s and women’s hockey to its sports line-up for the 2007–2008 school year. Tony Hrkac was named the first men’s hockey coach in Concordia history.