Rocky Saganiuk Explained

Rocky Saganiuk
Position:Right Wing
Shoots:Left
Height Ft:5
Height In:9
Weight Lb:185
Played For:Toronto Maple Leafs
Pittsburgh Penguins
Birth Date:October 15, 1957
Birth Place:Myrnam, Alberta, Canada
Draft:29th overall
Draft Year:1977
Draft Team:Toronto Maple Leafs
Wha Draft:42nd overall
Wha Draft Year:1977
Wha Draft Team:Edmonton Oilers
Career Start:1977
Career End:1995

Rocky Ray Saganiuk (born October 15, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 259 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.[1]

Playing career

Born in Myrnam, Alberta, Saganiuk played junior hockey for the Kamloops Chiefs and Lethbridge Broncos. He was drafted in 1977 by the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Saganiuk signed with the Maple Leafs and made his professional debut in 1977 with the Dallas Black Hawks of the Central Hockey League, a farm team of the Maple Leafs. He had an outstanding season for the New Brunswick Hawks of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1978–79, for which he won the Les Cunningham Award as the most valuable player of the 1978–79 AHL season.[2]

He played the next three seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, from 1979 to 1982, scoring 24 goals and 47 points in his best season.. Before the 1983–84 season, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He only played one season with the Penguins, playing in only 29 games.

Post-playing career

After retiring from the NHL due to injuries, Saganiuk helped develop hockey in Britain as a player-coach with both Ayr Bruins and Peterborough Pirates. He also had spells as coach of the Durham Wasps, Murrayfield Racers and Blackburn Hawks.

Saganiuk returned to North America, first as a coach in the WHL, and then as a youth hockey director in Chicago.

Career statistics

  Regular season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1974–75Taber Golden SunsAJHL50213253124
1975–76Taber Golden SunsAJHL49423274169
1975–76Kamloops ChiefsWCHL40000
1975–76Lethbridge BroncosWCHL6213052136
1976–77Lethbridge BroncosWCHL72604810820315651121
1977–78Dallas Black HawksCHL4216132971
1978–79Toronto Maple LeafsNHL16358931015
1978–79New Brunswick HawksAHL6147297691
1979–80Toronto Maple LeafsNHL7524234752300010
1980–81Toronto Maple LeafsNHL7112183052
1981–82Toronto Maple LeafsNHL6517163349
1982–83Toronto Maple LeafsNHL30002
1982–83St. Catharines SaintsAHL6126234983
1983–84Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL2913437
1983–84Baltimore SkipjacksAHL51120
1984–85St. Catharines SaintsAHL411211
1986–87Brantford Motts ClamatosOHA-Sr.3321224355
1987–88Ayr BruinsGBR1419203950
1988–89Ayr BruinsGBR8881632
1991–92Peterborough PiratesGBR464102
1993–94Murrayfield RacersGBR34374
1994–95Durham WaspsGBR21236
NHL totals2595765122201610115
AHL totals1317554129185
GBR totals3138377594

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rocky Saganiuk Stats and News.
  2. Web site: AHL Hall of Fame . May 4, 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100801130909/http://ahlhalloffame.com/les-cunningham-award-p139046 . August 1, 2010.