Tony Hrkac is still playing!

Tony Hrkac had a fairly average NHL career, scoring 371 points (132G, 239A) in 758 NHL games between 1987 and 2003. His was a true journeyman career, as he played for nine NHL teams in that time: St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Atlanta Thrashers. He captured a Stanley Cup with the Dallas "Skate-in-the-Crease" Stars in 1999.

Even more journeymanlike, in this time period Hrkac spent parts of eight different seasons in either the American Hockey League (AHL) or the now-defunct International Hockey League. Clearly still in love with the game, or in need of a paycheque, Hrkac toiled for two more seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL following his last NHL season. Hrkac retired in 2005, the season after the Admirals captured the AHL's Calder Cup championship.

I remember Hrkac primarily because of a 91-92 Upper Deck hockey card that featured him in his new Sharks duds. The combination of that very early-90s image, and Hrkac's awesome name (it's pronounced Hir-kis) stuck in my mind. The card is pictured here, though sadly I never owned an autographed version:

Needless to say, Hrkac had not crossed my mind in some time. So why I am I writing a blog post about him?

Well it all started when I read a game recap for the Manitoba Moose (the Canucks' farm team), who are currently engaged in a conference final showdown with the Houston Aeros. Turns out "Hrkac Circus" is playing for the Aeros, and further investigation revealed that he was signed by the Aeros in March to play his 19th (!) pro season.

Even though I am cheering for the Moose to make the Calder Cup, I am still pretty stoked about Tony Hrkac. Turns out Hrkac is a pretty popular player with AHL fans, as this post-game Rock Star treatment demonstrates:



Wow! How many players elicit this kind of reaction from their fans? I've seen Trevor Linden and Pavel Bure met by post-game reactions less exuberant than this. Guess it just goes to show that everyone loves Hrkac Circus!

[Ed. note: After the writing of this article, the Manitoba Moose eliminated the Houston Aeros from the AHL playoffs. To the best of my knowledge Tony Hrkac has not yet stated whether he will retire (again) from professional hockey or if he will return for another season.]