The fact that Peter Zezel quit the NHL to care for a dying loved one did not surprise those who knew him.

With his movie star looks, gregarious personality and stellar two-way play, Peter Zezel was a popular player with Mike Keenan’s youthful Philadelphia Flyers teams of the 1980s.

Later, Zezel would go on to earn accolades with the St. Louis Blues and would help lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to their best post-season performances in the modern era.

But despite this success, Zezel’s legacy will always be his decision to choose humanity over hockey in the face of a cruel betrayal by hockey management.

This is the inspirational -- and ultimately heartbreaking -- story of Peter Zezel -- a man whose tremendous talent was surpassed only by his generous soul.

Peter was chosen by the Flyers in round 2 of the 1983 NHL Draft after posting 47 goals and 133 points for the OHL's Toronto Marlies during the 1983-84 campaign. The following year, he established himself as a regular for a Flyers team that posted the best regular season record in the NHL and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

A year later, Zezel's celebrity grew when he landed a small role in the hockey-themed Rob Lowe movie, Youngblood.

In 1986-87, Peter continued to progress with a career-high with 33 goals and 72 points. He also had a strong playoff as a checking forward, scoring 3 goals and 13 points in a 25 game run that saw the Flyers push the mighty Edmonton Oilers to 7 games in one of the greatest Stanley Cup finals ever. That year, Zezel also earned a pair of first-place votes for the Selke Trophy, NHL's award for the league's top defensive forward

After getting off to a slow start in 1988-89, Peter was dealt to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Mike Bullard. Zezel quickly found a home with Brett Hull on his right wing and he finished strongly, collecting a career-high 49 assists that season. In 1989-90, he tied his career-best 72 points in 73 games and helped Hull rack up 72 goals.

But Zezel would score just one goal in 13 playoff games and on July 13, 1990, he was traded with Mike Lalor to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Geoff Courtnall.

After a brief an injury plagued stint with the Caps, he was traded with Bob Rouse to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Al Iafrate.

With Toronto and the teams that followed, Zezel settled into the role of a defensive-minded center and reliable faceoff man. The Leafs had some great success during Zezel’s stay, including a coming one game away from the Stanley Cup finals in 1993.

In the mid-90s, Zezel bounced around from the Dallas Stars, back to the Blues and then the New Jersey Devils before being acquired by the Vancouver Canucks in February 1998.

Resources:

Bill Meltzer
National Hockey League
Philadelphia Flyers Alumni

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