Although he only received his first pair of skates when he was 12, by the time he was 20 Miszuk was playing with the Hamilton Red Wings, shown in this 1960 photo. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator

John Miszuk

John Miszuk
after 18 years in the majors, former Red Wing returns to coach in Hamilton

Born in Poland in September of 1940, John Miszuk was nine when he and his family came to Hamilton, got his first pair of skates when he was 12, and mastered the English language by the time he was 14 after attending Saint Brigid’s Separate School in the city.

After graduating from Central in 1958 with his high school diploma, Miszuk was interested in taking up as an electrician.

But he had learned the game of hockey, playing midget, juvenile, and police minor before playing with the Burlington Industrials.

Then, at 20, he started playing with the Hamilton Red Wings, and wanted to make hockey his career.

“Lots of people say I won’t make it but I’m going to give it a try,” he said in a 1961 interview. “I’ve beaten lots of tough things before. Maybe I’ll go to the Western League; maybe there’ll be something for me in the senior OHA. Anyhow, I don’t think I’ll be finished with hockey because just because I’m 21.”

After five seasons with the Hamilton Kilty B’s in OHA-B and the Hamilton Tiger Cubs of OHA-Jr, Miszuk went west after his one season with the Red Wings to play with the Edmonton Flyers of the WHA for the 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons. Then there was a seasons with the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL before getting the call from the Detroit Red Wings for the 1963-64 season.

Miszuk played for several NHL clubs, including the Philadelphia Flyers, shown here from 1968. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator

“It’s nice playing there,” said Miszuk about his catching a spot on the Red Wings. “The pros really make you feel at home. Pronovost and Litzenberger have given me some good tips.”

Then Miszuk played in Buffalo of the AHL along with a couple of games with the Chicago Black Hawks and then two seasons with the Saint Louis Braves of the CPHL. He was then acquired by the Philadelphia Flyers, new to the NHL, in the league’s first expansion draft, where he played for two seasons, starting in 1967.

This solid blueliner was traded to Minnesota for the 1969-70 season, and then it was west again, this time for the San Diego Gulls of the WHL, where he played for the next four seasons.

He then went to play with WHA’s Calgary Cowboys for the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons, and although it took a while, Miszuk became an asset to the team.

“I knew I was 35 and a slow skating defenseman,” he said, “but when Cowboys left on that first road trip and hadn’t given me a try, I rested myself in my hotel room and waited. I looked at what they had on defense and I knew sooner or later they’d be signing me.”

Coach Joe Crozier was a little hesitant, but once Miszuk was on the ice, he was impressed.

“At first I didn’t think I needed him, but by November he was my best defenseman. You have to give him big marks for persistence – he isn’t fancy but he’s steady.”

After a couple of seasons in the Pacific Hockey League with San Francisco and San Diego, Miszuk stopped playing, but remained in the game coaching, first minor hockey in San Diego, and then as assistant behind the bench with Crozier and the Cowboys. By the late 1970s, he had retired from the game, living in San Diego.

But he returned not only to Canada, but to hockey.

At age 41, Miszuk returned to the Hamilton area to coach the Hamilton A’s of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

AS the youngest coach in the OJHL, Miszuk was impreseed with the A’s, a team that had needed help, especially on defense.

“We’ve got the highest goals against averages in the league and I’m trying to instill more defense into the kids,” he said after an 11-4 victory against the Aurora Tigers at the Mountain Arena in 1981. “Nobody in hockey seems to pay attention to the defensive end any more.”

“I retired from pro hockey in 1977,” Miszuk stated in a 1981 interview. “And I’ve been operating a fast-food business in San Diego since then. I came back to Canada last August because I wanted to get involved with hockey in some capacity. I’ve always enjoyed hockey and I still do.”

While setting up shop as the owner/operator of several Tim Hortons franchises in the area, Miszuk became a part of the NHL Alumni along with coaching.

He played 18 years of professional hockey, skating for the Black Hawks, Red Wings, North Stars, and Flyers of the NHL, where he played 237 games and scored seven times. His three-year WHA stint with the Michigan/Baltimore Blades, and the Calgary Cowboys, was for 214 games, with six goals.

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