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Pete MahlovichThe “Little M” played his junior hockey in Hamilton before glory years in Montreal One of the sport’s greatest players, Peter Mahovlich, played his junior hockey in Hamilton. Starting with the Hamilton Red Wings as a center in 1963, Mahovlich was already a large player for his 16 years and after a couple of seasons was ready to go to the majors. “If I make it,” he said in a 1965 Hamilton Spectator interview about getting into the NHL, “it doesn’t really matter whether I play with Frank or against him. But I think I would have liked the Leafs, especially with the family living in Toronto, and Frank starting a tradition.” In his first two seasons with Hamilton, he scored 20 goals in 54 games the first season and also 20 goals in 55 games in the second season. He scored 14 goals in 46 games in his final year with the Junior Red Wings. Mahovlich appreciated his older brother’s help in his hockey development.
“Frank was more than a big brother,” he noted in August of 1965. “He was more like a father at times. He’d give me tips on hockey but he never talked about his own hockey at home – he left his work at the rink. He was always a kind of policeman with me.” The younger brother was also a baseball player of note, and said if he wasn’t chosen for the NHL pro draft he would return to St. Michaels for hockey and his schooling. But he had three games with Detroit for that season, and after a couple of stops in Forth Worth and Pittsburgh, and another session with Detroit, he was signed by the Montreal Canadiens, playing 36 games in the 1969-70 season. After a short stint with the Montreal Voyageurs of the AHL, he became a fixture on the Canadiens’ roster, playing another eight seasons with the powerhouse team. It was during this time that both brothers were playing for Montreal, as Frank had left his long-time Toronto Maple Leafs to play with the Red Wings in the late 1960s and then Montreal, starting in the 1970-71 season. The brothers played well together on the ice, helping the Habs to win several Stanley Cups during this time. Known as “Big M” and “Little M,” there was a mutual respect between the brothers when on the ice. “I have to look at him as an idol,” said Peter about Frank. “A super man as well as a super hockey player. I don’t forget either that Frank led the way – his hockey talent was the family breakthrough – otherwise we’d still be digging holes in the ground around Timmins.” The “Big M” was also complimentary: “He’s young and outgoing and refreshing,” said the elder Mahovlich in a May 1971 interview. “He’s a big man but I still think of him as my little brother. (Frank was born in 1938, eight years Pete’s senior). He has many talents that aren’t fully developed yet. As a hockey player he amazes me with his improvement in the last 12 months.” Peter’s talents would continue to improve. For the 1970-71 season, he had 35 goals. He tallied the same the next season. For 1973-74, he scored 36 times. The next year he scored 35 times, and for the 1975-76 season, he scored 34 times. By the late 1970s, injuries were starting to plague him, and after two seasons each with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Red Wings, plus some contract issues with Detroit, he went to the Adirondack Red Wings for two years starting in 1980, and finished his playing with the Toledo Goaldiggers of the IHL in 1986. After playing, Mahovlich coached for several teams, including Toledo, and Colorado, both of the IHL, and the Cape Breton Oilers in the AHL. He joined the staff of the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999 as a professional scout, a post he maintains to this day. Inducted recently into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, Mahovlich played in 884 NHL games, and notched 773 points with 288 goals and 485 assists.
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