Pete Stemkowski

Pete Stemkowski
at Madison Square Garden vs NY Rangers, c. 1965
Born	(1943-08-25) August 25, 1943 Winnipeg, MB, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings New York Rangers Los Angeles Kings
Playing career	1963–1979

Peter David Stemkowski (born August 25, 1943) is a former player in the National Hockey League. Over fifteen seasons, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Los Angeles Kings. Stemkowski is best remembered for his heroics in the 1970–71 Stanley Cup semifinals when he scored two overtime goals for the New York Rangers in an eventual series loss to the Chicago Black Hawks. He won the Stanley Cup in 1967 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pete Stemkowski, who played centre, is also remembered as one of the top faceoff players of the NHL.

In the 1971 semifinal against the Black Hawks, "Stemmer" or "Stem" scored the game winner in Game 1 after just 1:37 of overtime. The Rangers would lose Game 5 in overtime, only to be in the same position in Game 6. Facing elimination, the Rangers forced a deciding seventh game when Stemkowski scored at 1:29 of the third overtime – a total of 41:29 of extra time. The MSG Network special The 50 Greatest Moments in Madison Square Garden History placed the Game 6 triple overtime winner at number 18.

Broadcasting career

As of May 1982, Stemkowski was a morning disc jockey for WDJZ in Bridgeport, Connecticut.[1] He was also a freelance announcer for the Entertainment Sports Network.

He has served a stint as the television (1992–1996) and radio colour commentator (2000–2005) for the San Jose Sharks and now does so for the New York Rangers on a part-time basis. He was rumoured to be a candidate to become the Rangers' full-time radio analyst in 2006–07 but has retained his back-up role and makes appearances at Rangers events.

Hockey Awards & Achievements

• Memorial Cup Championship (1964)
• Stanley Cup Championship (1967)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1968)
• “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
• Ranked No. 54 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
• National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame - 2002 {http://polishsportshof.com/inductees/hockey/pete-stemkowski/}

Conviction for Criminal Solicitation

On May 7, 1982, Stemkowski pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of criminal solicitation in Nassau County, New York. Stemkowski had lent $35,000 to a business associate, which had not been repaid along with $35,000 in interest. He offered $20,000 to an undercover Nassau County police officer to fly to California and break an ankle and wrist of the business associate. By pleading guilty, Stemkowski avoided a charge of conspiracy.

External links

• Pete Stemkowski's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Pete Stemkowski's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Pete Stemkowski's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• [2]