George Matthew Pesut (born June 17, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player.[1] He played 92 games in the National Hockey League for the California Golden Seals over two seasons. He also played 17 games in the World Hockey Association with the Calgary Cowboys during the 1976–77 season. The rest of his career was mainly spent in the minor leagues and in Europe.
| George Pesut | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
June 17, 1953 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
California Golden Seals Calgary Cowboys (WHA) | ||
| NHL draft |
24th overall, 1973 St. Louis Blues | ||
| WHA draft |
24th overall, 1973 Cleveland Crusaders | ||
| Playing career | 1973–1993 | ||
Early years
editPesut began his hockey career in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, in the city of Saskatoon. He played his minor hockey in the Saskatoon system and eventually began his junior career with the A level Saskatoon Macs of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Pesut entered the major junior hockey ranks in the 1971–72 season with the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League.
Professional career
editGeorge Pesut was drafted early in the second round at #24 of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by St. Louis Blues. At the same time, Pesut was also drafted by the fledgling World Hockey Association's Cleveland Crusaders, at exactly the same draft position. However, Pesut opted begin his professional career in the NHL and to accept a contract offer with the Blues.
After attending the St. Louis Blues training camp in 1973, he was sent down to begin and develop his pro career with the Blues' minor league affiliate, the Denver Spurs in the Western Hockey League. He played only 7 games before being traded in November 1973 to the Philadelphia Flyers for Bob Stumpf. In his first full NHL season in 1975 with the California Golden Seals, Pesut put up a respectable 13 points in 47 games.
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1970–71 | Saskatoon Macs | SAHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Victoria Cougars | WCHL | 38 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Flin Flon Bombers | WCHL | 25 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 68 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Denver Spurs | WHL | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Richmond Robins | AHL | 38 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Richmond Robins | AHL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 47 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 45 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Calgary Cowboys | WHA | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Tidewater Sharks | SHL | 14 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Erie Blades | NAHL | 25 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 62 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1977–78 | HC Davos | NLB | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | EHC Dübendorf | NLB | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | EHC Chur | NLB | 28 | 28 | 20 | 48 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Wichita Wind | CHL | 53 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 33 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 39 | ||
| 1981–82 | Hamburger SV | GER-2 | 32 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | EC Hannover | GER-3 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Berliner SC Preussen | GER-3 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Berliner SC Preussen | GER-2 | 42 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Berliner SC Preussen | GER-2 | 42 | 15 | 37 | 52 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Chamonix | FRA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Berliner SC Preussen | GER-2 | 35 | 3 | 29 | 32 | 28 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | ||
| 1987–88 | ECD Iserlohn | GER | 14 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | SV Bayreuth | GER-2 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | EHC 80 Nürnberg | GER-2 | 33 | 5 | 30 | 35 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | EHC 80 Nürnberg | GER-2 | 34 | 8 | 34 | 42 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | ECD Sauerland | GER-2 | 17 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | EC Kassel | GER-2 | 38 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | EC Kassel | GER-2 | 40 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | EC Kassel | GER-2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 92 | 3 | 22 | 25 | 130 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
After hockey
editAlong with a career as a consultant in the mining industry, Pesut also assisted other current hockey pros or alumni with hockey schools in the British Columbia interior. In December 2024, Pesut published his memoir, "The Fourth Period-Between The Ice Sheets: Hockey on Two Continents", which chronicles his rise from junior hockey to his life in the professional ranks.
Awards, honors and accomplishments
edit- Best Defenceman Award Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL Major Junior) 1972–73 season;
- WCHL All-Star Team, 1972–73;
- Voted the Best Defenceman in Swiss hockey three consecutive seasons;
- German Championship winner with Berlin, first team All-star for consecutive seasons in Germany.
References
edit- ↑ "George Pesut Stats and News | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database