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Tony Tanti

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Tony Tanti
Born (1963-09-07) September 7, 1963 (age 61)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Winger
Shot Left
Played for Chicago Black Hawks
Vancouver Canucks
Pittsburgh Penguins
Buffalo Sabres
BSC Preussen
National team  Canada
NHL draft 12th overall, 1981
Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career 1981–1998

Anthony Tanti (born September 7, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a left winger and played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks. Originally selected 12th overall by the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, he was traded to the Canucks in January 1983. Tanti achieved the 40-goal mark on three occasions during his seven-year tenure with Vancouver. After being traded away in January 1990, he spent one-and-a-half year stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres, respectively. After 12 years in the NHL, Tanti went overseas to play for BSC Preussen of the German Bundesliga. He retired following the 1997–98 season. Tanti was known as a skilled, goal-scoring forward and has been described as the first "true sniper" in Canucks history.[1] Tanti was born in Toronto, Ontario.

Playing career

After playing minor hockey with the Mississauga Reps of the Metro Toronto Hockey League, Tanti began his junior career with the B-level St. Michael's Buzzers; he scored 58 points over 37 games. The following season, Tanti moved up to the major junior level with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Recording 81 goals in his first OHL season, he broke the league's rookie goal-scoring record previously set by Wayne Gretzky (70 goals in 1977–78).[2] He added 69 assists for 150 points over 67 games. In the playoffs, he recorded 15 points over 11 games. The local media called him The Maltese Falcon due to his heritage.

During the off-season, he was selected by the Chicago Black Hawks as the 12th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Black Hawks in 1981–82, appearing in two games (no points), but spent the majority of the season back in the junior level with the Generals. Playing in 57 OHL games, he recorded 62 goals and 126 points. The following season, he registered 34 goals and 62 points through 30 OHL games. At the NHL level, he had played one contest with Chicago before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks on January 6, 1983. He was sent to Vancouver in exchange for forward Curt Fraser, a noted fighter also capable of scoring.[3]

Tanti joined a Canucks team that had competed in the Stanley Cup Finals the previous year (they lost to the New York Islanders). They failed to match that level of success during Tanti's tenure with the team and struggled to qualify for the playoffs yearly. Following the trade, Tanti immediately became a full-time NHLer and recorded 8 goals and 16 points over 39 games as a rookie. In his first full season as a Canuck (1983–84), he was chosen to the 1984 NHL All-Star Game, but was unable to play due to injury. Tanti went on to set a Canucks record with 45 goals, surpassing Darcy Rota's total of 42 from the previous season. Adding 41 assists for a career-high 86 points, he finished second in team scoring to linemate Patrik Sundstrom. The season also marked his first of five consecutive years leading the team in goal-scoring. He was also chosen as the fan-voted Most Exciting Player each year of that span.

Tanti's record-setting season was followed by 39 goals and 59 points over 68 games in 1984–85. He recorded a second consecutive 39 goals in 1985–86, a season in which he earned his second NHL All-Star Game selection. He played in the exhibition contest on a line with Denis Savard and Mark Messier and scored the first goal of the event. The following season, Tanti recorded 79 points (41 goals and 38 assists) over 77 games, earning the Cyrus H. McLean Trophy as the Canucks' leading scorer for the first time. He repeated the feat in 1987–88 with 40 goals and 77 points over 73 games, while also being awarded the Cyclone Taylor Trophy as team MVP.

Tanti's production decreased significantly in 1988–89 with 24 goals and 49 points over 77 games. Midway through the following campaign, he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a six-player trade on January 8, 1990. Tanti left Vancouver with Rod Buskas and Barry Pederson in exchange for Dave Capuano, Andrew McBain and Dan Quinn.[3] Over seven seasons with the Canucks, he totaled 250 goals (which ranked second among all-time Canucks scorers, 12 behind leader Stan Smyl) and 470 points (third at the time, behind Smyl and Thomas Gradin).[4] His 10 hat tricks, 102 power play goals and 29 game-winning goals all set team records, though they have since been surpassed.[notes 1][1][4] In a 2012 article by The Province, columnist Jim Jamieson declared Tanti as the Canucks' "first true sniper" in team history.[1]

Tanti concluded his NHL career with brief stints in Pittsburgh and Buffalo before playing for six seasons in Berlin, Germany.

International career

Tony Tanti
Medal record
Representing Canada Canada
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1986 Soviet Union
Silver medal – second place 1985 Czechoslovakia

Internationally, Tanti played for Canada at the 1983 World Junior Championships and at the World Championships in 1985, 1986, and 1987. He was invited to the training camp for the 1987 Canada Cup, but failed to make the team.

Personal life

During his tenure with the Vancouver Canucks, Tanti met his wife, Christina, who was a local. They have two children, son Taylor (who also plays hockey competitively) and daughter Tessa. Following his retirement from playing, Tanti returned to live in the West Vancouver neighbourhood and entered the flooring business. His company partnered with local Bosa Development (founded by Nat Bosa, who Tanti became friends with during his NHL career), among other companies to provide wholesale flooring for construction projects in Vancouver and abroad.[1]

In his spare time, Tanti coaches youth hockey alongside another former Canuck Dave Babych.[citation needed] He also participates sparingly with the Canucks' alumni organization.[1]

Tanti is of Maltese heritage, with his parents both having been born in Hamrun, Malta. During his playing career, he had the nickname the Maltese Falcon.[5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1979–80 St. Michael's Buzzers MetJHL 37 31 27 58 67 — — — — —
1980–81 Oshawa Generals OHL 67 81 69 150 197 11 7 8 15 41
1981–82 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1981–82 Oshawa Generals OHL 57 62 64 126 138 12 14 12 26 15
1982–83 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 1 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
1982–83 Oshawa Generals OHL 30 34 28 62 35 — — — — —
1982–83 Vancouver Canucks NHL 39 8 8 16 16 4 0 1 1 0
1983–84 Vancouver Canucks NHL 79 45 41 86 50 4 1 2 3 0
1984–85 Vancouver Canucks NHL 68 39 20 59 45 — — — — —
1985–86 Vancouver Canucks NHL 77 39 20 59 45 3 0 1 1 11
1986–87 Vancouver Canucks NHL 77 41 38 79 84 — — — — —
1987–88 Vancouver Canucks NHL 73 40 37 77 90 — — — — —
1988–89 Vancouver Canucks NHL 77 24 25 49 69 7 0 5 5 4
1989–90 Vancouver Canucks NHL 41 14 18 32 50 — — — — —
1989–90 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 37 14 18 32 22 — — — — —
1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 46 6 12 18 44 — — — — —
1990–91 Buffalo Sabres NHL 10 1 7 8 6 5 2 0 2 8
1991–92 Buffalo Sabres NHL 70 15 16 31 100 7 0 3 3 4
1992–93 BSC Preussen 1.GBun 34 14 17 31 73 — — — — —
1993–94 BSC Preussen 1.GBun 41 13 19 32 44 — — — — —
1994–95 BSC Preussen DEL 42 25 33 58 114 9 2 2 4 8
1995–96 Preussen Devils DEL 43 32 28 60 56 11 9 5 14 16
1996–97 Berlin Capitales DEL 44 14 25 39 42 4 0 2 2 6
1997–98 Berlin Capiates DEL 39 8 23 31 64 4 0 1 1 20
NHL totals 697 287 273 560 661 30 3 12 15 27
DEL totals 168 79 109 188 276 28 11 10 21 50

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1983 Canada WJC 7 0 4 4 0
1985 Canada WC 10 5 2 7 12
1986 Canada WC 8 5 3 8 22
1987 Canada WC 10 6 2 8 6
Senior totals 28 16 7 23 40

All-Star Games

Year Location   G A P
1984 East Rutherford — — —
1986 Hartford 1 0 1
All-Star totals 1 0 1

Awards and achievements

Records

Notes

  1. ^ His 10 hat tricks was tied by Markus Näslund; his 102 power play goals was surpassed by Näslund and Daniel Sedin; and his 29 game-winning goals was first surpassed by Pavel Bure, while the record-holder as of the 2011–12 season was Sedin.[1][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Jamieson, Jim (2012-01-22). "No looking back for a true sniper". The Province. Vancouver: Postmedia News. p. B13. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
  2. ^ "CHL Record Book". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2008-06-15.[dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b "Tony Tanti". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
  4. ^ a b c "Vancouver Canucks All-Time Leaders". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
  5. ^ "The Maltese Falcon plans visit to parents' birthplace". 2 August 2005.

[1]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Chicago Blackhawks first round draft pick
1981 		Succeeded by
  1. ^ "The Maltese Falcon plans visit to parents' birthplace". Times of Malta. August 1, 2005. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
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