Miroslav Frycer, who played parts of seven seasons with the Maple Leafs in the 1980s and later coached in Europe, has passed away at age 61 after a short illness.
The news was posted on the web site of Czech hockey club Orli Znojmo, where Frycer had been the head coach since 2018.
Frycer, who was known as Mirko or Miro, joined the Quebec Nordiques in 1981 after defecting from Czechoslovakia and scored three goals in his first home game — against the Leafs. He was traded Toronto later in the 1981-82 season, in exchanged for Wilf Paiement, and scored 25 of more goals three times with the Leafs, including a career-best 32 in 1985-86.
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“The Maple Leafs organization is deeply saddened today to learn of the passing of Miroslav Frycer,” the team posted on Twitter on Tuesday. “A life dedicated to the game, Miroslav played seven seasons in the blue and white, and is still amongst the Leafs’ top 50 point scorers of all time. Our thoughts are with his family.”
Frycer led the Leafs in scoring with 75 points in 1985-86, his best season, on a team that included Wendel Clark, Rick Vaive, Russ Courtnall and Steve Thomas, among others. He was the Leafs’ representative at the 1985 all-star game but his greatest moment may have come in January 1986, when he scored four goals in a wild 11-9 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Wayne Gretzky called Frycer a great player after the game and the Czech was so excited by the night that he dropped several expletives in a post-game interview.
Frycer’s days in Toronto came to an end under coach John Brophy in 1988, when he was traded to Detroit for Darren Veitch. He played one season with Detroit and Edmonton before returning to Europe.
Frycer coached in Italy, and later with Orli Znojmo in his home country, where details of his lifestyle and his hockey career were chronicled in a book entitled: “Mirko Frycer, My Wild Hockey Life.” In a 2018 column by The Star’s Dave Feschuk, Frycer said his vices — he made no secret of the fact drinking and smoking were a large part of his life for 40 years — led him to believe he would have a “bill to pay” at some point in his life.
Frycer spent eight seasons in the NHL, playing 329 of his career 415 games in Toronto. He scored 115 goals and added another 153 assists in a Leafs uniform, and is 41st in franchise scoring.
Mark
Zwolinski is a Toronto-based sports reporter for the Star.
Follow him on Twitter: @markzwol
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