Former NHLer John Miszuk passes away at 84
A former pro from yesteryear has passed away.
On Wednesday, it was announced that former NHL and WHA defenseman John Miszuk died peacefully this past Sunday, July 27, with his family at his side.
John Stanley Miszuk, the NHL and WHA defenceman born on September 29, 1940, in Nalibaki (then part of Poland, now Belarus), passed peacefully with family at his side on Sunday, July 27, 2025.
Former NHL hockey player John Miszuk returned to his birthplace in Naliboki,… pic.twitter.com/kpUzt6syvf
Miszuk was a native of Nalibaki, Belarus, which was part of Poland at the time of his birth in 1940. He and his family emigrated to Canada after spending years of his childhood in labor and refugee camps. The move helped kick off Miszuk’s path to the NHL.
Miszuk came up through the junior ranks in Hamilton, Ont., breaking into the senior ranks with the Edmonton Flyers of the old Western Hockey League. After playing parts of a couple of seasons with the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League, he cracked an NHL lineup for the first time during the 1963-64 season with the Detroit Red Wings. He played 42 regular-season games and another three in the playoffs as the team lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup Final.
The next couple of seasons, Miszuk played a few games with the Chicago Black Hawks. Then, in 1967, he was picked up by the expansion Philadelphia Flyers, where he spent two seasons before rounding out the NHL portion of his career with the Minnesota North Stars in 1969-70.
In 237 NHL regular-season games, Miszuk scored seven goals and 39 assists for 46 points, with another three assists coming in 19 postseason affairs.
After returning to the WHL for a few seasons with the San Diego Gulls, being named a Second Team All-Star twice, Miszuk got a shot in the upstart Western Hockey Association with the Michigan Stags and Baltimore Blades in 1974-75. He spent the following two seasons with the Calgary Cowboys before returning to the senior level in 1977. He last played for the San Diego Hawks of the Pacific Hockey League in 1978-79.
Following his career, Miszuk and his family helped open numerous Tim Hortons franchises in Hamilton, and he will be remembered for his philanthropic efforts in his community. He also played on the NHL Alumni Hockey Club Tour for over two decades.
Miszuk is survived by his wife of 62 years, Cora, their children—Kathleen, Tom, John Paul and Mary—and their grandchildren, Steven, Nicholas, Hailey, and Morgan.