Hank Nowak

Henry Stanley "Hank" Nowak (born November 24, 1950 in Oshawa, Ontario) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He played 180 games in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins.

Hank Nowak
Born (1950-11-24) November 24, 1950
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins
Detroit Red Wings
Boston Bruins
NHL Draft 87th overall, 1970
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 1970–1980

Playing career

Hank Nowak played left-wing for three different teams throughout the 1970s. He was a disciplined checker, a useful grinder with a muscular build who could contribute occasionally to the scoring.

Nowak spent two years with the Oshawa Generals of the OHA. Chosen 87th overall by the Flyers in 1970 in the amateur draft, he was assigned to the Quebec Aces. He also played with the Richmond Robins and Hershey Bears, and was then was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After 13 games with the Pens in 1973-74, he spent most of the season in Hershey, scoring 32 goals in 56 games. In May 1974, Nowak was traded to Detroit for Nelson Debenedet. Nowak scored 22 points in 56 games for the Wings, but then he was traded to Boston with Earl Anderson for Walt McKechnie. In the 1975 NHL playoffs, Nowak scored one goal. In 1975-76, he played 10 games for Boston when they reached the Stanley Cup semifinals.

On February 7, 1976, Nowak played in Darryl Sittler's NHL record-setting game when Boston played the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was the night that Sittler set an NHL record for most points scored in one game when he recorded ten points (six goals, four assists). Nowak claims that despite the 11-4 loss that night he was still +3!

Nowak retired from competitive hockey in 1980. He went on to work for the Toronto Transit Commission. He is currently retired from the TTC.

Hank Nowak was playing occasionally in the ASHL for the 'Toronto Blue Hogs.' He plays occasionally in tournaments with some Blue Hog alumni and his son Clinton.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
    Regular season   Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeague GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1968–69 Oshawa Generals OHA 26 2 3 5 37 — — — — —
1969–70 Oshawa Generals OHA 53 17 22 39 37 6 1 2 3 6
1970–71 Quebec Aces AHL 49 2 7 9 26 1 0 0 0 0
1971–72 Richmond Robins AHL 62 2 3 5 8 — — — — —
1972–73 Hershey Bears AHL 66 25 22 47 77 7 1 2 3 8
1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 13 0 0 0 11 — — — — —
1973–74 Hershey Bears AHL 56 32 37 69 90 14 3 12 15 14
1974–75 Detroit Red Wings NHL 56 8 14 22 69 — — — — —
1974–75 Boston Bruins NHL 21 4 7 11 26 3 1 0 1 0
1975–76 Boston Bruins NHL 66 7 3 10 41 10 0 0 0 8
1976–77 Boston Bruins NHL 24 7 5 12 14 — — — — —
1976–77 Rochester Americans AHL 35 12 17 29 26 — — — — —
1977–78 Binghamton Dusters AHL 77 20 24 44 50 — — — — —
1978–79 Philadelphia Firebirds AHL 32 7 12 19 16 — — — — —
1978–79 Cape Cod Freedoms NEHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1978–79 Utica Mohawks NEHL 43 27 43 70 49 — — — — —
1979–80 Saginaw Gears IHL 12 6 3 9 44 — — — — —
1979–80 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 65 14 22 36 59 4 0 0 0 2
AHL totals 377 100 122 222 293 21 4 14 18 22
NHL totals 180 26 29 55 161 13 1 0 1 8


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