Jim Paek
Paek in 2023
Born (1967-04-07) April 7, 1967 (age 56)
Seoul, South Korea
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins
Los Angeles Kings
Ottawa Senators
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 170th overall, 1985
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 1987–2003

Jim Paek (Korean: 백지선, Baek Chi-sun, born April 7, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, who is currently the director of hockey for the Korea Ice Hockey Association and head coach of the South Korean national team.[1] Paek played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1990–91 to 1994–95, and won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1991 and 1992 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is both the first Korean-born hockey player to play in the NHL, and to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

Playing career

Paek was the first player of Korean descent to play hockey in the NHL. Paek was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the ninth round, 170th overall, in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.[1] Before joining the NHL in 1990–91, he played three seasons for the Oshawa Generals (1984–85 to 1986–87) of the OHL and three seasons with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (1987–88 to 1989–90) of the IHL. Paek also played 48 games for the Canadian National Team in 1990–91.[1]

Paek's NHL career began with the Penguins in 1990–91. Upon entering the league, he became the first Korean-born hockey player to ever play in the NHL and since he was part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup run of 1990–91, he became the first player of Korean descent to have his name engraved on the Cup. His Penguins sweater now hangs in the Hockey Hall of Fame honouring this feat.

After four seasons and two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, Paek was traded mid-season to the Los Angeles Kings in 1993–94 as part of the deal that brought Tomas Sandström to the Penguins. After only 18 regular season games as a King, he moved on, signing with the Ottawa Senators for the 1994–95 NHL season.

After only 29 games with the Ottawa Senators in 1994–95, he left the NHL and began play in the International Hockey League. In the IHL, he played for the Houston Aeros, winning the league championship Turner Cup in 1999,[1] Minnesota Moose, Manitoba Moose, and Cleveland Lumberjacks. His next stop was Great Britain, where he joined the Nottingham Panthers of the British Ice Hockey Superleague. With the exception of 40 games in 2001–02 with the Anchorage Aces of the West Coast Hockey League, he played out the rest of his career with the Panthers, retiring after the 2002–03 season.

In five NHL seasons, Paek played 217 regular season games, recording five goals, and 29 assists. He also racked up 155 penalty minutes. Paek played in 27 playoff games, recording one goal, four assists, and eight penalty minutes.

Coaching career

Early career

After retiring from play, Paek coached the Orlando Seals of the World Hockey Association 2, guiding the club to a 27–25–5 in 2003–04, and coaching in the league's all-star game.

In 2004, Paek served as an assistant coach for the St. Edward High School, leading the team to an Ohio state championship. While coaching at St. Edward, he also served as a co-coach of the Cleveland Panthers bantam minor squad, leading them to an Eastern Elite Amateur Hockey League title.

Grand Rapids Griffins

On 11 August 2005, Paek was named the assistant head coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL).[2] Paek helped guide the Griffins to their first Calder Cup in 2013,[1] the American Hockey League's regular season championship in 2005-06, and a cumulative record of 357–272–33–46 (0.560) during his nine seasons. Paek was the longest-tenured coach in franchise history, having served as the assistant coach for nine seasons.

International career

On July 23, 2014, it was announced that Paek accepted a position as the director of hockey for the Korea Ice Hockey Association (KIHA), and head coach of the South Korean national team. Under Paek's leadership, South Korea earned its first-ever Olympic hockey qualification to the 2018 Winter Olympics, held on home soil in Pyeongchang.[3][4]

Personal life

Paek was born in Seoul but grew up in Canada after moving there at age one, playing hockey in Toronto.[1][5] As a youth, he played in the 1980 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Marlboros minor ice hockey team.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1983–84 St. Michael's Buzzers MetJHL 5 0 2 2 8 — — — — —
1984–85 Oshawa Generals OHL 54 2 13 15 57 5 1 0 1 9
1985–86 Oshawa Generals OHL 64 5 21 26 122 6 0 1 1 9
1986–87 Oshawa Generals OHL 57 5 17 22 75 26 1 14 15 43
1986–87 Oshawa Generals MC — — — — — 4 1 0 1 4
1987–88 Muskegon Lumberjacks IHL 82 7 52 59 141 6 0 0 0 29
1988–89 Muskegon Lumberjacks IHL 80 3 54 57 96 14 1 10 11 24
1989–90 Muskegon Lumberjacks IHL 81 9 41 50 115 15 1 10 11 41
1990–91 Canada Intl 48 2 12 14 24 — — — — —
1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 3 0 0 0 9 8 1 0 1 2
1991–92 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 49 1 7 8 36 19 0 4 4 6
1992–93 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 77 3 15 18 64 1 0 0 0 0
1993–94 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 41 0 4 4 8 — — — — —
1993–94 Los Angeles Kings NHL 18 1 1 2 10 — — — — —
1994–95 Ottawa Senators NHL 29 0 2 2 28 — — — — —
1995–96 Houston Aeros IHL 25 2 5 7 20 — — — — —
1995–96 Minnesota Moose IHL 42 1 11 12 54 — — — — —
1996–97 Manitoba Moose IHL 9 0 2 2 12 — — — — —
1996–97 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 74 3 25 28 36 14 0 1 1 2
1997–98 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 75 7 9 16 48 10 2 1 3 4
1998–99 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 65 4 11 15 34 — — — — —
1998–99 Houston Aeros IHL 11 0 3 3 2 19 2 4 6 10
1999–2000 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 69 2 20 22 27 9 0 2 2 2
2000–01 Nottingham Panthers BISL 47 3 21 24 28 6 1 2 3 2
2001–02 Nottingham Panthers BISL 5 0 0 0 4 6 0 1 1 4
2001–02 Anchorage Aces WCHL 40 1 28 29 12 — — — — —
2002–03 Nottingham Panthers BISL 32 1 10 11 10 17 0 4 4 18
IHL totals 613 38 233 271 585 87 6 28 34 112
NHL totals 217 5 29 34 155 27 1 4 5 8

Transactions

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wharnsby, Tim (February 7, 2017). "Jim Paek helping Korea's Olympic hockey team 'get better every day". CBC News. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  2. ^ "Jim Paek". Grand Rapids Griffins. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  3. ^ "Paek Accepts Position As Head Coach of Korean Men's National Team". Grand Rapids Griffins. July 23, 2014. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  4. ^ Steiss, Adam (July 23, 2014). "Paek to coach Korea". IIHF. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  5. ^ Jeff Z. Klein (August 15, 2014). "Try It Now - The Globe and Mail". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2016.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.

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