Mike Peluso (ice hockey, born 1965)

Michael David Peluso (born November 8, 1965), is an American former professional ice hockey player. Peluso was known primarily as an enforcer throughout his National Hockey League (NHL) career. Peluso played in the NHL from 1990 until 1998. 
==Playing career==
Mike Peluso, known as a slick defenseman when drafted in 1985 by the New Jersey Devils, played for the University of Alaska Anchorage until 1989 rather than signing a professional contract with the NHL club.LegendsOfHockey.net: Mike Peluso Legends of Hockey profile He signed as a free agent for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1989, and started his National Hockey League career in 1990.
Upon joining the Hawks, he was switched to forward and encouraged to fight in order to stay in the lineup. He fought Basil McRae of the Minnesota North Stars in his first NHL game and recorded 728 penalty minutes in his first two years in Chicago. With 408 of these coming in 63 games during the 1991–92 NHL season, Peluso became one of only 4 players in NHL history, and the most recent, to have accumulated 400 PIM or more in a single season.
He spent parts of three years in Chicago before going to the new Ottawa Senators as the 21st pick in the 1992 NHL Expansion Draft. During his only season in Ottawa, he set the club record for penalty minutes (318), but was allowed to play a more offensive role, scoring 15 goals along with 10 assists. Nevertheless, on June 26, 1993, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils to complete an earlier transaction that sent Craig Billington, Troy Mallette and Cosmo Dupaul, New Jersey's 4th round choice in 1993 Entry Draft, to Ottawa.
As in Ottawa, Peluso's gritty, hard-nosed and intimidating style made him something of a cult hero in New Jersey. He was an integral part of the infamous "Crash Line" with Randy McKay and Bobby Holík, a fourth-line combination whose energy and timely goal-scoring helped the Devils win their first of three Stanley Cups in 1995.
He then played for the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. His career came to an end after suffering a spinal cord injury in 1997. He retired after the 1997–1998 season.
==Career statistics==
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1983–84 	Greenway High School 	HS-MN 		12 	5 	15 	20 	30 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1984–85 	Stratford Cullitons 	MWJHL 		40 	10 	35 	45 	114 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1985–86 	University of Alaska Anchorage	GWHC 		32 	2 	11 	13 	59 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1986–87 	University of Alaska Anchorage	GWHC 		30 	5 	21 	26 	68 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1987–88 	University of Alaska Anchorage	GWHC 		35 	4 	33 	37 	76 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1988–89 	University of Alaska Anchorage	GWHC 		33 	10 	27 	37 	75 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1989–90 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		2 	0 	0 	0 	15 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1989–90 	Indianapolis Ice 	IHL 		75 	7 	10 	17 	279 		14 	0 	1 	1 	58
1990–91 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		53 	6 	1 	7 	320 		3 	0 	0 	0 	2
1990–91 	Indianapolis Ice 	IHL 		6 	2 	1 	3 	21 		5 	0 	2 	2 	40
1991–92 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		63 	6 	3 	9 	408 		17 	1 	2 	3 	8
1991–92 	Indianapolis Ice 	IHL 		4 	0 	1 	1 	15 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1992–93 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 		81 	15 	10 	25 	318 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1993–94 	New Jersey Devils 	NHL 		69 	4 	16 	20 	238 		17 	1 	0 	1 	64
1994–95 	New Jersey Devils 	NHL 		46 	2 	9 	11 	167 		20 	1 	2 	3 	8
1995–96 	New Jersey Devils 	NHL 		57 	3 	8 	11 	146 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1996–97 	New Jersey Devils 	NHL 		20 	0 	2 	2 	68 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1996–97 	St. Louis Blues 	NHL 		44 	2 	3 	5 	158 		5 	0 	0 	0 	25
1997–98 	Calgary Flames 	NHL 		23 	0 	0 	0 	113 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals		458 	38 	52 	90 	1951 		62 	3 	4 	7 	107
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==Injury and Lawsuit==
On December 18, 1993, while playing for the New Jersey Devils in a game against the Quebec Nordiques, Peluso was injured in a fight against Tony Twist. He was diagnosed with a concussion and sat out the next two games before returning to action five days later. Despite his continuing to play Peluso suffered a seizure and Dr. Marvin Ruderman allegedly wrote in January 1994 that Peluso: "...should not sustain any further trauma to his head or he will suffer additional seizures and long-lasting brain damage...." Because his role with the team was as an enforcer Peluso was expected to both sustain and dole out punishment, or as his lawsuit states: "...he was on the ice to fight." 
Peluso remained on the roster and continued to play for the Devils for much of the next three years, including winning the 1995 Stanley Cup, but recalls overhearing then-trainer Teddy Schuch wonder as to Peluso's health only to be overruled by team doctor Barry Fisher. Peluso was later traded to the St. Louis Blues during the 1996–97 NHL season before finishing his professional career with the Calgary Flames the following year.
In 2012, after years of suffering from seizures, dementia, memory loss, anxiety and depression, Peluso filed for workers' compensation in California, naming the last four teams he had played for in his NHL career (he suited up for the Ottawa Senators prior to sustaining the concussion) as defendants. In the filing Peluso alleged that he spent tens of thousands of dollars on medical procedures and medication to alleviate his ailments. After several years of litigation Peluso was offered a $325,000 settlement but rejected the offer in August 2017.
Several months passed with no resolution in the matter and in January 2019 Peluso sued the New Jersey Devils, former general manager Lou Lamoriello and doctors Marvin Ruderman, Len Jaffe and Barry Fisher. The suit alleges that Peluso's medical issues resulted from the injury he sustained in 1993, that team owners knew about the damage and hid the severity of the injury from him and the two teams that signed him subsequently.
==References==
==External links==
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Category:1965 births
Category:Living people
Category:Alaska Anchorage Seawolves men's ice hockey players
Category:American men's ice hockey left wingers
Category:American people of Italian descent
Category:Calgary Flames players
Category:Chicago Blackhawks players
Category:Edmonton Oilers scouts
Category:Ice hockey people from Minnesota
Category:Indianapolis Ice players
Category:New Jersey Devils players
Category:Ottawa Senators players
Category:St. Louis Blues players
Category:New Jersey Devils draft picks
Category:Stanley Cup champions
Category:Turner Cup champions