89 Champs: Where Are They Now: Jim Peplinski

Jim Peplinski played 15 years in the in NHL and every single one of them was with the Calgary Flames. He played in 2 Stanley Cup Finals and finished his career with 424 points. Peplinski was a big, right handed shot on the wing who the Atlanta Flames drafted in the 4th round of the 1979 NHL Draft. He was famously missing from the Flames Game 6, Stanley Cup clinching victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Peplinski was scratched in favor of the retiring Lanny McDonald on that fateful night.

Peplinski left the game in 1994 and has been even more successful off the ice. He was an analyst for Hockey Night in Canada (briefly), an executive with the Humberview Group (which owns his company Leasemaster and other auto dealers) and the VP of Business Development of the Calgary Flames Hockey Club. He is also an investor in the Wrangler West Energy Corp. (gas and oil). Peplinski was also instrumental in organizing the Alumni Game at the Heritage Classic between the Flames and Canadiens. As if all of those activites weren’t enough, Peplinski has also been honored for his work with the Special Olympics and Big Brothers of Calgary.

Jim briefly stepped into the coaching ranks as he coached Team Cherry in the 2014 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

by Mark Parkinson