Ed Hospodar
Ed Hospodar is a former American professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the NHL for nine seasons from 1979 to 1988. He spent time with the New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota North Stars, and Buffalo Sabres. A right-shooting defenseman, he was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 210 pounds. Drafted 34th overall by the Rangers in 1979, Hospodar was known mainly as an enforcer who spent a lot of time in the penalty box.
One of his most infamous moments came when he was among the instigators of a pregame brawl between the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers in Montreal before game six of the 1987 Wales Conference finals, which led to a suspension for the rest of that year's playoffs. In 1981, during a fight at Madison Square Garden, Hospodar’s face was badly damaged by Clark Gillies.
In 450 NHL games, Hospodar scored 17 goals and 51 assists. He added four goals and one assist in 44 playoff games. He accumulated 1,314 penalty minutes in the regular season and 208 playoff minutes. He retired from hockey in 1988.
As a youth, Hospodar played in the 1972 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a Toronto minor ice hockey team. His nickname came from a writer who said his checks had the force of a "runaway boxcar." Although born in the United States, he learned the game in Canada because his father managed Campbell’s Soup plants in New Jersey, Ohio, and Ontario. His brother later became a Byzantine Catholic priest.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:01 (CET).