Born in Minnesota, Antonovich had a
peculiar and constant connection to his home state for much of his
playing career. He spent three years at the University there, 1969-72,
playing hockey under coach Glen Sonmor and assistant Herb Brooks (both
future coaches of the North Stars) and then bounced between the North
Stars of the NHL and Fighting Saints of the WHA.
Although he was drafted by the Nroth Stars in 1971, he joined the
WHA-rival Fighting Saints after leaving university, playing with the
team for the better part of four years until the Saints ceased
operations in March 1976. He signed with the North Stars and played a
dozen games win the NHL before representing the U.S. at the 1976 World
Championships.
The following season, the WHA franchise started up, and Antonovich
returned to that league for three more seasons, the last 2 1/2 seasons with the New
England Whalers. Primarily playing the portside with former Saints linemates John McKenzie and Dave Keon, Antonovich scored a career high 32 goals in 1977-78 and earned a spot on the WHA All Star squad. When the team joined the NHL to start the
next year, he remained, playing five more NHL games, though he spent
the majority of the year in the minors.
Antonovich played parts of the next three years with the Stars and then
New Jersey, but the rest of his career occurred in the minors. After
retiring, he kept in the game as an assistant coach in the IHL, moving
up as a scout for St. Louis in the NHL in 1997.
