Peca began his junior career with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after they selected him in the first round of the 1990 player draft. He was traded to the Ottawa 67\'s where he blossomed into one of the league\'s top offensive players. He was drafted in the second round, 40th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Canucks in the 1993–94 season, playing four games before cracking the lineup as a regular in the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season. He would then be traded to the Buffalo Sabres during the 1995 NHL Entry Draft as part of a package that sent Alexander Mogilny from Buffalo to Vancouver.\n', '

Peca twice won the Frank J. Selke Trophy for being the best defensive forward, in 1996–97 and 2001–02. He captained the Buffalo Sabres to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999. His nickname was "Captain Crunch" because of his penchant for delivering bone-crushing open ice hits.\n', '

For the 2000–01 season, Peca and the Buffalo Sabres could not agree on a contract. Peca went without a contract the entire season. Peca was later traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt, where he led the Islanders to their first playoff berth in seven years. Peca was hip-checked by Toronto Maple Leafs\' Darcy Tucker during the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs in game five of the first round. The check blew out Peca\'s MCL and ACL on his left knee, ending his season and delaying his entry into the 2002–03 season. No penalty was assessed, but the NHL made clipping illegal as a result of the incident.\n', '

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