As a goaltender, Peter Ing had a lot going for him: quick reflexes, a 6'2" frame, and coolness under pressure. He starred in junior and had a promising beginning as a pro but soon the wheels came off and he was forced to look to the minors and Europe for steady work.
The Toronto native broke into the OHA with the Windsor Spitfires in 1986-87. The following year, he backstopped them to one of the most dominant seasons in league history. But, the team was stunned in the Memorial Cup final by the Medicine Hat Tigers. Ing's disappointment was soothed when he was chosen 48th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. In 1988-89, he was traded to London where he helped the Knights come within one game of the OHL final.
By this stage of Ing's career, scouts were split on his prognosis as an NHL netminder. Many still loved his mix of size and quickness, but others felt he needed to work on handling the puck and controlling rebounds. Some junior observers noticed that he was somewhat aloof and a deep-thinker, and he was nicknamed "Confucius" by his teammates.
Ing's first pro season in 1989-90 was more epic in nature than he expected. He spent the bulk of his time on the Maple Leafs' AHL farm club in Newmarket but also appeared in parts of three games in the NHL, played eight contests back in junior for London, and suited up briefly for the Canadian national team. Ing was hoping to spend the year with Dave King's national program, but he lost out to Ed Belfour and Warren Skorodenski.
In 1990-91 the Leafs' looked to Ing to put an end to the inconsistent goaltending the team had been receiving. Playing behind a porous defense, Ing was solid, and at times spectacular as he faced the third most shots of any NHL goalie that year. He recorded 16 wins and was the team's recipient of the Molson Cup for accumulating the most points as one of the game's three stars. In December 1990 he was chosen the NHL's Rookie-of-the-Month when he posted a 7-3-1 record and a .913 save percentage.
On the eve of the 1991-92 season, Ing's career shifted dramatically when Cliff Fletcher sent him to Edmonton as part of the package used to acquire star netminder Grant Fuhr. An unpleasant contract impasse with general manager Glen Sather led to Ing playing only a handful of games that year while being buried in the minors. Enquiries from other teams were met with unreasonable price tags until he was finally dealt to the Detroit Red Wings in August 1993. Ing played three games in Motown but ultimately spent the bulk of his time in the AHL, IHL and Colonial Hockey League.
