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Tom McCarthy (ice hockey, born 1960)

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For other people named Tom McCarthy, see Tom McCarthy.

Thomas Joseph McCarthy (July 31, 1960 – April 13, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Minnesota North Stars and Boston Bruins from 1979 to 1988. He featured in the 1981 Stanley Cup Finals with the North Stars and the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals with the Bruins.

Tom McCarthy
McCarthy with the Minnesota North Stars in 1982
Born (1960-07-31)July 31, 1960
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died April 13, 2022(2022-04-13) (aged 61)
Chuburna, Yucatán, Mexico[1]
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Forward
Shot Left
Played for HC Asiago
Minnesota North Stars
Boston Bruins
NHL Draft 10th overall, 1979
Minnesota North Stars
Playing career 1979–1988

After retiring as a player, he became a part-owner of the Espanola Express hockey team in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL).

Early life edit

McCarthy was born in Toronto, on July 31, 1960.[2][3] He was the first overall pick in the 1977 OMJHL Midget Draft, making him one of two players drafted ahead of Wayne Gretzky.[1][4] Oshawa Generals general manager Sherwood Bassin chose McCarthy over Gretzky primarily because Gretzky had made it known prior to the draft he only intended to play one season in the OHL before signing with the World Hockey Association.[5] McCarthy scored 69 goals in 63 games played for the Oshawa Generals during the 1978–79 season.[2][3]

Prior to the NHL entry draft in 1979, McCarthy who was 19 at the time, and his agent Art Kaminsky threatened to sue the NHL over the minimum age of 20 to be eligible for the entry draft. The NHL moved the draft from June to August and lowered to minimum age for draft eligibility.[6][7] McCarthy was drafted in the first round (tenth overall selection) of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars.[2]

Playing career edit

McCarthy joined the North Stars after the draft at the age of 19 and made the team's opening day roster for the 1979–80 NHL season, playing in a 4—1 win over the Hartford Whalers on October 11, 1979.[8] His first NHL point came in his third game against the Buffalo Sabres on October 14, 1979, and his first two NHL goals against the New York Rangers in a 7—2 win on October 27, 1979.[8] McCarthy finished the regular season with 36 points, scoring 16 goals and logging 39 penalty minutes.[9] The North Stars finished 3rd in the Adams Division with a record of 36–38–16 and qualified for the 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs. In the first round, the North Stars swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in three games with McCarthy scoring 5 points with 2 goals. In the second round, the North Stars defeated the Montreal Canadiens in 4 games to 3, and during the series, McCarthy had one goal and one assist. In the semi-finals, the North Stars were eliminated four games to one by the Philadelphia Flyers, with McCarthy scoring 4 points with 2 goals.

He was selected to play in the 1983 NHL All-Star Game and ended that year with 28 goals in a career-high 80 games played. During the 1983–84 season, he finished fifth in the NHL in game-winning goals (7), seventh in power play goals (16), and ninth in shooting percentage (23.6). In the summer of 1985, he checked into rehab in California for alcohol dependency.[10][11] Later in the 1985–86 season, McCarthy had a number of injuries, missing the season opener with a knee injury, then later suffered injuries to his wrist, shoulder, thumb and contracted influenza.[10]

McCarthy was later traded to the Boston Bruins on May 16, 1986 for second and third-round picks.[12] The trade came after a series of injuries and McCarthy arriving late for practice on multiple occasions, McCarthy also did not agree to a contract extension with the North Stars and was set to become a free agent.[10] McCarthy did agree to a new contract with the Bruins before the trade was completed.[10] During his first season with the franchise, he recorded the fourth-highest shooting percentage (24.8). McCarthy retired as a player at the end of the 1987–88 season, finishing his career with 178 goals and 399 points. He had 12 goals and 38 points in the playoffs.[2] At the start of the 1989–90 season, McCarthy tried out for the Vancouver Canucks, failing to make the roster.[13]

Former North Stars general manager Lou Nanne described McCarthy as "one of the most talented" North Star players of all time.[14] During his playing time he earned the nickname "Jughead", and often played on a line with centre Neal Broten and Hall of Fame winger Dino Ciccarelli.[14]

Legal issues edit

After McCarthy retired from the NHL, he resided in Minnesota. There, he became involved with drug dealer Carl Thompsen. His activities resulted in McCarthy receiving a prison sentence of five years and ten months for conspiracy to traffic a truck full of marijuana in 1994.[15] As he was considered an illegal alien by U.S. authorities, he was sent to the U.S. Federal Leavenworth Penitentiary. He started a hockey program at Leavenworth, earning the respect of his fellow inmates and, eventually, a transfer to a prison in Canada to complete the final year of his full sentence.[15] McCarthy credited the hockey program he began in prison for stirring his passion for coaching.[14]

Coaching career edit

After his release from prison, McCarthy coached junior hockey in Mississauga, Ontario, before becoming head coach of the Huntsville Otters of the OPJHL,[1] and later the Trenton Golden Hawks of the OJHL.[16]

McCarthy was named head coach of the North Bay Trappers Junior "A" Hockey Club of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) on June 27, 2011.[16] He remained there for two seasons, leading the team to a NOJHL championship in 2013.[1] Later that same year, Tim Clayden – the Trappers' owner – founded an expansion team that same year called the Espanola Rivermen and brought McCarthy on as head coach. McCarthy stayed with the Rivermen when they left the NOJHL to join Clayden's new league, the Canadian International Hockey League,[17] which lasted just one season before folding in 2015.[18]

The NOJHL announced in May 2015 the establishment of another expansion team in Espanola called the Express. McCarthy joined the team as one of the owners and its head coach.[19] In August of the following year, McCarthy announced he was taking a head coaching position with HSC Csíkszereda in the Romanian Hockey League but would continue to remain involved with the Express as one of the owners.[20] He later resigned as Csíkszereda‘s coach in late November 2016. He subsequently returned to Espanola as the Express' head coach for the 2017–18 season.[21]

Personal life edit

After retiring from coaching, McCarthy resided in Chuburna, Yucatán, Mexico.[22] He was married to Tina McCarthy at the time of his death.[23]

McCarthy suffered a dissected aortic aneurysm and died in the hospital following surgery in Chuburna, Yucatán, Mexico, at the age of 61.[1][22]

Career statistics edit

Sources: [2][3]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1976–77 North York Rangers OPJHL 43 49 47 96 12 — — — — —
1976–77 Kingston Canadiens OMJHL 2 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
1977–78 Oshawa Generals OMJHL 62 47 46 93 72 6 3 5 8 4
1978–79 Oshawa Generals OMJHL 63 69 75 144 98 3 1 0 1 9
1979–80 Minnesota North Stars NHL 68 16 20 36 39 15 5 6 11 20
1980–81 Minnesota North Stars NHL 62 23 25 48 62 8 0 3 3 6
1981–82 Minnesota North Stars NHL 40 12 30 42 36 4 0 2 2 4
1982–83 Minnesota North Stars NHL 80 28 48 76 59 9 2 4 6 9
1983–84 Minnesota North Stars NHL 66 39 31 70 49 8 1 4 5 6
1984–85 Minnesota North Stars NHL 44 16 21 37 36 7 0 2 2 0
1985–86 Minnesota North Stars NHL 25 12 12 24 12 — — — — —
1986–87 Boston Bruins NHL 68 30 29 59 31 4 1 1 2 4
1986–87 Moncton Golden Flames AHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
1987–88 Boston Bruins NHL 7 2 5 7 6 13 3 4 7 18
1987–88 Maine Mariners AHL 17 7 6 13 14 — — — — —
1988–89 HC Asiago ITA 7 2 5 7 6 13 3 4 7 18
NHL totals 460 178 221 399 330 68 12 26 38 67

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Sager, Nathan (April 14, 2022). "GoFundMe created after NHL alumnus with Mississauga, Oshawa ties dies suddenly in Mexico". insauga.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Tom McCarthy Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Tom McCarthy Hockey Stats and Profile". HockeyDB. The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  4. ^ "Looking back on the Great One's time in the Sault, part one". SooToday.com. Village Media. February 7, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  5. ^ Simmons, Steve (May 27, 2020). "The great divide; The time Sherry Bassin passed on selecting Wayne Gretzky first overall". The Winnipeg Sun. p. S4. ProQuest 2407167881.
  6. ^ Ramsay, Donald (June 27, 1979). "Junior hockey boss raps NHL draft plan". The Globe and Mail. p. P35. ProQuest 387030843.
  7. ^ Zgoda, Jerry; Miller, Chris (April 15, 2022). "Former North Stars All-Star winger Tom McCarthy dies at 61". Star Tribune.
  8. ^ a b "Tom McCarthy 1979–80 Game Log". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  9. ^ "Tom McCarthy Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Zgoda, Jerry (May 20, 1986). "Stars trade McCarthy to Bruins". Minneapolis Star and Tribune. p. 1D. ProQuest 417669180.
  11. ^ Woolsey, Garth (February 16, 1986). "Battling booze in the NHL Drinking may be no more of a problem in hockey than it is in the rest of society, but recent events have underlined the potential for excess and tragedy". Toronto Star. p. E3. ProQuest 435403903.
  12. ^ "Bruins trade for McCarthy". The Gazette. Associated Press. May 20, 1986. ProQuest 431341310.
  13. ^ McMartin, Pete (September 11, 1989). "No Headline: [3* Edition]". Vancouver Sun. p. C1. ProQuest 243548506.
  14. ^ a b c Russo, Michael (February 21, 2016). "NHL insider: Hockey, prison and redemption; Ex-North Star learned lifes lessons at Leavenworth". Star Tribune. p. C4. ProQuest 1768057164.
  15. ^ a b Morrison, Scott (March 25, 2008). "Tom McCarthy Interview". Hockey Night in Canada. CBC Television. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Dorschner, Damian (June 27, 2011). "Former NHLer McCarthy named Jr. Trappers head coach". BayToday.com. Village Media. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  17. ^ "Espanola's McCarthy to coach Team East at CJHL Prospects games". Soo Thunderbirds. October 11, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  18. ^ Russon, Randy (December 8, 2020). "T-Birds coach Denny Lambert defied odds to make the NHL". Sault This Week. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  19. ^ "ESPANOLA SCORES NEW JR. "A" HOCKEY TEAM". The Junior Hockey News. May 13, 2015.
  20. ^ "ESPANOLA EXPRESS HEAD COACH TAKES PRO COACHING JOB". The Junior Hockey News. August 5, 2016.
  21. ^ "ESPANOLA EXPRESS ANNOUNCE RETURN OF TOM MCCARTHY AS HEAD COACH". NOJHL. April 10, 2017.
  22. ^ a b Zgoda, Jerry; Miller, Chris (October 31, 2014). "Former North Stars All-Star winger Tom McCarthy dies at 61". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  23. ^ "Former NHLer and Jr Trappers championship coach passes". BayToday.com. Village Media. April 14, 2021. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.

External links edit

Preceded by Minnesota North Stars first round draft pick
1979 		Succeeded by
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