Peter McNab

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
position = Center
height_ft = 6
height_in = 3
weight_lb = 210
played_for = Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Vancouver Canucks
New Jersey Devils
nationality = USA
nationality_2 = Canada
birth_date = birth_date|1952|5|8
birth_place = Vancouver, BC, CAN
career_start = 1973
career_end = 1987

Peter McNab (born on May 8 1952 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a retired professional ice hockey player who appeared in 954 NHL regular season games between 1973 and 1987. McNab belongs to one of ice hockey's most prominent families. His father Max McNab was a journeyman center who won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1950. Max's long career as a player and coach was honored by his hometown of Watson, Saskatchewan, where a recreational park is named after him. Peter's brother David was an NHL scout and is now Assistant G.M. of the Anaheim Ducks.

Amateur career

Peter McNab spent his early childhood in British Columbia before moving to San Diego, CA at age 14, where his father was head coach of the minor-league San Diego Gulls. Peter initially excelled as a baseball player, he entered the University of Denver on a baseball scholarship and later made the hockey team, becoming an all-WCHA selection in 1973. In the early 1970s NCAA players rarely made it to the NHL, but McNab was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres while playing forward for the U.of Denver Pioneers in 1972.

Professional career

He led the Cincinnati Swords of the AHL in scoring in 1973–74, despite just playing in 49 of 76 games, and debuted with Buffalo that same season. While with Buffalo, he got his first NHL goal on December 15, 1973, against the Minnesota North Stars.

After a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1975, Peter McNab was traded to the Boston Bruins in 1976. He enjoyed the best years of his NHL career in Boston, scoring at least 35 goals and 75 points 6 seasons in a row and played in the 1977 NHL All Star game. He twice scored a playoff overtime winning goal. On December 23, 1979, during a game at Madison Square Garden in New York, McNab, teammate Mike Milbury, and several other Bruins climbed into the stands to confront fans. McNab engaged in a physical confrontation with one fan, and was soon joined by Milbury, who removed the fan's shoe and proceeded to strike the fan with the shoe several times. On April 9, 1981, Minnesota North Stars goaltender Don Beaupre stopped a McNab penalty shot. As a result, McNab holds the distinction of being the only Bruin ever awarded a penalty shot in a playoff game. Today, McNab is among the team's top 10 leaders in goals, points and playoff scoring.

Peter McNab was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 1984, and played 2 seasons with the New Jersey Devils, where his father Max was the team's general manager at the time. He also made his international debut for Team USA at the 1986 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Moscow. He retired from professional hockey at the end of the 1986–87 season.

Post Playing Career

After retiring, Peter began his broadcasting career as a color analyst for the Devils starting in the 1987–88 season. After 8 years broadcasting on SportsChannel for the Devils, he moved to Colorado for the inaugural season of the Colorado Avalanche. As of 2007, Peter McNab has been the color analyst for the Avalanche for 11 seasons. He was also a TV announcer on NBC as an analyst on The NHL on NBC during the 2006 Winter Olympic games in Torino, Italy, and as a color analyst on TNT for the 1998 Olympic games in Nagano, Japan. He also served as TSN’s studio analyst and host for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Awards And Accomplishments

*WCHA First All-Star Team (1973)
*NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (1973)
*Played in NHL All-Star Game (1977)

External links

*hockeydb|3621
*legendsofhockey|13679
* [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1972/72085.html McNab bio at hockeydraftcentral.com]