Bill McCreary Sr.

Bill McCreary Sr.
Born (1934-12-02)December 2, 1934
Sundridge, Ontario, Canada
Died November 25, 2019(2019-11-25) (aged 84)
Brighton, Michigan, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for New York Rangers
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 1953–1971

William Edward McCreary Sr. (December 2, 1934 – November 25, 2019) was an ice hockey left winger, coach and general manager.[1] He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and the St. Louis Blues from between 1953 and 1971, and then coached in the league with the Blues, Vancouver Canucks, and California Golden Seals between 1971 and 1975. After stepping down as coach of the Golden Seals he served as their general manager from 1975 to 1977, including their first year as the Cleveland Barons.

Early life

McCreary was born in Sundridge, Ontario.

Career

During his pro career, McCreary played for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and the St. Louis Blues. He later coached the Vancouver Canucks for the first half of the 1973–74 season and then became general manager of the California Golden Seals in August 1974.[2] Although the Seals were performing fairly well, McCreary did not like the coaching methods of Marshall Johnston, and fired Johnston on January 22, 1975, taking over the position himself.[3] He hired Jack Evans, who had coached their minor league affiliate the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, as coach the following year, while remaining as general manager.[4] The team moved to Cleveland in 1976 and became the Cleveland Barons.[5] Yet, the club struggled and McCreary was fired as general manager in January 1977, and was replaced by Harry Howell, who had been serving as the assistant general manager.[6]

He was the elder brother of Keith McCreary, also an NHL left winger. His son Bill McCreary Jr. played 12 games in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1980–81 season. He is also the brother-in-law of Ron Attwell.

McCreary died on November 25, 2019.[7]

Awards and achievements

  • WHL Prairie Division Second All-Star Team (1957)
  • CPHL First All-Star Team (1964, 1966)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1951–52 Guelph Biltmores OHA 52 30 28 58 12 11 4 4 8 6
1951–52 Guelph Biltmores M-Cup — — — — — 12 5 10 15 4
1952–53 Guelph Biltmores OHA 50 32 25 57 31 — — — — —
1952–53 Guelph Biltmores M-Cup — — — — — 7 2 3 5 2
1953–54 Guelph Biltmores OHA 59 35 49 84 57 3 0 3 3 4
1953–54 New York Rangers NHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
1954–55 Guelph Biltmores OHA 48 46 37 83 38 6 4 3 7 2
1954–55 New York Rangers NHL 8 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
1955–56 Providence Reds AHL 37 8 13 21 18 — — — — —
1955–56 Saskatoon Quakers WHL 25 12 20 32 45 3 0 0 0 0
1956–57 Edmonton Flyers WHL 69 33 26 59 37 8 2 7 9 4
1957–58 Detroit Red Wings NHL 3 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
1957–58 Edmonton Flyers WHL 21 7 7 14 10 5 2 1 3 2
1957–58 Hershey Bears AHL 31 4 9 13 6 — — — — —
1958–59 Springfield Indians AHL 65 14 34 48 22 — — — — —
1959–60 Springfield Indians AHL 69 19 31 50 16 10 6 4 10 6
1960–61 Springfield Indians AHL 72 33 54 87 26 8 5 4 9 6
1961–62 Springfield Indians AHL 69 27 49 76 49 2 0 2 2 0
1962–63 Montreal Canadiens NHL 14 2 3 5 0 — — — — —
1962–63 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EPHL 46 15 32 47 22 — — — — —
1963–64 Omaha Knights CHL 72 24 51 75 56 3 1 0 1 2
1964–65 Omaha Knights CHL 70 24 44 68 48 6 0 3 3 0
1965–66 Houston Apollos CHL 70 26 26 52 44 — — — — —
1966–67 Houston Apollos CHL 56 22 34 56 34 6 1 2 3 0
1967–68 St. Louis Blues NHL 70 13 13 26 22 15 3 2 5 0
1968–69 St. Louis Blues NHL 71 13 17 30 50 12 1 5 6 14
1969–70 St. Louis Blues NHL 73 15 17 32 16 15 1 7 8 0
1970–71 St. Louis Blues NHL 68 9 10 19 16 6 1 2 3 0
NHL totals 309 53 62 115 106 48 6 16 22 14

Coaching record

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Finish Result
St. Louis Blues 1971–72 24 6 14 4 16 3rd in West —
Vancouver Canucks 1973–74 41 9 25 7 25 7th in East Fired
California Golden Seals 1974–75 32 8 20 4 20 4th in Adams Missed playoffs
NHL Totals 97 23 59 15

References

  1. ^ "William E McCreary". Hometown Life. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  2. ^ Currier 2017, p. 257
  3. ^ Currier 2017, p. 269
  4. ^ Currier 2017, p. 287
  5. ^ Currier 2017, p. 315
  6. ^ Currier 2017, p. 322
  7. ^ NHL Alumni on Twitter

Bibliography

  • Currier, Steve (2017), The California Golden Seals: A Tale of White Skates, Red Ink, and One of the NHL's Most Outlandish Teams, Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 978-0-8032-8848-5


Preceded by Head coach of the California Golden Seals
1975 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head coach of the St. Louis Blues
1971 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head coach of the Vancouver Canucks
1973–74 		Succeeded by
Preceded by General Manager of the California Golden Seals / Cleveland Barons
1975–77 		Succeeded by