Sunday, November 6, 2022

Peter McNab obit

McNab dies at 70, was 2021 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductee

Forward, broadcaster diagnosed with cancer in August, 11th in Bruins history in goals

 

He was not on the list.


Peter McNab, color analyst for the Colorado Avalanche who played 14 NHL seasons as a forward, died Sunday. He was 70.

"The Altitude and KSE family are saddened to announce the passing of our friend, Peter McNab," Altitude TV, the regional sports network of the Avalanche, said in a tweet. "Our hearts go out to his family and friends, and the McNab family asks for privacy during this unimaginably difficult time."

McNab was diagnosed with cancer in August but continued his analyst duties while undergoing chemotherapy treatments once every three weeks. Since he wasn't permitted to fly, he worked Colorado's road games from a local studio.

McNab was inducted to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2021 along with retired NHL forward Paul Holmgren and journalist Stan Fischler, in Denver, Colorado, on Dec. 9. He did not attend the ceremony. David McNab, a longtime assistant general manager with the Anaheim Ducks who recently retired, gave Peter McNab's acceptance speech on his older brother's behalf. Peter McNab was also represented by his daughter, Robyn Mastranadi.

"I won't kid you. It has been an unbelievably difficult time for all of the family and all of that," McNab told NHL.com at the time. "Something like this, it's really nice that as many people from my family can be in as possible."

The son of former NHL player and general manager Max McNab, Peter was selected in the sixth round (No. 85) by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1972 NHL Draft. He had 813 points (363 goals, 450 assists) in 955 regular-season games with the Sabres, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils. He also scored 82 points (40 goals, 42 assists) in 107 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

McNab is 11th in Bruins history in goals (263), 13th in points (587) and 16th in assists (324) in 595 regular-season games. He scored at least 35 goals in each of his first six seasons with Boston, including at least 40 goals twice. He scored an NHL career-high 41 goals in 1977-78 and 40 in 1979-80.

He had an NHL career-high 86 points (38 goals, 48 assists) in 80 games for the Bruins in 1976-77 and was named a Wales Conference All-Star.

He also played for the United States in the 1986 IIHF World Cup. At 33 he was the oldest player on that team, contributing one point, an assist, in 10 games.

McNab retired from the NHL in 1987 and transitioned to a broadcast career, first with the Devils from 1987-95. He then joined the Avalanche in 1995, their inaugural season. He was also an analyst during the 1998 Nagano Olympics, 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and 2006 Turin Olympics.

McNab played for the University of Denver from 1970-73. The 170 points (78 goals, 92 assists) he scored in 105 games rank him 10th in school history.

"Hockey gave me the opportunity to meet people that were so important to my life, the most important people in my life, and gave me the opportunities to experience things that I never ever would've experienced," McNab said. "The places I went, the people I met, it was absolutely phenomenal what the game of hockey gave me."

McNab was part of a prominent ice hockey family. His father Max McNab was a centre who won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1950, and later became a coach and general manager. Peter's brother, David, spent 43 seasons as an NHL scout and executive before retiring from his position as the senior vice president of hockey operations for the Anaheim Ducks in May 2021

orn in Vancouver, McNab spent his early childhood in British Columbia before moving to San Diego, California 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 (DU) on a baseball scholarship and later made the ice hockey team, becoming an all-WCHA selection in 1973. In the early 1970s NCAA players rarely made it to the National Hockey League, but McNab was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres while playing forward for the Denver Pioneers in 1972

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

                                Regular season                  Playoffs

Season Team     League GP          G             A             Pts          PIM        GP          G             A             Pts          PIM

1970–71               University of Denver       WCHA   29           19           14           33           6                                                          

1971–72               University of Denver       WCHA   38           27           38           65           16                                                        

1972–73               University of Denver       WCHA   38           32           40           72           18                                                        

1973–74               Cincinnati Swords            AHL        49           34           39           73           16           5             2             6             8                 0

1973–74               Buffalo Sabres   NHL        22           3             6             9             2                                                    

1974–75               Buffalo Sabres   NHL        53           22           21           43           8             17           2             6             8             4

1975–76               Buffalo Sabres   NHL        79           24           32           56           16           8             0             0             0             0

1976–77               Boston Bruins    NHL        80           38           48           86           11           14           5             3             8             2

1977–78               Boston Bruins    NHL        79           41           39           80           4             15           8             11           19           2

1978–79               Boston Bruins    NHL        76           35           45           80           10           11           5             3             8             0

1979–80               Boston Bruins    NHL        74           40           38           78           10           10           8             6             14           2

1980–81               Boston Bruins    NHL        80           37           46           83           24           3             3             0             3             0

1981–82               Boston Bruins    NHL        80           36           40           76           19           11           6             8             14           6

1982–83               Boston Bruins    NHL        74           22           52           74           23           15           3             5             8             4

1983–84               Boston Bruins    NHL        52           14           16           30           10                                                  

1983–84               Vancouver Canucks         NHL        13           1             6             7             10           3             0             0             0                 0

1984–85               Vancouver Canucks         NHL        75           23           25           48           10                                                        

1985–86               New Jersey Devils            NHL        71           19           24           43           14                                                        

1986–87               New Jersey Devils            NHL        46           8             12           20           8                                                          

NHL totals           954        363        450        813        179        107        42           40           82           20

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