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George McPhee

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Canadian ice hockey executive (born 1958) For the Canadian politician, see George Washington McPhee.

Ice hockey player
George McPhee
McPhee in the White House celebrating the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals victory on November 13, 2023
Born (1958-07-02) July 2, 1958 (age 66)
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Forward
Shot Right
Played for New York Rangers
New Jersey Devils
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1982–1989

George McPhee (born July 2, 1958) is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former player who is the president of hockey operations for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). McPhee served as the general manager of the Washington Capitals and has also served as alternate governor, vice president and special assistant to the general manager of the New York Islanders. As a player, McPhee won the Hobey Baker Award in 1982 as the best college ice hockey player, later playing for the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

Early life

Though born and raised in Guelph, Ontario, McPhee spent most of the first two years of his life in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, where his father and grandparents were from.

Playing career

Prior to his career in management, McPhee played college ice hockey at Bowling Green State University. He was the recipient of the Hobey Baker Award in 1982, was chosen as a First-Team All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) selection in 1982, Second-Team All-CCHA honors in 1979 and 1981, and was the CCHA Rookie of the Year in 1979. After leaving Bowling Green, he won the 1983–84 Adams Cup championship as a member of the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League (CHL), which coached by Tom Webster.

McPhee began his National Hockey League (NHL) career in the 1983 Stanley Cup playoffs for the New York Rangers. In those playoffs, he and Ray Cote of the Edmonton Oilers became the first players to score three goals in a single Stanley Cup playoffs prior to playing a regular season NHL game. McPhee ultimately had a seven-year career in the NHL, playing for the Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

Management career

Vancouver Canucks

In 1992, McPhee assumed his first major NHL management position, starting as vice president and director of hockey operations (as well as alternate governor) for the Vancouver Canucks, assisting then-general manager Pat Quinn. With McPhee, the team made the playoffs four times, won a division championship, and played in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, which they lost to the New York Rangers.

Washington Capitals

When McPhee joined the Washington Capitals in 1997, the team was looking to turn around its long storied history of being a top regular season performer that disappointed in the playoffs. His tenure began well as he engineered the club's first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals appearance in his first season, which the Capitals lost to the Detroit Red Wings. The team played well under the general management of McPhee, winning seven Southeast Division championships (2000, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013), eight 40-or-more win seasons (1998, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012) and a franchise-record 121-point season (2010).

On September 25, 1999, McPhee, angry at what he perceived to be dirty play by the Chicago Blackhawks, punched then Blackhawks head coach Lorne Molleken outside the Chicago locker room after their teams' exhibition game. Molleken sustained injuries to his head and in response, Blackhawks players and team aides jumped McPhee, leaving him with a torn suit. On October 1, 1999, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman suspended McPhee for one month without pay and fined him $20,000.

Throughout the 2003–04 season, McPhee and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis opted to dump salary on the Capitals' roster and focus on youth. In a "fire sale", the Capitals traded Sergei Gonchar, Jaromír Jágr, Peter Bondra, Michael Nylander, Mike Grier, Robert Lang and captain Steve Konowalchuk that season. McPhee began rebuilding the team by selecting Alexander Ovechkin with the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL entry draft; Ovechkin would live with McPhee's family as a rookie during the 2005–06 season.

The 2007–08 season would prove hopeful for McPhee, as the Capitals appeared poised to turn the corner in their development. However, after the Capitals began the season with a 6–14–1 record, McPhee fired head coach Glen Hanlon on November 22, 2007, and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau, the head coach of the Capitals' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hershey Bears. McPhee's change worked and the 2007–08 season would end with an unprecedented comeback and an unexpected Southeast Division championship. McPhee's trade deadline acquisitions of veterans Sergei Fedorov, Matt Cooke and Cristobal Huet all played large roles in leading the Capitals to their third Southeast Division title.

In 2013, McPhee traded Swedish winger Filip Forsberg to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Martin Erat and Michael Latta. Forsberg was the Capitals' first-round pick in the 2012 NHL entry draft, selected 11th overall.

In 2014, McPhee's tenure in Washington ended when the Capitals declined to renew his contract. He was succeeded by Brian MacLellan, a childhood friend and teammate from Guelph, Ontario, and a college teammate at Bowling Green.

New York Islanders

On September 23, 2015, it was formally announced that McPhee had joined the New York Islanders in the role of an alternate governor, vice president and special advisor to general manager Garth Snow.

Vegas Golden Knights

On July 13, 2016, McPhee left the Islanders organization after he was hired by Bill Foley, owner of an NHL expansion franchise, which would later be named the Vegas Golden Knights, to be the new general manager of the team. McPhee was named a finalist for the NHL General Manager of the Year Award after the Golden Knights had a phenomenal inaugural season, which he would be awarded on June 20.

McPhee resigned as Golden Knights general manager on September 1, 2019, in favor of Kelly McCrimmon, but continued to serve as president of hockey operations. He then won the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Personal life

McPhee interned on Wall Street in New York City for two off-seasons while playing for the Rangers in the 1980s. After retirement from his professional playing career, he studied law at Rutgers University's law school in Newark, New Jersey and clerked for a judge on the United States Court of International Trade before moving into ice hockey management career.

McPhee and his wife have three children. Their son Graham was drafted 149th overall in the 2016 NHL entry draft by the Edmonton Oilers.

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1977–78 Guelph Platers OPJHL 48 53 57 110 150 — — — — —
1978–79 Bowling Green State University CCHA 43 40 48 88 58 — — — — —
1979–80 Bowling Green State University CCHA 34 21 24 45 51 — — — — —
1980–81 Bowling Green State University CCHA 36 25 29 54 68 — — — — —
1981–82 Bowling Green State University CCHA 40 28 52 80 57 — — — — —
1982–83 Tulsa Oilers CHL 61 17 43 60 145 — — — — —
1982–83 New York Rangers NHL — — — — — 9 3 3 6 6
1983–84 New York Rangers NHL 9 1 1 2 11 — — — — —
1983–84 Tulsa Oilers CHL 49 20 28 48 133 — — — — —
1984–85 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 3 2 2 4 13 — — — — —
1984–85 New York Rangers NHL 49 12 15 27 139 3 1 0 1 7
1985–86 New York Rangers NHL 30 4 4 8 63 11 0 0 0 32
1986–87 New York Rangers NHL 21 4 4 8 34 6 1 0 1 28
1987–88 New Jersey Devils NHL 5 3 0 3 8 — — — — —
1988–89 Utica Devils AHL 8 3 2 5 31 3 1 0 1 26
1988–89 New Jersey Devils NHL 1 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
NHL totals 115 24 25 49 257 29 5 3 8 73

Awards and honours

Award Year Ref
College
Hobey Baker Award 1981–82
All-CCHA First Team 1981–82
All-CCHA Second Team 1978–79, 1980–81
AHCA West All-American 1981–82
NHL
NHL General Manager of the Year Award 2017–18
The Hockey News Sam Pollock Award 2018
Stanley Cup champion 2023

References

  1. "Las Vegas NHL team introduces George McPhee as GM". Las Vegas Review-Journal. July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  2. Fraser, Jeremy (May 26, 2018). "Cape Breton connections in Stanley Cup final". Cape Breton Post. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  3. Carty, Matt. "Former Guelph Platers teammates at the helm of Stanley Cup finalists". globalnews.ca. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  4. "1983-84 Tulsa Oilers". hockeydb.com. December 3, 2009. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  5. Klein, J.Z. (May 16, 2012). "With Three Postseason Goals, Rangers' Kreider Ties Obscure Record". New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  6. Lapointe, Joe "ON HOCKEY; McPhee Gets One-Month Ban", The New York Times, October 1, 1999, accessed January 8, 2011.
  7. ^ Prewitt, Alex (May 28, 2018). "How the Roster Decisions of Golden Knights GM George McPhee Color the Stanley Cup Final". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  8. "Capitals fire coach Glen Hanlon". CBC.ca. November 22, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  9. "Boudreau to replace Hanlon behind Capitals bench". ESPN.com. November 22, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  10. Johnston, Mike (June 28, 2016). "Closing the book on the Filip Forsberg trade once and for all". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  11. "Capitals fire Adam Oates; GM out". ESPN.com. April 26, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  12. Lewis, Scott (September 23, 2015). "Islanders name George McPhee special advisor to GM". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  13. "George McPhee named GM of Las Vegas expansion team". Washington Post. July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  14. "NHL General Manager of Year finalists unveiled". NHL.com. May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  15. ^ "Golden Knights' George McPhee named general manager of the year". Sportsnet.ca. June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  16. "Kelly McCrimmon named general manager of Vegas Golden Knights". Western Canada Hockey League. May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  17. "Kelly McCrimmon promoted to Golden Knights general manager". SportsNet. May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  18. ^ Raby, Ben (November 14, 2023). "Longtime NHL Exec George McPhee Returns To D.C. A Stanley Cup Champion: 'It Can't Be Taken Away'". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  19. Wawrowap, John (June 25, 2016). "NHL Draft: McPhee grows emotional once son picked by Oilers". AP News. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  20. Biagioni, JD (April 21, 2020). "Graham McPhee's Boston College Career Didn't Have a Storybook Ending, But He Still Has a Lot To Be Thankful For". SI.com. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  21. "George McPhee - hobeybaker.com". hobeybaker.com. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  22. ^ "CCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  23. "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  24. Pike, Ryan (May 20, 2018). "The 2018 THW Year-End Awards". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved November 30, 2024.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded byAward created CCHA Rookie of the Year
1978–79 		Succeeded bySteve Mulholland
Preceded byJeff Pyle CCHA Player of the Year
1981–82 		Succeeded byBrian Hills
Preceded byNeal Broten Winner of the Hobey Baker Award
1981–82 		Succeeded byMark Fusco
Preceded byDavid Poile General manager of the Washington Capitals
1997–2014 		Succeeded byBrian MacLellan
Preceded byPosition created General manager of the Vegas Golden Knights
2016–2019 		Succeeded byKelly McCrimmon
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