Stripes: My 81-Second NHL Debut

Yesterday, when the sad news came out about Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Ed Giacomin’s passing, I couldn’t help but reflect on the impact “Steady Eddie” had on the game. This edition of “Stripes” is dedicated to his memory.I never had the good fortune of playing with Giacomin, but I always admired and respected how fearlessly he played.

Of course, Giacomin was one of the all-time great puck stoppers. Even more than that, he was a crucial cog in the history of NHL goalies handling the puck. Giacomin used to roam far from his net to play the puck. It made coaches and fans nervous but he knew what he was doing. He was a good puckhandler. He never attempted to score a goal but goalies who came later such as Ron Hextall and Martin Brodeur owed Giacomin a dept of gratitude. He showed how goalie could be a weapon in helping out their team’s defense when the puck went into the defensive zone.

Giacomin was gone from the Rangers by the time the organization invited me to training camp in 1976. By that point, John Davidson had come over from the St. Louis Blues. Giacomin finished out his NHL career in Detroit.

J.D. was in net for the Rangers when I made my NHL preseason debut. The date was September 27, 1976. The Rangers hosted the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden. John McCauley was the referee.

Coming full circle: Part 1

As some of you may know, I attended the University of Pennsylvania before I started my hockey career. In those days, the Class of 1923 rink at Penn served as the training facility for the “Broad Street Bullies” era Philadelphia Flyers. I played on the Penn hockey team (back when they had a hockey program) and worked as an attendant at Class of 1923 rink.

There, I got to know many of the Flyers players, trainers and coaches Fred Shero and Mike Nykoluk. They all treated me very well. Bob “the Hound” Kelly encouraged me to seek a minor league tryout in the North American Hockey League and try to work up the hockey ladder from there. I followed Hound’s suggestion.

A little over a year later, I found myself at Madison Garden playing an NHL preseason game against the Flyers. I’d received a training camp invite from the Rangers. It was a stressful time but I felt on top of the world. The Rangers paid all my expenses to come to camp in Point-Claire, Quebec: gas, tolls, and hockey fees.

A “Short” night (literally)

During warmups before my preseason debut game, I said hello to Flyers trainer Frank Lewis and some of the players. Nearly all of the Flyers players knew me from my days at Penn. They all asked me how I was doing and wished me luck at winning a spot on the Rangers — so “we can kick your ass, too.” In turn, I wished them good luck with that.

After the warmup, I found out my line was starting. I was on the ice for the national anthem and the opening puck drop by referee John McCauley (yes, the same John McCauley who later helped me become an NHL referee and for whom I later named my first son).

On my first shift, I fired a shot on net. Then I did battle with Kelly in the corner, knocking the Hound over with a clean body check. Flyers rookie hopeful Steve Short — who did not make the NHL roster in Philadelphia but later briefly played in the NHL with Los Angeles — made a beeline for me. I knew what he wanted and cast off my gloves.

for the standards of the time, Short was a big guy at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. I handled him pretty well, though. I punched Short two or three times, dropping him to the ice, right in front of the Rangers net. I then reached for the back of his sweater and accidentally grabbed the back of his hair in an attempt to pull him up. That was a big mistake on my part.

After Short and I were separated, McCauley informed me that I was being kicked out of the game on a gross misconduct for the hair pull. Accidental or not, it was an automatic ejection under recently passed NHL rules (which were designed to combat a common tactic used by Dave “the Hammer” Schultz to intentionally grab a handful of hair with one hand and punch with the other).

The time of the penalty was 1:21 of the first period. My night was done after 81 seconds.

As I exited, several of the Flyers players had some parting words for me. In response, I made a gesture at the their bench and yelled out a challenge, which got a rise out of the MSG crowd. In between the first and second periods, I was interviewed by play-by-play man Marv Albert. We talked about my Boston background, my family ties to the NHL and collegiate hockey at Penn.

After the game, I took my large contingent of family and friends to eat at Toots Shor’s restaurant and I paid the bar bill. It was an expensive but exciting night. 

Coming full circle: Part 2

I didn’t make the Rangers’ NHL roster. Nick Fotiu beat me out for a roster spot as the team’s enforcer.I was, of course, disappointed. But let’s be honest. The Rangers made the right choice. Nick went on to have a heck of a career as one of the NHL’s prime tough guys of the era. I spent a few more years in the minor leagues, found a home in the WHA with the Cincinnati Stingers (coached by Jacques Demers) and eventually got my NHL shot with the Quebec Nordiques.

As for the ref who tossed my out of my NHL debut? Years later, John McCauley suggested I follow in my grandfather and dad’s footsteps and give refereeing a try. He became my mentor and advocate. I’d have never made it back to the NHL as a referee if not for him.

John passed away in 1989. His son Wes played college hockey at Michigan State, was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, and later went to become an outstanding NHL referee. Wes’ on-ice personality is more like mine than his dad’s: exuberant and demonstrative. When my first child was born, my wife and I named him McCauley John Stewart.