Bill McCreary Jr. explained

Position:Left wing
Shoots:Right
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:196
Played For:Toronto Maple Leafs
League:NHL
Birth Date:April 15, 1960
Birth Place:Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Career Start:1980
Career End:1988
Draft:114th overall
Draft Year:1979
Draft Team:Toronto Maple Leafs

William Edward McCreary Jr. (born April 15, 1960) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 12 games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1980–81 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1980 to 1988, was spent in the minor leagues.

Early life

McCreary Jr. was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and raised in Hudson, Ohio.

Playing career

Bill McCreary Jr. was drafted in the 6th round, 114th overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He played two seasons of hockey for the Colgate University in the NCAA before signing a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in June 1980. He then split the 1980–81 season between the New Brunswick Hawks of the AHL and the Maple Leafs. He played 61 games in the AHL and 12 in the NHL with the Leafs that season. In those twelve games, he scored one goal, had no assists, and added four penalty minutes. That would be the extent of his NHL playing experience as he played out the rest of his career in the CHL, IHL, and AHL. He retired following the 1987–88 IHL season.

Bill McCreary is most remembered for his open-ice hit on Wayne Gretzky on January 3, 1981. The myth that McCreary never played another shift in the NHL is false – the January 3 game was McCreary's second game in his 12-game NHL career.[1]

Family

He is the son of former NHLer Bill McCreary Sr., nephew of former NHLers Keith McCreary and Ron Attwell, and cousin of former NHLer Bob Attwell and NHL referee Bill McCreary.[2] His son, William "Billy" McCreary III, was a minor league hockey player in the Southern Professional Hockey League, Central Hockey League, and Federal Hockey League.[3]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
1976–77Cleveland Barons NAHLGLJHL40 26 24 50
1977–78Cleveland Barons NAHLGLJHL40 51 72 123
1978–79Colgate UniversityECAC24 19 25 44 70
1979–80Colgate UniversityECAC12 7 13 20 44
1980–81Toronto Maple LeafsNHL12 1 0 1 4
1980–81New Brunswick HawksAHL61 19 24 43 12012 2 0 2 13
1981–82Cincinnati TigersCHL69 8 27 35 614 0 4 4 2
1982–83Saginaw GearsIHL60 19 28 47 17
1982–83Peoria PrancersIHL16 4 6 10 11
1982–83St. Catharines SaintsAHL4 0 1 1 2
1983–84Milwaukee AdmiralsIHL81 28 35 63 444 0 2 2 2
1984–85Milwaukee AdmiralsIHL10 1 10 11 4
1985–86Milwaukee AdmiralsIHL80 30 31 61 835 3 0 3 6
1986–87Milwaukee AdmiralsIHL74 30 35 65 646 2 2 4 10
1987–88Milwaukee AdmiralsIHL67 23 30 53 51
IHL totals388 135 175 310 27415 5 4 9 18
NHL totals12 1 0 1 4

Notes and References

  1. Web site: player stats. 17 November 2014.
  2. Web site: Skylands adds McCreary to coaching staff . . July 13, 2016.
  3. Web site: Billy McCreary . EliteProspects . October 26, 2019.