Craig MacTavish—A Student of the Game

Craig MacTavish has always studied the game of hockey. The native of London, Ontario, worked his way through a Massachusetts Division II university (Lowell) and was impressive enough to attract the attention of the nearest NHL club, the Boston Bruins.

MacTavish’s reputation earned him the role of  checking-line centre, one of hockey’s toughest jobs. In both the minor leagues and with the Bruins (MacTavish bounced between the NHL and the American Hockey League from 1979 to 1983, finally earning a full-time job in 1984), coaches often assigned MacTavish the thankless job of guarding the opposition’s best players.

In 1985, after a year out of hockey, MacTavish was brought to Edmonton by Oilers general manager and coach Glen Sather. Although, the Oilers played an offensive minded game, Sather—an old checking forward himself—believed that if the team was to become a dynasty, Edmonton would need to limit the opposition’s scoring chances.

As soon as he put on Oiler colours, MacTavish elevated his play and became one of the best checking forwards in the game. Not only did he finish the season with a +17 rating, he added 47 points, many of them coming in the form of clutch goals. Shockingly, the Flames upset the Oilers in the playoffs.  Despite the bitter loss, MacTavish established himself as integral part of the team, and playoff success would be inevitable. He would remain as one of the top two-way forwards in the NHL throughout his Oilers career, winning three Stanley Cups in 1987, 1988 and 1990. He remained with the club until the 1994 trade deadline when the New York Rangers, already loaded with ex-Oilers, wanted MacTavish to be one of the final ingredients to a championship run. The Rangers chose well. Although they gave up a promising young forward named Todd Marchant (who would establish himself as one of the top checking centres in the League in the 10 years he spent as an Oiler), MacTavish would become a key member of the Rangers’ first Stanley Cup win in 54 years.

After New York, MacTavish then went on to play for the Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues. Due to his exceptional play his reputation as one of the game’s top two-way players finally earned him a selection to the NHL All-Star game in 1996.

Even in his last seasons with St. Louis, MacTavish chose not to wear a helmet. Due to a grandfather clause in NHL rules, he was allowed to play without one, as he entered the League before the NHL made helmets mandatory safety equipment. When he retired from the game in 1997, the League lost its final helmet-less player.

MacTavish went back to New York as an assistant coach, before returning to Edmonton in 1999. In 2000, the master pupil became a head coach for the Oilers, where he continued to impress the hometown crowds by winning his 100th game in less time than any other coach in team history.

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