A Crease in Time: Gerry McNamara
Former Leaf Backup was responsible for signing Salming and Hammarstrom before becoming GM. Gerry McNamara shared some of his insights and experience with current Islanders’ Goalie consultant and inGoal Magazine writer Sudashan “Sudsie” Maharaj.
Although his playing career was brief goaltender Gerry McNamara left his mark on the Leafs and the NHL
Despite having appeared in only 7 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs as a player, Gerry McNamara had a substantial impact on the franchise for many years. In fact, long before Garth Snow went from back-up goalie to the position of General Manager of the New York Islanders, Gerry McNamara achieved the same feat: albeit through a much lengthier process.
Born in Sturgeon Falls Ontario in 1934, the 6’2” 190lbs McNamara completed his minor hockey in Northern Ontario before joining the prestigious St. Michael’s College squad at the age of eighteen. It was during this three year period that McNamara forged his ties with the Maple Leafs. Since NHL clubs carried only one goaltender per team at the time, McNamara served as an emergency back-up at every Leaf home game. From his seat in the upper sections of Maple Leaf Gardens, the ever studious youngster studied his NHL idols first hand.
After leaving St. Michael’s, McNamara began his professional career in the American Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Hornets. He then made stops in Winnipeg, Hershey and Buffalo before replacing the newly promoted Johnny Bower with the Cleveland Barons. After a few more minor league stops, McNamara finally got his opportunity to fill in for the injured Bower of the Toronto Maple Leafs. McNamara appeared in 5 games that season posting a very respectable 2.40 GAA and a .918 Save Percentage. But once again because of the limited number of goalie positions available, McNamara was forced to return to the minor leagues. In 1967, McNamara retired and settled in Orillia Ontario where he played Senior hockey for the Orillia Terriers. As fate would have it, in 1970, three years after retiring from professional hockey, both Jonny Bower and Marv Edwards were hurt leaving only a healthy Bruce Gamble in the Leafs line up. McNamara got the call and served as Gamble’s back up for the remainder of the season, appearing in two additional games in relief. After retiring permanently as a player, McNamara joined the Leafs as a full time scout in 1972. It was that year that the former goalie turned scout ventured to Europe where he saw a very talented defenseman by the name of Borje Salming. McNamara convinced the young Swede and his fellow countryman, Inge Hammarstrom to leave Sweden and sign with the Leafs. His scouting talents were clearly as refined as his playing skills.
A few years later, in 1981, McNamara was summoned to the office of then Leaf owner Harold Ballard, where he was asked to take over the reins as General Manager from Punch Imlach, due to Imlach’s poor health. McNamara held that position for seven years. He eventually was replaced by Gord Stellick in 1988. After leaving the Leafs, McNamara returned to full-time scouting when he joined the Calgary Flames that same year. He remained with the Calgary organization until 1993, when he eventually retired from hockey.
McNamara shared a number of fascinating insights into goaltending during our talks. Perhaps the most interesting, was his concept of playing screen shots from the point. He believed that since the defensemen always pushed opposition players away from the front of the net towards the near boards, that if the goalie protected the short side, then he would have a greater opportunity to make saves through screens and deflections. He felt that since opponents’ sticks tended to be held toward the near side post as they jostled for position in front of the goal, he was in better position to respond to re-directs. Also, because of these players battling in front of the net, defensemen often shot away from their bodies, which would mean that they would tend to shoot toward the short side of the net more frequently.
The topic of equipment also generated a number of interesting anecdotes. For example, after practicing with Harry Lumley, McNamara noted that Lumley never sharpened his skates. So McNamara attempted to follow suit and also played for the remainder of the season on his progressively duller skates. After struggling to get his footing for the rest of that season, McNamara sharpened his skates at the beginning of the following campaign and abandoned that strategy.
Like a lot of modern goaltenders, McNamara enjoyed tinkering with his equipment. And so, after tiring of getting hit on the shoulders and elbows repeatedly through his felt quilted uppers, McNamara devised a shoulder pad that incorporated a protective hinge system that articulated and covered the open areas of the shoulder and arm while still providing mobility. An equipment company took his ideas and incorporated them into their new shoulder pads which ultimately lead to the development of the upper body equipment that is standard on today’s goaltenders.
When asked about the goaltenders that he admired, McNamara was generous in his praise of many of the men that played the position both before and after him. He spoke highly of Harry Lumley and with great regard for Glen Hall. But of all the talented goaltenders that he has seen, he believes that Johnny Bower was truly the greatest to ever play the game. He feels that had Bower broken into the NHL at a younger age, (incredibly he entered the NHL at age 35) he would have certainly left an even greater mark on the league.
Gerry McNamara still currently resides in the Toronto area. He is the father of four sons and one daughter. Remarkably, three of his boys have followed him into the business of hockey. Bob is the General Manager of the Grand Rapid Griffins of the AHL., John is a former scout for the Columbus Blue Jackets and David is currently an amateur scout for the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Arguably, there are a few more famous hockey families, but the McNamaras, led by the patriarch Gerry, are among the highest character people in sport of hockey.
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David T Said,
October 15, 2009 @ 3:27 AM
How do you teach young goalies the art of the screen shot?