Former NHL head coach, scout Tom McVie dies at 89

On Monday, it was announced that former NHL head coach Tom McVie passed away at the age of 89.

McVie’s career in pro hockey spanned close to seven decades. From his time in the senior Western Hockey League in the ’50s and ’60s to his decades of service as a scout of the Boston Bruins, the Trail, British Columbia native became a widely-known figured around hockey circles.

After his 18-year pro career ended, which saw him make stops with teams such as the Portland Buckaroos and Seattle Totems, McVie went into coaching, getting his start with the Dayton Gems of the old International Hockey League. However, halfway through the 1975-76 season, he was promoted to being the head coach of the young Washington Capitals franchise. While he never helped the team make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he helped make the team a respectable team.

After being let go by the team in 1979, he joined the Winnipeg Jets, then a member of the World Hockey Association. Under McVie’s guidance, the Jets won the last Avco Cup before being welcomed to the NHL the following season. He would go on to coach in Winnipeg for parts of the next two seasons before spending a decade in the minors, serving as a head coach in both the Central and American Hockey Leagues.

McVie would get another shot in the NHL, as he was hired by the New Jersey Devils late in the 1990-91 season. He was the head coach for the next year or so, seeing the team get bounced in the first round both seasons.

He then started a relationship with the Bruins in 1992, working as an assistant coach for three years before working as a head coach for the AHL’s Providence Bruins during the 1997-98 campaign.

After that, McVie became a pro scout, holding that role until the end of the 2019-20 season. His name was etched onto the Stanley Cup when the Bruins won it all in 2011.