Randy McKay

Hugh Randall McKay (born January 25, 1967) is a Canadian former professional hockey player. Playing the right wing position, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1988 to 2003 with the Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens. He was commonly referred to as Randy "The Rocket" Mckay"[1] for not only his physical playstyle and consistent double digit goal seasons, but also most notably for his "head high screamers" or hard slapshots into the upper corner of the net.

Randy McKay
Born (1967-01-25) January 25, 1967
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for Detroit Red Wings
New Jersey Devils
Dallas Stars
Montreal Canadiens
NHL Draft 113th overall, 1985
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1988–2003

Playing career

McKay was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the sixth round, 113th overall, of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He split the 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons between the Red Wings and their affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL), the Adirondack Red Wings. McKay stuck with the Wings in the NHL for the 1990–91 season, appearing in 47 games. While showing a scoring touch in the AHL, McKay only scored 4 goals in 83 total games with the Red Wings and was unable to find consistent playing time. Following the season, McKay and Dave Barr were sent by rule of an arbitrator to the New Jersey Devils as compensation for the Red Wings' signing of free agent Troy Crowder.[2][3] The deal did not work out for the Wings as Crowder only played in seven games for the team before incurring a serious injury. McKay developed into a solid third and fourth line player that the Wings would later covet in the latter part of the decade. It was a move that Red Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano resisted at the time and regretted later.[4]

Although a physical presence on the ice, McKay also contributed offensively, with double-digit goal totals and a positive plus/minus most seasons (including +30 in 1997–98, fourth in the NHL). He is perhaps best remembered among Devils fans for scoring the winning goal in Game 6 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers; the Devils won the game 4–2 and went on to win their first Stanley Cup by upsetting the heavily-favoured Detroit Red Wings in four games.

On October 28, 2000, in a regular season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, McKay and teammate John Madden each scored four goals in a 9–0 win for the Devils. It was the first time since 1922 that two teammates each scored four goals.[5]

McKay was also a member of the Devils when they won the Stanley Cup in 2000 against the Dallas Stars in six games.

On March 19, 2002, McKay was traded (alongside Jason Arnott and a first-round pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft) to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner.

McKay retired after the 2002–03 season, finishing his career in his hometown as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

Crash line

For a period of time with the New Jersey Devils, McKay was a member of "The Crash Line" alongside Bobby Holík and Mike Peluso.[6] Head coach Jacques Lemaire created the line to counter the larger skilled players of the Eastern Conference at the time, including Eric Lindros, Cam Neely and Jaromír Jágr.[7] The average weight of the linemates was 215 pounds, and each skater played a physical and aggressive style of hockey. The trio were part of the Devils Stanley Cup championship in 1995. Following the departure of Peluso, Holík and McKay often remained on the same line, which sometimes included Sergei Brylin.[8]

Other

McKay is a graduate of Michigan Technological University (1984–1988).

McKay splits time between Houghton, Michigan and Marquette, Michigan as has four children: Riley, Kaitlyn, Dawson and McKenna.[9]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1983–84 Lac St-Louis Lions QMAAA 38 18 28 46 62 11 6 10 16 8
1984–85 Michigan Tech University WCHA 25 4 5 9 32 — — — — —
1985–86 Michigan Tech University WCHA 40 12 22 34 46 — — — — —
1986–87 Michigan Tech University WCHA 39 5 11 16 46 — — — — —
1987–88 Michigan Tech University WCHA 41 17 24 41 70 — — — — —
1987–88 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 10 0 3 3 12 6 0 4 4 0
1988–89 Detroit Red Wings NHL 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
1988–89 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 58 29 34 63 170 14 4 7 11 60
1989–90 Detroit Red Wings NHL 33 3 6 9 51 — — — — —
1989–90 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 36 16 23 39 99 6 3 0 3 35
1990–91 Detroit Red Wings NHL 47 1 7 8 183 5 0 1 1 41
1991–92 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 17 16 33 246 7 1 3 4 10
1992–93 New Jersey Devils NHL 73 11 11 22 206 5 0 0 0 16
1993–94 New Jersey Devils NHL 78 12 15 27 244 20 1 2 3 24
1994–95 New Jersey Devils NHL 33 5 7 12 44 19 8 4 12 11
1995–96 New Jersey Devils NHL 76 11 10 21 145 — — — — —
1996–97 New Jersey Devils NHL 77 9 18 27 109 10 1 1 2 0
1997–98 New Jersey Devils NHL 74 24 24 48 86 6 0 1 1 0
1998–99 New Jersey Devils NHL 70 17 20 37 143 7 3 2 5 2
1999–2000 New Jersey Devils NHL 67 16 23 39 80 23 0 6 6 9
2000–01 New Jersey Devils NHL 77 23 20 43 50 19 6 3 9 8
2001–02 New Jersey Devils NHL 55 6 7 13 65 — — — — —
2001–02 Dallas Stars NHL 14 1 4 5 7 — — — — —
2002–03 Montreal Canadiens NHL 75 6 13 19 72 — — — — —
NHL totals 932 162 201 363 1731 123 20 23 43 123

References
  1. Randy "The Rocket" Mckay
  2. "Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
  3. "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Randy McKay". legendsofhockey.net. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
  4. Fischler, S. (2002). Detroit Red Wings: Greatest Moments and Players. Sports Publishing, LLC. p. 227. ISBN 9781582612713. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
  5. "HOCKEY - Madden and McKay Score 4 Goals Each - NEW YORK TIMES". query.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
  6. Al Bello/Getty Images. "Crash Line (Devils) - Bobby Holik, Randy McKay, Mike Peluso - Hockey's All-time Classic Lines - Photos - SI.com". Archived from the original on 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
  7. "DEVILS' HOPE `CRASH LINE' CAN GROUND FLYERS, LINDROS | Deseret News". deseretnews.com. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
  8. "HOCKEY - The Devils' Crash Line Is Back in Business With a Bit of Help From Brylin - NYTimes.com". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
  9. "Volunteer Assistant Coach Randy McKay - MichiganTechHuskies.com - Michigan Tech University Athletics". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
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