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 |
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
editMcKay 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
editFor 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
editMcKay is a graduate of Michigan Technological University (1984–1988).
McKay splits time between Houghton, Michigan and Marquette, Michigan. McKay and his wife, Katie have four children: Riley, Kaitlyn, Dawson and McKenna.[9]
Career statistics
edit| 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
edit- ^ Randy "The Rocket" Mckay
- ^ "Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ^ "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Randy McKay". legendsofhockey.net. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ^ Fischler, S. (2002). Detroit Red Wings: Greatest Moments and Players. Sports Publishing, LLC. p. 227. ISBN 9781582612713. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ^ Yannis, Alex (29 October 2000). "HOCKEY - Madden and McKay Score 4 Goals Each - NEW YORK TIMES". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "DEVILS' HOPE 'CRASH LINE' CAN GROUND FLYERS, LINDROS". Deseret News. 3 June 1995. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ^ Yannis, Alex (29 April 1999). "HOCKEY - The Devils' Crash Line Is Back in Business With a Bit of Help From Brylin - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ^ "Volunteer Assistant Coach Randy McKay - MichiganTechHuskies.com - Michigan Tech University Athletics". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- McKay's OT winner in Game 4 of the 1995 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals
- Game 6 game winning goal in the 1995 Conference Finals