Kirk McLean Kirk Alan McLean ( born June 26 , 1966 in Toronto , Ontario ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) for the New Jersey Devils , Vancouver Canucks , Carolina Hurricanes , Florida Panthers and New York Rangers . He played in the style of a stand - up goaltender . McLean played major junior hockey with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) and was drafted in the sixth round , 107th overall by the Devils in 1984 . He played with the Devils ' American Hockey League ( AHL ) affiliate , the Maine Mariners , before being traded to the Canucks in 1987 . He is best known for his 10 and a half seasons with the Canucks , during which time he was nominated for two Vezina Trophies , named to two NHL All - Star Game s and received Second All - Star Team honours . In 1994 , he backstopped the Canucks to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Rangers . In 1998 , he was traded away and spent the final three seasons of his career with the Hurricanes , Panthers and Rangers , before retiring in 2001 . Since retiring , McLean has been a goaltending coach for the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League ( WHL ) , worked in broadcasting with the Canucks ' pay - per - view telecasts and became a part - owner of the British Columbia Hockey League ( BCHL ) ' s Burnaby Express . He has also become involved in the restaurant business in Vancouver . Early life . McLean was born in Willowdale , Ontario , on June 26 , 1966 . He grew up dreaming of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs and looked up to NHL star Bernie Parent as a role model . Playing minor hockey in the Metro Toronto Hockey League ( MTHL ) with the Don Mills Flyers , he recorded a 2 . 01 goals against average ( GAA ) over 26 games in the 1982 – 83 season . Playing career . New Jersey Devils ( 1985 – 87 ) . McLean played major junior in the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) for three seasons with the Oshawa Generals . Following his rookie season with the Generals , he was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft with their sixth pick , 107th overall . He debuted with the Devils in 1985 – 86 , appearing in two games after being called up from Oshawa on April 2 , 1986 . McLean had to compete with numerous other goaltenders in the Devils ' system for ice time . Following the club ' s 1987 training camp , he and Craig Billington were sent to their AHL affiliate , the Maine Mariners , while Karl Friesen and Chris Terreri were chosen to backup Alain Chevrier . Sean Burke was also in the Devils ' system , although he was playing for the Canadian National Team at the beginning of the season . McLean was called up from Maine on December 19 , 1986 , after Friesen was released and Terreri was sidelined with the flu . He arrived in New Jersey three hours before game - time against the Washington Capitals that day . He appeared in relief of Chevrier after the starter allowed three goals in the first 81 seconds . McLean allowed one goal on 24 shots for the rest of the game while earning the win in a 6 – 4 comeback victory . He appeared in four games during his call - up before being re - assigned on January 6 , 1987 . After his return to the AHL , McLean suffered an injury , damaging cartilage in his right knee during a game on February 15 . The injury required arthroscopic surgery . He finished the campaign in Maine with a 15 - 23 - 4 record and 3 . 22 GAA in 45 games . While training in the off - season , McLean injured his left knee and underwent his second arthroscopic surgery on July 29 , 1987 . Vancouver Canucks ( 1987 – 98 ) . Arrival to Stanley Cup run ( 1987 – 94 ) . Leading up to the 1987 – 88 season , McLean was traded , along with Greg Adams and a second round choice ( Leif Rohlin ) in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft , to the Vancouver Canucks for centre Patrik Sundström and the Canucks ' second - ( Jeff Christian ) and fourth - round draft picks ( Matt Ruchty ) in 1988 , on September 15 , 1987 . The deal constituted the first major transactions by newly - appointed Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils general managers Pat Quinn and Lou Lamoriello , respectively . McLean ' s acquisition was an integral part of Vancouver ' s rebuilding process , led by Quinn . Within the next two years , McLean was joined in the Canucks organization by additional franchise cornerstones Trevor Linden and Pavel Bure . He became known to fans as " Captain Kirk " , in reference to the Star Trek protagonist . McLean made 14 saves in his Canucks debut , recording an 8 – 2 win over the St . Louis Blues in the season opener on October 8 , 1987 . He notched his first NHL career shutout later that season on February 17 , 1988 , making 27 saves in a 5 – 0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins . McLean split playing time with long - time Canucks starter Richard Brodeur in his first season in Vancouver , playing in 41 games with an 11 - 27 - 4 record , 3 . 71 GAA and . 875 save percentage . He won his first of three Molson Cups with the Canucks at the end of the season , having earned the most three stars selections on the team . McLean emerged the following season in 1988 – 89 with a winning 20 - 17 - 3 record , 3 . 08 GAA and . 891 save percentage . Early in the season , he returned to New Jersey in a game against the Devils and recorded a shutout against his former team in a 4 – 0 Canucks win on October 20 , 1988 . He went on to receive his first Vezina Trophy nomination as the league ' s best goaltender and finished third in voting , losing to Patrick Roy of the Montreal Canadiens . In 1989 – 90 , McLean appeared in his first NHL All - Star Game in Pittsburgh and was the top goaltender at the Skills Competition by allowing the fewest goals against for the Breakaway Relay and Rapid Fire events . He led the league in games and minutes played with 63 and 1 , 797 , respectively . He also won his first Cyclone Taylor Trophy as Canucks MVP and second Molson Cup . Early in the 1990 – 91 season , McLean re - signed with the Canucks to a one - year contract with a second year option on October 16 , 1990 . He was set to make $ 145 , 000 prior to re - organizing his contract for the season . McLean struggled in his fourth year with the Canucks , however , recording a career - worst 3 . 99 GAA with a 10 - 22 - 3 record in 41 games . McLean bounced back the following season in 1991 – 92 , starting the season with five consecutive wins to be named league player of the week for October 3 to 13 , 1991 . He set an NHL record for wins in October with nine ( McLean ' s mark was matched by the Toronto Maple Leafs ' Felix Potvin and Philadelphia Flyers ' Dominic Roussel in October 1993 and surpassed by the Detroit Red Wings ' Manny Legace ' s 10 wins in October 2005 ) ; he was named player of the month . McLean went on to lead the league with five shutouts ( tied with the Chicago Blackhawks ' Ed Belfour , the Canadiens ' Patrick Roy and the Winnipeg Jets ' Bob Essensa ) and 38 wins in 65 games ( tied with the Red Wings ' Tim Cheveldae ) , as Vancouver won their first Smythe Division title since 1975 . He appeared in his second All - Star Game , won his second Cyclone Taylor Trophy and was named to the Second All - Star Team . He earned his second Vezina Trophy nomination , finishing second in voting as Roy won the award once more . He recorded personal bests with a 2 . 74 GAA and 38 wins , the latter of which set a Canucks single - season goaltending record . ( The mark stood for 15 years before Roberto Luongo recorded 47 wins in 2006 – 07 . ) In the subsequent 1992 playoffs , McLean recorded his first post - season shutout by stopping 33 shots in a 5 – 0 win against the Winnipeg Jets in game seven of the opening round . The win eliminated the Jets after the Canucks overcame a 3 – 1 series deficit . McLean appeared in 54 games in 1992 – 93 , posting a 28 - 21 - 3 record . He recorded three shutouts , which included back - to - back blankings in January 1993 . Playing against the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the 1993 playoffs , McLean recorded his 15th playoff win in a 7 – 2 Game 4 victory , establishing himself as the winningest playoff goaltender in Canucks history . The Canucks were , however , eliminated in six games by Los Angeles , the eventual Western Conference champions . Towards the end of the 1993 – 94 season , McLean became a part of hockey history in a game against the Los Angeles Kings on March 23 , 1994 , by allowing Wayne Gretzky ' s 802nd career NHL goal . The goal broke Gordie Howe ' s record of 801 , making Gretzky the all - time leading goal - scorer in NHL history . McLean finished the season with a losing 23 - 26 - 3 record , as the Canucks finished with the seventh seed in the Western Conference . McLean ' s peak with the Canucks came during the subsequent 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs , when he backstopped them to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals . Facing the Calgary Flames in the opening round , he made one of the most memorable plays in Canucks and NHL playoff history – a series saving stop on Flames forward Robert Reichel during the first overtime of the seventh game . Reichel had one - timed a pass from Theoren Fleury on a 3 - on - 1 when McLean threw out both his pads to make the stop and preserve the series . With McLean out of position and Reichel having had an open net to shoot at , the red light even came on at the Olympic Saddledome to signal a goal . The following overtime , Bure scored to eliminate the Flames and advance the Canucks to the second round . Vancouver defeated the Dallas Stars the following round to advance to the semi - finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs . McLean posted back - to - back shutouts against the Leafs in the third and fourth games to tie the NHL playoff record of four shutouts in a single year ( the New York Rangers ' Mike Richter also recorded four that year ; they became the seventh and eighth goaltenders to tie the record . Five more goaltenders went on to record four shutouts until the Red Wings ' Dominik Hasek broke the record with six in 2002 ) . He also became the first goaltender to record back - to - back shutouts in the semifinals since the Red Wings ' Terry Sawchuk did so against the Maple Leafs in 1952 . McLean ' s shutout streak lasted a total of 143 minutes and 17 seconds . The Canucks went on to capture the Clarence S . Campbell Bowl as Western Conference champions to meet the New York Rangers in the Finals . McLean opened the series with a 52 - save performance , including 17 in overtime , to win the first game 3 – 2 . It was the second - most saves by a goaltender in a Stanley Cup Finals game , coming within four stops of Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden ' s 56 saves in 1971 against the Chicago Blackhawks . It also remained the most saves by a Canucks goaltender in a playoff game until Luongo made 72 stops in 2007 . Canucks head coach Pat Quinn commented after the game that McLean ' s performance should be sent " in an instructional package . . . to young goaltender [ s ] . " Although the Canucks managed to force a game seven after falling 3 – 1 in the series , they eventually lost the Stanley Cup to the Rangers by a 3 – 2 score in the final game . McLean finished the 1994 playoffs with a 15 - 9 record , a 2 . 29 GAA and . 928 save percentage . His 1 , 544 minutes played surpassed the previous NHL playoff record of 1 , 540 set by the Flyers ' Ron Hextall in 1987 . ( It was later tied by the Dallas Stars ' Ed Belfour in 1999 , then surpassed by the Calgary Flames ' Miika Kiprusoff in 2004 with 1 , 595 minutes . ) Post - lockout to trade ( 1994 – 97 ) . The following lockout - shortened 1994 – 95 season , McLean appeared in 40 of the Canucks 48 games , and recorded all the team ' s 18 wins . Winning his third and final Molson Cup , he posted a career - high . 904 save percentage along with a 2 . 75 GAA . Before the season ended , McLean signed a five - year contract extension that included the 1994 – 95 season , worth an approximate $ 2 . 4 million per season , on April 5 , 1995 . Vancouver failed to defend their Western Conference title of the previous year ' s playoffs , however , as the Chicago Blackhawks swept them in the second round . McLean ' s play began to slip in 1995 – 96 as his GAA inflated to 3 . 54 and he recorded a losing 15 - 21 - 9 record . He was sidelined for six weeks during the season , beginning in January 1996 , due to a cartilage tear in his left knee that required arthroscopic surgery . Rookie Corey Hirsch , who began the season as McLean ' s backup , in comparison recorded a 2 . 93 GAA and a 17 - 14 - 6 record . McLean was chosen to start in the opening series against the top - seeded Colorado Avalanche , but was pulled in favour of Hirsch during Game 1 after allowing three goals on 12 shots . The game marked McLean ' s final playoff appearance of his career as Hirsch played the remaining five games . The Avalanche eliminated Vancouver in six games and went on to win the Stanley Cup . McLean reinjured his knee during the 1996 – 97 season during a game against the Dallas Stars on November 11 , 1996 . He missed approximately a month after undergoing his second arthroscopic surgery of the year in mid - November 1996 . McLean and Hirsch continued to share starts in 1996 – 97 , as McLean appeared in 44 games with a 21 - 18 - 3 record and 3 . 21 GAA . Post - Vancouver ( 1998 – 2001 ) . McLean ' s tenure with the Canucks ended the following season in 1997 – 98 . Pat Quinn was dismissed as general manager early in the campaign and was replaced by a four - man committee of team executives . On the recommendation of newly - hired head coach Mike Keenan , the management team dealt McLean to the Carolina Hurricanes on January 3 , 1998 . He was sent in a trade , along with winger Martin Gélinas , in exchange for goaltender Sean Burke and wingers Geoff Sanderson and Enrico Ciccone . After ten - and - a - half seasons in Vancouver , McLean left as the franchise ' s all - time leader in regular season games played ( 516 ) , wins ( 211 ) and shutouts ( 20 ) , as well as playoff games played ( 68 ) , wins ( 34 ) and shutouts ( 6 ) . ( Luongo surpassed McLean ' s regular season shutouts total with his 21st on October 26 , 2009 . ) McLean ' s departure marked the beginning of an unstable period of time for Canucks goaltending . In the seven - and - a - half seasons between the time McLean was traded away and Luongo was acquired by the Canucks , a total of 18 goaltenders played for the club . General manager Brian Burke , who succeeded the four - man committee , coined the term " goalie graveyard " during his time in Vancouver to describe the club ' s goaltending fortunes . McLean entered his first game with the Hurricanes with the NHL ' s worst GAA at 3 . 68 , but helped his new club to a 4 – 1 win to record his first victory with Carolina . His tenure in Carolina was brief , as the Hurricanes traded him after eight appearances to the Florida Panthers for forward Ray Sheppard on March 24 , 1998 . He made his debut with the Panthers two days later on March 26 and recorded a 5 – 4 win against the Canadiens . The following season , McLean recorded his first shutout with the Panthers in a 1 – 0 win against the Nashville Predators . He went on to match his personal best 2 . 74 GAA in his first and only full season with the Panthers in 1998 – 99 , playing in 30 games as Sean Burke ' s backup . The following off - season , he signed a two - year deal , worth an approximate $ 1 . 64 million with bonus incentives for games played , as an unrestricted free agent with the New York Rangers on July 13 , 1999 . McLean was brought in to replace Dan Cloutier , who had been traded away , as Mike Richter ' s backup . With Richter experiencing back problems early in the 1999 – 00 season , McLean filled in as the Rangers ' starter during the first month . He made his Rangers debut in the season opener , making 25 saves in a 2 – 1 loss on October 5 , 1999 . He completed the season with a 2 . 89 GAA in 22 games . The following campaign in 2000 – 01 , McLean ' s GAA rose to 3 . 49 GAA in 23 games . After two seasons in New York and 17 seasons in the NHL overall , McLean retired in 2001 . International play . Over the course of his career , McLean represented Canada in international competition once . On March 28 , 1990 , McLean was among the players named to Canada ' s roster for the 1990 World Championships in Bern and Fribourg , Switzerland . McLean was given the role of starting goaltender , with Ken Wregget serving as his backup . Canada won its first four round robin games with McLean in net , including an 8 – 0 shutout victory versus Norway in which McLean split goaltending duties with Wregget , thus clinching a spot in the medal round . As the round robin continued , Canada added to their perfect record with a 5 – 3 victory over Czechoslovakia in which McLean stopped 25 of 28 shots for the victory . McLean started Canada ' s next game , a 3 – 1 victory versus Sweden , but was replaced in the second period by third string goaltender Bob Essensa who had yet to play in the tournament . Following a 3 – 3 tie with the Soviet Union , Canada clinched first place in the round robin . The game was one of McLean ' s best of the tournament , as he managed to keep the Soviet Union at bay during the third period in which they had a 14 – 2 margin in shots on goal . After suffering a 3 – 2 loss versus Czechoslovakia in the opening game of the medal round , Canada opted to start Essensa versus the Soviet Union . Essensa let in four early goals before being replaced by McLean , who let in another three in a 7 – 1 loss to move Canada out of contention for the gold medal . In the final game of the tournament versus Sweden , Canada suffered a 6 – 4 loss and finished fourth overall for the tournament , missing out on their opportunity for a bronze medal that would have come with a win versus Sweden . Post - playing career . Following McLean ' s retirement , he was hired as a goaltending coach for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL . He served in that capacity for one season , in 2002 – 03 . McLean also returned to the Canucks organization as a broadcaster for the team ' s pay - per - view telecasts . McLean has also pursued the restaurant business in Vancouver . He co - owns McLean ' s restaurant ( opened June 24 , 2010 ) , the result of buying out other owners of So . cial at Le Magasin , a restaurant in the Gastown neighbourhood that opened in April 2007 , with his former Canucks head coach , Bob McCammon . McLean is also a part - owner in the Burnaby Express , a Junior A team in the BCHL . The ownership group includes several other former NHLers , including Darcy Rota , Bill Ranford and Dave Lowry . Personal life . Following his retirement , McLean moved back to Vancouver , where he joined the Canucks ' alumni squad . The group is active in the local community , participating in fundraisers and working alongside Hockey Canada and BC Hockey for minor hockey associations . McLean has pursued various interests besides hockey during and after his playing career . An avid golfer , he is part of the Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver and the Nicklaus North Golf Club in Whistler . He was also accepted into the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland in 2008 . McLean began playing regularly at the age of 10 . Involved in thoroughbred horse racing , he co - owned Regal Discovery , a colt who won the 136th Queen ' s Plate in 1995 , with his wife Lesley and her parents Anne and Ron Shaddock . McLean and Lesley have since divorced . Career statistics . International . < br >