Maxwell Douglas McNab (June 21, 1924 – September 2, 2007) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player, coach, and

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) general manager. He played in the NHL with the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

between 1947 and 1951, winning the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

with them in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1945 to 1959, was spent in various minor leagues. McNab's coaching and management career included stints as the general manager of the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

and

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

between 1976 and 1987. He also spent time as president of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

; the Max McNab Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the league playoffs, would later be named in his honour. In 1998, McNab was awarded the

Lester Patrick Trophy The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, ...

in recognition of his contributions to hockey in the United States.

Playing career

After playing junior hockey in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, Saskatchewan, McNab played on the

Omaha Knights Omaha Knights may refer to: * Omaha Knights (AHA) an ice hockey team that played from (1939–1942) in the American Hockey Association and from (1945–1951) in the United States Hockey League * Omaha Knights (IHL) an ice hockey team that played ...

of the

USHL The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

in the 1946–48 season before being called up to the

of the

in 1947. He would play on and off with the Red Wings until 1951, playing on the team that won the

in 1950, centering a line with Gordie Howe and

Ted Lindsay Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay (July 29, 1925 – March 4, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played as a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lindsay scored over 800 ...

. He played for the

Indianapolis Capitols The Indianapolis Capitols were a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They played in the Continental Football League from 1968 to 1969 and Midwest Football League from 1972 to 1974 and 1977 to 1978. History The t ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

in 1950–51. Before the 1951–52 season, he was traded by the Red Wings to the

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, but never played for the team. Back surgery kept him out of action in 1951–52 and McNab then joined the

New Westminster Royals The New Westminster Royals was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in New Westminster, British Columbia, first established in 1911 for the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). Though nominally based in New Westminster, ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

, where he played for seven seasons, retiring in 1959. He was voted league MVP in 1955, scoring 32 goals and 81 points.

Coaching and managing

In 1961, McNab became general manager and coach of the San Francisco Seals of the WHL. He was then coach of the WHL's

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

and in 1966 was hired as coach and general manager of the

San Diego Gulls The San Diego Gulls are a professional ice hockey team based in San Diego. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Anaheim Ducks. The team plays its home games at Pechanga Arena. History On Jan ...

. He rose in the front office to vice-president by 1971. In 1974 he was named president of the

. Although he would only remain with the CHL for a year, the Max McNab Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the league's playoffs, would be named in his honor. Near the end of 1975, he joined the NHL as general manager of the

, succeeding Milt Schmidt. McNab remained in that job until 1982. Under his watch, the team drafted players such as Rick Green, Ryan Walter,

Mike Gartner Michael Alfred Gartner (born October 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, New Yor ...

, and Bobby Carpenter. Midway through the 1983–84 season, McNab joined the

as vice-president and general manager. He would remain their general manager until

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, and then retired from the team and hockey in the 1990s. During his tenure as Devils' GM, players such as Chris Terreri, Kirk Muller, Sean Burke, and Eric Weinrich would be drafted. In 1998, McNab was recognized for his contribution to ice hockey in the United States by the NHL and

USA Hockey USA Hockey is a national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United S ...

as co-recipient of the

Family

Two of McNab's three sons have hockey-related careers. Peter McNab played in the NHL for 14 seasons, scoring 363 goals and 813 points, before becoming a television color analyst. David McNab spent 43 seasons working as a scout and executive for four NHL franchises before retiring in May 2021 as the senior vice president of hockey operations for the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...

after 28 years with the club from its inaugural season. McNabs Island in Nova Scotia is named in honour of the McNab family, who first settled the island in the 1780s.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

*
Ex-Devils GM DeadPicture of 1950 Stanley Cup plaque
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNab, Max 1924 births 2007 deaths Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Detroit Metal Mouldings players Detroit Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Indianapolis Capitals players Lester Patrick Trophy recipients National Hockey League executives New Jersey Devils executives New Westminster Royals (WHL) players Omaha Knights (USHL) players Stanley Cup champions Washington Capitals executives 20th-century Canadian sportsmen