Walt McKechnie
Born (1947-06-19) June 19, 1947
London, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Minnesota North Stars
California Golden Seals
Detroit Red Wings
Boston Bruins
Cleveland Barons
Washington Capitals
Toronto Maple Leafs
Colorado Rockies
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 6th overall, 1963
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 1963–1984

Walter Thomas John McKechnie (born June 19, 1947) is a Canadian former professional hockey centre. He played for nine teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) and four minor professional teams over a 17-year pro career.

Playing career

McKechnie was drafted sixth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1963 NHL Amateur Draft of 16-year-old players. He played junior hockey with the London Nationals from 1965 to 1967 before turning professional with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 1967–68 season, where he was named the league's rookie of the year. In February 1968, he was acquired by the expansion Minnesota North Stars and played four games in the NHL regular season followed by nine playoff games. For the next three years, he split his time between the North Stars and their minor league affiliates.

In May 1971, McKechnie was traded to the California Golden Seals and received a lot of ice time over his three years with the team, scoring 23 goals and 52 points in the 1973–74 season. In June 1974, he was involved in a three-way trade using the intra-league draft where he was claimed by the New York Rangers and immediately sent to the Boston Bruins for Derek Sanderson. He struggled with the Bruins and was dealt mid-season to the Detroit Red Wings. The next year in Detroit, he put up what would be his NHL career-high numbers, with 26 goals and 82 points, leading the team in scoring. McKechnie followed that a 25-goal season in 1976–77. After the season, he played for Team Canada in the 1977 World Ice Hockey Championships.

Before the next season, McKechnie was traded to the Washington Capitals. He got off to a poor start in Washington and was traded to the Cleveland Barons in December 1977. McKechnie became the property of the Minnesota North Stars when the Barons and North Stars franchises were merged following the 1977–78 season. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the 1978–79 season, where he scored 25 goals. His goal production dropped the next year, and McKechnie was traded to the Colorado Rockies, where he continued to struggle. He was signed as a free agent by the Red Wings in 1981 and rebounded with an 18-goal season, followed by 14 goals in 1982–83. McKechnie spent the 1983–84 season in the Central Hockey League (CHL) with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles and then retired at age 37. In 955 career NHL games, he scored 214 goals and 392 assists for 606 points.

Personal

McKechnie was a regular at The Strand Billiards in London while playing for the Ontario Hockey Association's London Nationals during the mid-1960s. The pool hall, owned by the late Len Bonk since it first opened in 1952 and closed in September 2005, was like a second home to McKechnie, who refers to The Strand as "the academy."[1]

From 1986 to 2009 he owned and operated "McKeck's", a family-style restaurant on Highland Street in Haliburton, Ontario. He has retired from that business, but the restaurant still operates under the same name. In 2009, McKechnie was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame.[2]

Most recently his efforts are directed at fundraising for Prostate Cancer Canada.

McKechnie was elected to Dysart et al municipal council in 2010, and was acclaimed as the municipality's deputy mayor in the 2022 municipal elections.[3]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1963–64 London Nationals WOHL ————— —————
1965–66 London Nationals WOHL 4613284168 6710172
1966–67 London Nationals WOHL 48134659125 —————
1967–68 London Nationals WOHL 10002 —————
1967–68 Phoenix Roadrunners WHL 6724305424 41122
1967–68 Minnesota North Stars NHL 40000 93250
1968–69 Minnesota North Stars NHL 58591422 —————
1968–69 Phoenix Roadrunners WHL 10311146 —————
1969–70 Minnesota North Stars NHL 2013421 —————
1969–70 Iowa Stars CHL 4217244182 11191018
1970–71 Minnesota North Stars NHL 3031434 —————
1970–71 Cleveland Barons AHL 3516314728 824610
1971–72 California Golden Seals NHL 5611203140 —————
1972–73 California Golden Seals NHL 7816385458 —————
1973–74 California Golden Seals NHL 6323295214 —————
1974–75 Boston Bruins NHL 533368 —————
1974–75 Detroit Red Wings NHL 23611176 —————
1975–76 Detroit Red Wings NHL 8026568285 —————
1976–77 Detroit Red Wings NHL 8025345950 —————
1977–78 Washington Capitals NHL 164150 —————
1977–78 Cleveland Barons NHL 5312223412 —————
1978–79 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 7925366118 64379
1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 54736434 —————
1979–80 Colorado Rockies NHL 170442 —————
1980–81 Colorado Rockies NHL 5315233818 —————
1981–82 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7418375535 —————
1982–83 Detroit Red Wings NHL 6414294342 —————
1983–84 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 699324136 —————
NHL totals 955214392606469 1575129

International

Year Team Event GPGAPtsPIM
1977 Canada WC 1016728
Senior totals 1016728

References

  1. ↑ 'London Free Press, February 18, 2006.
  2. ↑ "Inductees". London Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Fearrey and McKechnie set to lead Dysart council". Haliburton Echo. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.