Gerry McNamara, a former NHL goalie, scout and general manager responsible for landing two of the best-loved players in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has died at the age of 90.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced McNamara’s death in a post on X Saturday night.
“Our thoughts are with Gerry’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the Leafs said. “Gerry made an enduring impact on the organization.”
The team did not provide McNamara’s cause of death.
The NHL Alumni Association also paid tribute to McNamara in a post on X Saturday, saying the association “is deeply saddened to learn that Gerry McNamara has passed away at the age of 90.”
McNamara was general manager of the Maple Leafs for seven difficult seasons between 1981 to 1988, when the team was still owned by the notorious Howard Ballard.
In that time, the team made three playoff appearances, never advancing beyond the second round. McNamara’s 166-302-67 record at the helm gives him the worst winning percentage of any general manager in Leafs history (.355).
But McNamara was partly responsible for setting up the successful Leafs teams that came after his firing in 1988. Three years before, in 1985, he drafted future Leafs captain and fan favourite Wendel Clark in the first round.
McNamara is perhaps best remembered by Leafs fans for what he did as a scout.
In December 1972, he travelled to Sweden so he could take a look at a goaltender, but instead found a speedy, playmaking 21-year-old defenceman named Börje Salming. He recommended signing the future hall-of-famer, who became one of the most beloved Leafs of all time and essentially paved the way for the European invasion of the NHL.
Born in Sturgeon Falls, Ont., in 1934, McNamara entered professional hockey in 1955, playing as a goaltender for Pittsburgh’s AHL team.
During his playing career, McNamara spent most of his time in the minor leagues, though he made seven total appearances for the Maple Leafs, split up between the 1960-1961 and 1969-1970 seasons.
Though most of his time in hockey was spent with the Maple Leafs organization, he reached the pinnacle of hockey success after he was fired by the club. The following season, he became a scout with the Calgary Flames, where he picked up a Stanley Cup ring in 1989.
