Since Shots Against became an official stat for goalies in 1983, only four NHL goalies have played in a game, but never faced a shot. Rob McVicar is one of those four. On December 1st, 2005, McVicar played 2 minutes and 44 seconds of relief for the Vancouver Canucks in a 5-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. While McVicar never faced a shot, he was on the ice for a Canucks goal and got to race to the bench for an extra attacker in the wayning minutes of the game.
Another unique thing about Rob McVicar, is that he is the only NHL goalie to have been born in the Northwest Territorries. McVicar was born in Hay River, NWT but he grew up in Brandon, Manitoba, so he can't be considered a true North of 60 product.
McVicar was originally drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 5th round of 2002. McVicar played the majority of his pro-career in the ECHL. 146 of McVicar's 181 career North American professional games came in the ECHL. It was in his third pro season when he had a chance to play in the NHL. When Canucks starter Dan Cloutier suffered a season ending injury on November 20th, McVicar was called up to be the back-up to Alex Auld. It took 10 games, including four earlier in the season, while sitting on the bench before McVicar got his chance to play. While he had no shots on net during his time on the ice, he failed to impress the Canucks. The very next day, they traded for another goalie, Maxime Ouellet. McVicar would be sent down, not to the Manitoba Moose, but down another level to the Victoria Salmon Kings ECHL. After a few more seasons in the minors, McVicar took his game overseas and finished his pro career in Europe.
That has to be bittersweet, playing 3 minutes in the NHL and never getting a chance to make a save. Compound that by bouncing back and forth between the NHL and AHL and having the team trade for another goalie the day after the game.
For playing his single game, McVicar has eleven rookies cards. One neat thing is you can see a change in the equipment and mask used by McVicar. I am assuming the top cards feature a picture of McVicar in training camp. He had played the previous season withe Columbia Inferno of the ECHL.
Can you name the goalie who backstopped Team Canada to it's first ever World Junior Hockey Championship (WJC) Gold medal? If you said Mike Moffat, you are either know your hockey, or you guessed it from the title of the post. Mike Moffat, a 8th round draft pick by the Boston Bruins in 1980, played his junior hockey with the Kingston Candians. He played good enough, a 4.14 career OHL GAA which was actually good in those days, to get himself on Team Canada for the 1981 WJC. Team Canada had never won a Gold medal in the WJC before. With the exception of 1978, the Memorial Cup winners would represent Canada. After a dismal 7th place finish in 1981, the Canada's Program of Excellence was created and the best under age nineteen players would represent Canada the following year and every year since. Team Canada, not favoured to medal, exceeded all expectations. They went 6-0-1 in the tournament, including a shocking 7-0 trouncing of the favorites, Soviet Union. Mike Moffat recorded the shutout and he was between the pipes during the final game versus Czechoslovakia. Team Canada, once again the underdog, needed a tie to clinch the Gold medal, while the Czechs needed a win. Moffat would turn aside a late barrage by the Czechs to preserve a 3-3 tie and Canada's first WJC Gold medal.
Moffat would make a splash in the NHL before the season was over. Mike started the last two games for the Boston Bruins and was then anointed the starter for the play-offs, over incumbents Marco Baron and Rogie Vachon. Although as shocked as anyone, Moffat played brilliantly through the first round and carried the Bruins into the second round. Still only a teenager, the pressure started to get to Moffat as the Bruins fought the Quebec Nordiques in a grueling seven game series. The fans and press were comparing Mike Moffat to a young Ken Dryden. As the series went on, Moffat allowed a few weak goals and the Bruins would eventually fall to the Nordiques in game seven, by a score of 2 to 1. As the last few seconds ticked off the clock (and as Terry O'Reilly takes a swing at referee Andy Van Hellamond) Bruin coach, Gerry Cheevers attempted to console his young goalie.
Mike Moffat would never again reach the level of play he had achieve in the 1981-82 season. He would only play 17 more NHL games and by age 22, Moffat would officially retired from professional hockey. The pressure of the Stanley Cup play-offs was too much for a 20 year old who previously had a total of 2 career professional hockey games under his belt. Here's a quote from a Boston.com interview
“My mental game needed massive rebuilding,’’ he says. “I should have
dealt
with that in the offseason, but I just kind of denied it, put my
head down. I was
fighting the demons and it was nobody’s fault but my
own.’’
I find Mike Moffat's story tragic. A young player who is living the dream at age 20. Winning a Gold medal for Team Canada and earning top goalie honours. Starting and staring for the Boston Bruins in the playoffs. Except by the time the 1982-83 season had started, Moffat was already on the downside of his career. He was mentally worn out. The Bruins must have had wind of this, as they traded for Pete Peeters in the offseason and to further Moffat's decline, Peeters went on to win 40 games and the Vezina trophy. What I also find tragic is that, based on the few interviews I have read, Moffat does not appear to cherish his time in the NHL. In regards to the press clippings of his playing days, Moffat claims to never look at them since "“I guess it would make me cry." I really do hope that's not the way he truly feels about his hockey days. He just had too much pressure too soon. His career may have been totally different if had a few seasons in the AHL instead of being thrown directly into the spotlight.
Mike Moffat never had a NHL card. For the 1982 set, OPC went with Rogie Vachon, the Bruins #2 goalie during most of the 81-82 season, and newly acquired, and airbrushed, Pete Peeters. Leaving rookie Mike Moffat and the teams #1 goalie Marco Baron without cards. Coincidentally, Marco Baron never has never had a rookie card either. So below is Mike Moffat's lost rookie card.
Multiple choice question. Who has the higher goals per game average for their NHL career? a) Wayne Gretzky; b) Mike Bossy; c) Steven Stamkos; or d) Brad Fast. If you answered Brad Fast, then you are correct. Of course you answered Brad Fast, since you already read who this post is about... you cheater.
A 3rd round pick in the 1999 draft, Brad Fast made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes in the final game of the 2003-04 season. With 2:26 left in the 3rd period, and the Hurricanes losing 6-5 to the Florida Panthers, Brad Fast scored his first and only goal of his NHL career. It was also the last game-tying goal scored in the history of the NHL, as the NHL would switch to the shoot-out in it's next season following the 2004-05 lockout.
Brad Fast would spend 2004-05 in the AHL before signing with the Los Angeles Kings for the 2005-06 season. After a season with the King's AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs,
Fast played a few seasons in Europe. He finished his pro career with three seasons with
Anyang Halla, of the Asia League Ice Hockey. He never did get a chance to play in the NHL again. Fast retired from professional hockey in 2011.
In researching the career of Brad Fast, I was able to contact him and he kindly agreed to answer some questions regarding his career.
Jordan Sigalet played a total of 43 seconds in the NHL, never allowing a goal or making a save. What's is remarkable about Jordan Sigalet, is what he acheived in the face of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2001, Sigalet developed symptoms of MS in 2003 while playing for Bowling Green college. He was eventually diagnosed with MS and told by doctors that he couldn't play hockey anymore. Sigalet proved the doctors wrong by finishing his collegiate hockey career and then playing three season of pro hockey in the Boston Bruins organization.
Sigalet was able to fight off the effects of MS to be an effective netminder for the Providence Bruins in the AHL, but on November 16, 2007, Sigalet collapsed on the ice during the game and was taken to hospital. Sigalet would return to play almost two months later. Sigalet finished the season in the AHL and played overseas before retiring. Since his retirement Sigalet has worked as a goalie coach, and is currently working with the Abbotsford Heat, the Calgary Flames affiliate in the AHL.
Sigalet has been an inspiration for many people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and does charity work to help raise donations for MS research. In April of 2012, He was featured on the Buick Human Highlight Reel. Sigalet has also started his own foundation, called Shutout MS. While Jordan Sigalet may be forgotten by NHL fans, he is making a difference in the bigger picture.
On, Februay 6,1996, at the 12:51 mark of the second period, Colin Camplbell, coach of the New York Rangers, had finally seen enough. He told the rookie netminder to get his helmet on. The Colorado Avalanche had just scored their 7th goal of the game. Normally, it'd be veteran Glenn Healy playing the back-up role, but starter Mike Richter had suffered a groin injury and it was Healy who had been facing the onslaught of the eventually Stanley Cup. And so began the NHL career of Jamie Ram.
Jamie Ram's one and only NHL card
After allowing 31 shots in the first 33 minutes, the Rangers only allowed 9 shots the rest of the game, Jamie stopped all 9 shots. At the end of the game, the final score was 7-1 for the Avalanche. The end of the game would also mark the end of Jamie Ram's NHL career. Mike Richter would return to the line-up a few games later and Jamie was sent to the minors. Richter would re-injure the groin 11 minutes into his first game back. Over the course of the 1996-96 season Richter would miss 23 games due to groin injuries. Glenn Healy would play all but 27 minutes of those games. In fact over a span of 4 seasons, 1993-97, Jamie Ram's 27 minutes were the only minutes not played by Richter or Healy for the New York Rangers. Jamie was with the wrong team at the wrong time.
Jamie Ram, originally drafted by the New Yrok Rangers in round 10 of the 1991 Entry Draft, would continue his quest of the NHL. He was part of the San Jose Sharks and Anahiem Ducks franchises and in 2000, was the third goalie of Team Canada in the World Hockey Championship. Jamie eventually took his equipment overseas and played seasons in Japan, Sweden, Finland and Russia before retiring in 2004. In 2006, Jamie was signed a few times as an Emergency back-up by the Pheonix Roadrunners in the ECHL, but unlike his NHL call-up, he never got on the ice.
Bob Mason played in 145 career NHL games, played in the Olympics and was a member of Team USA for the 1987 Canada Cup. Yet he has a total of 2 NHL cards. Those cards are from the 2004-05 ITG Franchise set, almost 14 years after his last NHL game. Bob Mason couldn't even crack the 1990-91 Pro Set edition. So we'll right those wrongs and present to you the 1984-85 OPC Bob Mason rookie card. Bob Mason is best known for his spread eagle stance after allowing the series winning goal in quadruple overtime in Game 7 versus the New York Islander in 1987. Sport is cruel, as there is always a loser, no matter how well they played. Today Mr Mason is in his 10th year as the goaltending coach for the Minnesota Wild. He has helped the Wild win a William Jennings trophy and a Wild goalie has led the league in save percentage twice during his tenure.
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Update: July 27, 2020
Mason played several years in the NHL without a card, so I thought I would revisit this post and make a few more cards for Mason - to fill in the blanks. First thing I needed to do was update the 84-85 OPC with a more appropriate picture. It's fairly obvious based on the gear and helmet, that this was a more timely picture for his 84-85 card. For three seasons, starting in 83-84, Mason bounced between the NHL and AHL, spending most of his time in the AHL. The 1986-87 season was his first full season in the NHL. He bounced around the league for his final five seasons, with a different team each year. He only played a handful of games with the Vancouver Canucks in 1990-91, but I wasn't able to find a decent picture to use for a card. So I am still on the lookout for that.
1984-85 OPC Bob Mason (RC)
1987-88 OPC Bob Mason
1988-89 OPC Bob Mason
1989-90 OPC Bob Mason
1990-91 Pro Set Bob Mason
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Update October 9, 2021
I finally stumbled across a picture of Bob Mason as a Vancouver Canuck that is usable for a card... although just barely. There was some debate over who this was. In the end it was easy to tell as Bob Mason catches with his right hand, which is a rarity for Vancouver Canucks goalies who wore #31 during the era that the Canucks wore those jerseys. So now the Bob Mason, the original Lost card on this blog, collection is complete.
Doug Dadswell played two years for the Calgary Flames, finishing with a 8-8-3 record and a 4.41 GAA. Dadswell was the back-up to Mike Vernon in 1987-88 when the Flames made the move to trade for a more experienced back-up. A trade that would send Brett Hull to the St. Louis Blues and bring Rick Wamsley to the Flames. The Flames would win a Stanley Cup the following season, Brett Hull would go on to become the 3rd highest goal scorer of all-time and Doug Dadswell was out of the NHL by the end of the year.
There are not many Doug Dadswell pictures on the internet, so the card's quality is of lower quality than usual. Doug Dadswell never had a NHL card... until now.
If anyone knows of any high quality pics of Dadswell, could you please point the way. Thank you.
