John William McCartan (born August 5, 1935) is an American retired goaltender. He played for the American national team at the 1960 Winter Olympics, winning a gold medal. He later played 12 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers during the 1959–60 and 1960–61 seasons, and 42 games with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1974. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, and into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1998.

Jack McCartan
Jack McCartan, March 2, 1960.
Born (1935-08-05) August 5, 1935 (age 89)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.[1]
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for New York Rangers
Minnesota Fighting Saints
National team  United States
Playing career 1959–1974
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Squaw Valley Team
Men's baseball
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 1959 Chicago Team

Playing career

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McCartan was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He was a college standout at the University of Minnesota from 1955 to 1958. McCartan also played baseball at Minnesota.[2] McCartan was named First Team All-America after the 1957–1958 season. He played for the bronze medal-winning US team in baseball at the 1959 Pan American Games.[1] After graduating, he joined the U.S. Army. While in the army, he joined the United States Olympic hockey team. His efforts helped the U.S. team defeat Canada, the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia and win the gold medal at Squaw Valley. For his efforts, he was named as the "All-World" goaltender of the Winter Games.

The New York Rangers gave him a four-game trial late in the 1959–60 season and he did quite well, the highlight being a save on Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings. He had maintained his amateur status by not signing a contract with the Rangers. Instead, he acted on advice from his University of Minnesota hockey coach John Mariucci and was paid $1,000 a game with the hope that good performances would get him a contract worth more than the $7,000 National Hockey League minimum. Attendance at Madison Square Garden for his four starts totaled 48,340 which was about 10,000 more than anticipated for a team that had been eliminated from playoff contention. After getting a win, two draws, and a loss and stopping 92 of 99 shots on goal, McCartan signed with the Rangers for the following season for more than $10,000.[3]

He could not duplicate his success in the NHL. Coach Alf Pike decided to alternate Gump Worsley and McCartan in 1960–61, but when McCartan gave up 36 goals in 7½ games, Worsley became the full-time goaltender and McCartan was demoted to the minors. He played for several minor league teams over the next several years. He played in the Eastern Professional League, Western League, Central League, and World Hockey Association. In the early 1970s, he resurfaced when the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association signed him, but he retired after two seasons.

Post-playing career

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He later scouted for the Vancouver Canucks.[1]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1955–56 University of Minnesota WIHL 24 1440 67 0 2.79
1956–57 University of Minnesota WIHL 15 900 43 0 2.87
1957–58 University of Minnesota WIHL 28 1680 89 1 3.18
1958–59 American National Team Intl 29 1740 104 0 3.65 .881
1959–60 New York Rangers NHL 4 1 1 2 240 7 0 1.75 .945
1959–60 Minneapolis Millers IHL 5 300 17 1 3.40
1960–61 New York Rangers NHL 8 1 6 1 440 35 1 4.77 .854
1960–61 Kitchener Beavers EPHL 52 25 21 6 3120 145 2 2.79 7 3 4 421 20 2 2.85
1961–62 Kitchener Beavers EPHL 70 36 24 10 4200 217 5 3.10 7 3 4 451 20 0 2.66
1962–63 Los Angeles Blades WHL 60 31 27 2 3600 187 4 3.12 3 1 2 181 9 0 2.98
1963–64 St. Louis Braves CHL 67 31 30 6 4020 262 3 3.91 6 2 4 361 27 0 4.49
1964–65 St. Louis Braves CHL 5 1 4 0 300 27 0 5.40
1964–65 Los Angeles Blades WHL 32 8 22 2 1948 122 1 3.76
1965–66 San Francisco Seals WHL 53 23 27 3 3299 183 2 3.40
1966–67 California Seals WHL 61 25 26 10 3784 200 1 3.17 5 2 3 300 13 0 2.60
1967–68 Omaha Knights CHL 43 9 25 7 2380 148 1 3.77 .892
1968–69 San Diego Gulls WHL 43 20 14 6 2380 134 0 3.38 .906 1 0 0 20 2 0 6.00
1969–70 San Diego Gulls WHL 52 21 20 9 3025 162 3 3.21 .904 4 0 3 199 19 0 5.73
1970–71 San Diego Gulls WHL 55 24 20 11 3239 161 3 2.98 .900 6 2 4 379 24 0 3.80
1971–72 San Diego Gulls WHL 36 14 16 2 1955 112 0 3.44 2 0 2 118 6 0 3.05
1972–73 Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA 38 15 19 1 2160 129 1 3.58 .891 4 1 2 213 14 0 3.94
1973–74 Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA 2 0 0 0 42 5 0 7.14 .808
1973–74 Suncoast Suns SHL 6 1 4 0 323 26 0 4.83 .849
1974–75 Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA 2 1 0 0 61 5 0 4.92 .868
WHA totals 42 16 19 1 2263 139 1 3.69 .888 4 1 2 213 14 0 3.94
NHL totals 12 2 7 3 680 42 1 3.71 .886

International

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Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1960 United States OLY 5 5 0 0 300 11 0 2.20 .918
Senior totals 5 5 0 0 300 11 0 2.20 .918

Awards and honours

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Award Year
All-WIHL First Team 1956–57
AHCA First Team All-American 1956–57
All-WIHL First Team 1957–58
AHCA West All-American 1957–58

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jack McCartan. sports-reference.com
  2. ^ Jack McCartan Class of 1992 Hockey & Baseball 1956-58 Archived August 28, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. M Club Hall of Fame at gophersports.com
  3. ^ Anderson, Dave. "Jack McCartan: the one-man American invasion of big-time hockey," Maclean's (magazine), October 22, 1960. Retrieved August 26, 2020
  4. ^ "2.38 Jack McCartan". Hockey Hall of Fame. 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "IIHF Hall of Fame". International Ice Hockey Federation. 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
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