William Edward McCreary Jr. (born April 15, 1960) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player who played 12 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

during the 1980–81 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1980 to 1988, was spent in the minor leagues.

Early life

McCreary Jr. was born in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

, and raised in

Hudson, Ohio Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan statistical area and the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, th ...

Playing career

Bill McCreary Jr. was drafted in the 6th round, 114th overall, by the

in the

1979 NHL Entry Draft The 1979 NHL Entry Draft was the 17th NHL Entry Draft. It took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in ...

. He played two seasons of hockey for the

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

before signing a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in June 1980. He then split the 1980–81 season between the

New Brunswick Hawks The New Brunswick Hawks were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick. Home games were played at the Moncton Coliseum. They were a member of the American Hockey League (AHL) between 1978 and 1982. The Hawks operated as a min ...

of the AHL and the Maple Leafs. He played 61 games in the AHL and 12 in the NHL with the Leafs that season. In those twelve games, he scored one goal, had no assists, and added four penalty minutes. That would be the extent of his NHL playing experience as he played out the rest of his career in the CHL, IHL, and AHL. He retired following the 1987–88 IHL season. Bill McCreary is most remembered for his open ice hit on

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

on January 3, 1981. The myth that McCreary never played another shift in the NHL is false – the January 3 game was McCreary's second game in his 12-game NHL career.

Family

He is the son of former NHLer

Bill McCreary Sr. William Edward McCreary Sr. (December 2, 1934 – November 25, 2019) was an ice hockey left winger, coach and general manager. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and the St. Lou ...

, nephew of former NHLers

Keith McCreary Vernon Keith McCreary (June 19, 1940 – December 9, 2003) was a Canadian left winger in the National Hockey League who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Atlanta Flames. Playing career As property of the Montreal Canadi ...

and

Ron Attwell Ronald Allan Attwell (February 9, 1935 – December 4, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 22 games in the National Hockey League with the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers during the 1967–68 season. The rest of h ...

, and cousin of former NHLer

Bob Attwell Robert Allan Attwell (born December 26, 1959) was an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 22 games in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Rockies between 1979 and 1981. Personal life Attwell was born in Spok ...

and NHL referee Bill McCreary. His son, William "Billy" McCreary III, was a minor league hockey player in the

Southern Professional Hockey League The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league based in Huntersville, North Carolina, with teams located primarily in the southeastern United States as well as Illinois and Indiana in the mid ...

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 ...

, and

Federal Hockey League The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league with teams in the Midwestern, Southern, and Northeastern United States. The FPHL began operations in November 2010 as the Federal Hockey League. Do ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCreary, Bill Jr. 1960 births Living people American men's ice hockey left wingers Cincinnati Tigers players Colgate Raiders men's ice hockey players Ice hockey players from Massachusetts Ice hockey players from Ohio Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) players New Brunswick Hawks players People from Hudson, Ohio Sportspeople from Summit County, Ohio Peoria Prancers players Saginaw Gears players Sportspeople from Springfield, Massachusetts St. Catharines Saints players Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Maple Leafs players