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Jack McCartan

BIRTHPLACE: St. Paul, Minn.

BORN: August 5, 1935

TEAMS/ASSOCIATIONS: United States Olympic Team, New York Rangers, Minnesota Fighting Saints, Various minor professional teams

 

Bio

In February of 1960, University of Minnesota goaltender Jack McCartan was the driving force behind a group of unknown and unheralded hockey players who represented the United States at the Squaw Valley Olympics.  As a college player, he had twice been named to the All American team, but nonetheless was a late addition to the 1960 Olympic team.  Playing before partisan crowds, the underdog United States team upset Canada, the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia to capture America's first gold medal in hockey.  The first indications that this was to be a different hockey Olympics occurred in the game against Canada. 

The United States had defeated the "hockey motherland" in the 1956 Olympics and the Canadians were keying for the rematch.  McCartan made 39 stops, many of them of the unbelievable category, as the U.S. won 2-1, and built momentum toward the gold medal.  In the nationally televised game against the Soviets, he made 27 saves as in the words of the UPI reporter covering the game: "Late in the period, McCartan had to fight like a cornered lion as the Russians drove in savagely on the attack.  It was a furious interval, but big Jack stood up - and laid down - under their bristling fire to hold them off." 

Jack Riley, the gold medal coach, said of McCartan: "He was the most outstanding goalie I've ever seen.  Without him we wouldn't have been successful at Squaw Valley." 

After the Olympics McCartan embarked on a 15-year career in professional hockey.  Appearing briefly in two different seasons with the New York Rangers, he was sent to Kitchener-Waterloo of the Eastern Professional League.  In 1961, he had a sparkling 2.78 average in 52 games.  The following season he led the league in shutouts with five.  Over the next decade, the St. Paul native played primarily in the Western League, also appearing in the Central League and World Hockey Association.  In 1969 he garnered second team Western League goaltender honors, while in both 1970 and 1971 he captured first team honors, all with San Diego.  He concluded his professional career in 1974 with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association.