Sam McMaster
Sam McMaster | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 15, 1936 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Occupation | Former general manager of the Los Angeles Kings |
Sam McMaster (born April 15, 1936) is a former NHL General Manager of the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), whom he managed from 1994 to 1997.
McMaster began his hockey career as the general manager for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League in 1984. After one season, McMaster left the team to become the director of hockey operations for the Washington Capitals, a position he held for three seasons.
McMaster returned to the OHL in 1988, when he was appointed the general manager for the Sudbury Wolves. McMaster assembled a Wolves team that was a perennial playoff contender, but often failed to make a substantial run.
McMaster was hired by the Los Angeles Kings in May 1994, replacing Nick Beverley as the team's general manager, inheriting a team which was one year removed from its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance. McMaster watched the team go into a free fall during the strike-shortened 1994-95 season, which prompted him to fire popular head coach Barry Melrose and assistant coach Cap Raeder with seven games left in the season as the team bottomed out to finish with a 16-23-9 record.[1][2]
During his tenure, the Kings regressed to the bottom of the league's standings, many of the moves were brought on due to the financial hardships following the arrest of the team's owner, Bruce McNall.
McMaster is remembered for trading Wayne Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues for three prospects, Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif and Roman Vopat. Both Tardif and Vopat left the NHL within three years of the trade.
Following the Gretzky trade, McMaster traded away the remaining core players from the 1993 Stanley Cup finalist team, save for Rob Blake in an attempt to rebuild the roster. As a result of his efforts, McMaster earned a two year extension from the Kings on 20 May 1996.[3]
Despite not being able to maximize his returns on trades, McMaster was able to acquire future Kings mainstays Mattias Norstrom and Ian Laperriere. Another noteworthy trade McMaster made was acquiring Stephane Fiset from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Eric Lacroix, who was the son of Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix.
Due to his performance at the draft table and questionable player acquisitions, McMaster earned the nickname "McMaster the Disaster" from fans and media alike.
McMaster was fired in 1997 after posting a 68-106-38 record over three seasons and would later be replaced by former Kings player Dave Taylor.
McMaster currently serves as a pro scout for the Columbus Blue Jackets and has been in that role since 1999.[4]
References
- ^ Kings Turning to McMaster
- ^ L.A. KINGS FIRE HEAD COACH, ASSISTANT
- ^ Kings Extend Sam McMaster’s Contract Two Years
- ^ "Sam McMaster, amateur scout". Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey Club. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
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