By Paul Friesen
September 5, 2018
Cancer may have taken Winnipeg hockey legend Ab McDonald, but it can’t take the legacy, the friendships or the memories he leaves behind.
One of Winnipeg’s all-time hockey greats, McDonald died, Tuesday, at the age of 82.
The four-time Stanley Cup winner played 15 seasons in the NHL, before joining his hometown Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association in 1972, becoming the team’s first captain and scoring the first goal in franchise history.
Those who saw him play can consider themselves lucky, and those who knew him even luckier.
Friend and former teammate Joe Daley was one of them.
“You really wouldn’t know what Ab did for a living, if you didn’t know – he was so humble,” Daley, a fellow Winnipegger, said, Wednesday. “I never, ever heard him brag about the Stanley Cups or anything like that. He was never bigger than the game or the team he was with.
“I played with him in the minors, I played with him in the NHL, I played with him in the WHA – and he was always the same. He was, ‘OK, what can I do to contribute? Who can I help today?’ ”
Daley became close with McDonald early in his career, getting advice from his older teammate for everything from hockey to finances.
The former goalie and his wife last saw McDonald just over a week ago, his illness confining him to his bed at home.
“I put my arms around him, and geez… it was hard,” Daley said. “I’m glad I had a good visit with him. We were able to tell him how I really felt. Of course, he knew that all along, I’ve told him so many times what he meant to me.
“As a person, there was none better.”
One of the city’s great ambassadors for the game, McDonald was never shy about making public appearances or reminiscing about former teammates or opponents, regaling those around him with a story and that ever-present smile.
A star with the St. Boniface Canadiens of the Manitoba Junior League, Alvin Brian McDonald began his NHL career with Montreal in the 1957-58 playoffs, winning three consecutive Stanley Cups with the Canadiens.
After a trade to Chicago, he won a fourth straight title, scoring the Cup-winning goal for the Blackhawks in 1961.
He also played for Boston, Detroit, St. Louis and expansion Pittsburgh, where he was the first team captain in Penguins franchise history.
He registered 430 points in 762 career NHL games, 50 in 84 playoff games, and played in five all-star contests.
His WHA career included 70 points in 147 games, with eight more in 18 playoff games.
“He wasn’t Bobby Hull and he wasn’t Reggie Fleming, but I’ll tell you what, he was a monster contributor to a lot of teams,” Daley said. “Generally when you’re captain you’re pretty influential in the dressing room and dealing with guys. But his career was pretty awesome, and we lose sight of that.”
McDonald’s passing comes just a month after that of perhaps his closest friend, former Chicago teammate Stan Mikita.
Daley recalled McDonald couldn’t make it to Mikita’s funeral because of his own failing health.
“He and Stan were so close, and now he’s going to have a chance to say hello to him again,” Daley said. “It’s almost eerie when you think of Stan going so recently, and now Abbie’s right there behind him.”
The Winnipeg Jets issued a statement mourning McDonald’s loss and crediting him with helping to reconnect the current team to the Jets of the past.
“We at True North Sports and Entertainment and the Winnipeg Jets hockey club are saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. McDonald,” True North chairman Mark Chipman said. “He was a legend in this city’s hockey history… his reputation as an outstanding teammate carried over into his life after hockey. Off the ice, Mr. McDonald always represented our hockey community proudly.
“He will be greatly missed.”
The Blackhawks, Penguins and Canadiens expressed similar sentiments through statements or on Twitter, as did current Jets captain Blake Wheeler.
“On behalf of all of us who currently wear the Jets logo, I’d like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of the original captain – Ab McDonald,” Wheeler tweeted. “He was a true ambassador for the game and our franchise, as well as a Stanley Cup champion.”
McDonald retired after the 1973-74 season. He was inducted to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and is an honoured member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
He is survived by wife, Pat, five children, seven grandchildren, one great-grandson – and too many friends and admirers to count.
“We knew it was coming, and you’re strong until it happens,” Daley said. “But we’ll make it. In his honour. He wouldn’t want us feeling any other way.”
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