Mickey MacKay

Lore & Background

MacKay learned to skate at age 15 and spent two seasons playing senior hockey in Chesley. He moved west in 1912 to join the Edmonton Dominions of the Alberta Senior Hockey League, where he led the league with eight playoff goals. He left the Dominions for a senior team in Grand Forks, British Columbia, where he was the provincial league's leading goalscorer with 15 goals in 1913–14. Hoping to advance his career, MacKay wrote to Frank Patrick, operator of the PCHA, expressing his desire to turn professional. Patrick initially replied suggesting a tryout closer to Ontario, but then wrote a second letter inviting MacKay to Vancouver. Patrick doubted MacKay's ability the first time he saw him practice, but was convinced the second time. MacKay signed a contract on November 3, 1914, made his professional debut on December 8, and scored a hat trick in his first game. He finished the season as league leader with 33 goals in 17 games and was named a first team all-star. Vancouver won the PCHA title and then defeated the Ottawa Senators to win the Stanley Cup, with MacKay scoring four goals in the series.

Reader's Guide

MacKay was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the top players of his time. Lester Patrick called him the greatest centre to ever play in the coast league. He was named to the PCHA or WCHL first team all-star on seven occasions, and to the second team three times. MacKay led the PCHA in goals three times, assists twice, and was the league's all-time leading scorer upon its demise with 290 points. He won the Stanley Cup twice: first with the Millionaires in 1915 and later with the Bruins in 1929. His greatest limitation was his size, standing five foot nine and around 162 pounds; he frequently battled through injuries and missed many games as a result. His nickname, 'the wee Scot', was in reference to his diminutive size. MacKay was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1952, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1989, and is an honoured member of the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• MacKay joined the Canadian Army at age 14 but was discharged when recruiting officers realized he was underage.
• He suffered a broken jaw and lost five teeth after Seattle's Cully Wilson slashed him across the mouth in 1919; Wilson was banned from the PCHA for life.
• MacKay bought a farm near Elnora, Alberta, and briefly regained amateur status to play with the Calgary Columbus Club.
• He died on May 30, 1940, when his vehicle left the road and hit a telephone pole near Ymir, British Columbia; the medical examiner determined he had suffered a heart attack causing the crash.