Curtis McElhinney

Lore & Background

McElhinney played four years of university hockey at Colorado College, posting a 62–15–8 record and earning multiple All-Star and All-American honors. He made his professional debut in 2005–06 with the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights of the AHL, tying for the league lead in shutouts in 2006–07 and setting an Omaha team record with 44 wins. He played in the 2007 AHL All-Star Game and was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team.

His NHL career began with the Calgary Flames in 2007–08, and he was traded multiple times over the following years, moving to the Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning (briefly), Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Carolina Hurricanes. While with the Maple Leafs, he made a critical pad save on Sidney Crosby in the final game of the 2016–17 season to help Toronto secure a playoff berth. He later started for the Hurricanes in the 2019 playoffs, becoming the oldest goaltender to make his first career playoff start.

McElhinney signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 1, 2019, serving as backup to Andrei Vasilevskiy. He won the Stanley Cup in both 2020 and 2021, then announced his retirement via Instagram on September 25, 2021. He later became the Toronto Maple Leafs Director of Goaltending Development and Scouting on October 9, 2023.

Reader's Guide

Curtis McElhinney's significance lies in his journeyman career that culminated in back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite being a sixth-round draft pick and spending much of his career as a backup or in the AHL, he carved out a 14-season NHL tenure across eight teams. His most notable moment came in the 2016–17 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he made a game-saving pad stop on Sidney Crosby in the dying seconds of the regular-season finale, preserving a playoff berth for the team. At age 35, he made his first career playoff start for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019, becoming the oldest goaltender to do so. His legacy is defined by resilience and adaptability, transitioning from a depth goaltender to a two-time Stanley Cup winner. After retiring, he moved into player development and scouting with the Maple Leafs, and authored a book on goaltending mindset called 'The Crease Mindset,' while also founding a mentorship program called Peak Performance Goaltending.

Did You Know?

• McElhinney won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
• He made his NHL debut on October 22, 2007, in relief of Miikka Kiprusoff against the San Jose Sharks.
• He became the oldest goaltender to make his first career playoff start at 35 years and 343 days.
• He was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs one day after being waived by the Columbus Blue Jackets in January 2017.