Bruins’ Cam Neely, Joe Sacco Offer Statements On Death Of Tom McVie
BOSTON — Former Boston Bruins assistant coach and longtime ambassador Tom McVie died at the age of 89, the team announced on Monday.
“The entire Boston Bruins organization is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Tom McVie,” Bruins president Cam Neely said in a statement. “Tom was a huge part of our Bruins family, having served as a coach, scout and ambassador for more than 30 years. His hockey mind, colorful personality, gruff voice, and unmatched sense of humor livened up every room he entered and will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tom’s family and many loved ones.”
Boston hired McVie as an assistant coach for the 1992-93 season and became a pro scout for the Bruins in 1998. He held that role until retiring after the 2019-20 season.
“On behalf of myself and the Bruins organization, I want to send along our condolences to Tom McVie’s family,” interim head coach Joe Sacco said after Boston’s 6-3 win over the Sharks. “Tom was a part of the Bruins organization for a long time. And everyone that had the chance to meet him, you’ll never forget who he was. He was a great man.”
Before joining the Black and Gold, McVie was the head coach for the New Jersey Devils, Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals.
McVie spent eight decades in the hockey community. He had a lengthy minor league career in the WHL, IHL, and ECHL for the Seattle Totems, Portland Buckaroos, Phoenix Roadrunners, Los Angeles Blades, and Johnstown Jets. Although he never played in the NHL, McVie played 15 seasons in the WHL, including championship seasons in 1959 with Seattle and 1964-65 with Portland. He played more than 1,100 professional games and scored 470 goals.