Wayne Thomas (ice hockey)

Wayne Thomas
caucasian male in his early 30s with brown hair that covers his ears
Born (1947-10-09)October 9, 1947
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Died July 16, 2025(2025-07-16) (aged 77)
Falmouth, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
New York Rangers
Playing career 1972–1981

Robert Wayne Thomas (October 9, 1947 – July 16, 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers between 1972 and 1981. He also held several positions in coaching and management in the NHL and the minor leagues, including 22 years in management with the San Jose Sharks.

Playing career

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, on October 9, 1947,[1] Thomas played junior hockey from 1963 to 1967 with the Ottawa Capitals of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL),[2] and was the league's top goaltender in 1965–66.[3] Thomas then attended University of Wisconsin, where played varsity hockey with the Wisconsin Badgers under coach Bob Johnson.[1] In his first game with Wisconsin, Thomas recorded a shutout victory against Pennsylvania.[4] He was second-team All-WCHA for the 1969–70 season[5] and was with the team in its first appearance in the Frozen Four tournament in Lake Placid, New York, in 1970. That same season he was named the team's MVP.[5] Thomas ranks in the top 10 all-time for Wisconsin goaltenders in save percentage (.909 – 9th all-time) and goals against average (2.84 – 10th all-time) as of the 2022–23 season.[5]

Thomas joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1970 in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings, who had acquired his original National Hockey League rights from the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 1968.[6] Thomas played two seasons with the Montreal and Nova Scotia Voyageurs, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. With the Voyageurs, he won the Calder Cup in 1972.[7]

The following season, 1972–73, Thomas joined the Canadiens in Montreal and became the tenth goalie to record a shutout in his NHL debut, a 3–0 victory against the Vancouver Canucks.[6] He recorded a victory in his first seven home starts,[8] and despite an overall 8–1 regular season record, he did not make an appearance in the team's Stanley Cup playoff run; Thomas was the number 3 goalie behind Ken Dryden and Michel Plasse.[9] In 1973–74, with Dryden sitting out the season to complete his bar exam, he shared duties with Plasse and Michel Larocque, playing 42 games and sporting a 2.76 goals against average,[10] but again was not used in the playoffs. On March 10, 1974, Thomas made 53 saves in a 5–4 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins, setting a Canadiens record that has since been tied by Carey Price.[11] Thomas held the NHL's fourth-best goals against average and was Montreal's winner of that year's Molson Cup.[12] He then spent the entire 1974–75 season as Montreal's number 3 goalie, but did not see action in a single game as Dryden returned with Larocque as his backup.[10][12] Thomas was frustrated, but appeased when Montreal general manager Sam Pollock advised him that the team intended to not utilize him but would trade him to a "good situation" in the off season.[13]

After three seasons in Montreal, he was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in June 1975 in exchange for a first-round draft pick.[14] He played in the 1976 All Star game and recorded the win.[15] After two years in Toronto, he became expendable upon the emergence of Mike Palmateer, and the New York Rangers acquired him in the 1977 NHL Waiver Draft, to use him as the backup to John Davidson.[10] When Davidson got injured, Thomas took over as the starter, playing in 41 games that season.[6] Thomas played four seasons with the Rangers and retired in 1981.[16] He finished his eight-year NHL career with a 103–93–34 record, 3.34 GAA and .891 SV% while recording 10 shutouts.[17]

Coaching and management career

After retiring as a player, he was hired by the New York Rangers and became one of the first goaltending coaches in professional hockey.[18] By January 1981, Thomas was third on the Rangers' goalie depth chart behind John Davidson and Doug Soetaert, and was seen by coach and general manager Craig Patrick to be more useful to the team as a coach;[19] Thomas was announced to be coaching the team's goalies on January 28.[20] He remained in that post till the end of the 1984–85 season, after which he became the head coach of the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, the Rangers' affiliate in the International Hockey League (IHL).[21] A season later, the Golden Eagles won the Turner Cup[15] and Thomas was awarded the Commissioner's Trophy as the Coach of the Year in the IHL.[22]

In 1986, he returned to the NHL as assistant coach of the Chicago Blackhawks,[23] a hiring based in part on his work with goalies such as Mike Vernon with the Golden Eagles, and Glen Hanlon and John Vanbiesbrouck with the Rangers.[24] Under head coach Bob Murdoch, Thomas focused on Chicago's goalies and was involved in the development of Jimmy Waite and Ed Belfour.[25] During the 1989–90 season, Thomas served as head coach of the St. Louis Blues' IHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen.[26] In January 1990, the Blues temporarily brought him to St. Louis as a de facto goaltender coach to consult on the development of Blues prospects Vincent Riendeau and Curtis Joseph.[26] That summer Thomas was officially named a Blues assistant coach,[27] with specialty in goaltending, and was specifically hired by head coach Brian Sutter for his experience.[28] Thomas stayed on as an assistant coach in 1992 when St. Louis replaced Sutter with Bob Plager.[29]

In 1993, Thomas left the Blues to become an assistant coach as well as an assistant to the general manager with the San Jose Sharks. He remained in that role until the 1995–96 season, when he was named assistant general manager. He was named vice president of the Sharks in 2001. He remained vice president and assistant general manager until his retirement in 2015.[15]

Personal life and death

Thomas had a bachelor's degree in physical education from the University of Wisconsin.[15] He and his wife, Barb, had two daughters.[30][15]

Thomas died of cancer in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on July 16, 2025, at the age of 77.[31][1]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1966–67 Morrisburg Combines Al-Cup — — — — — — — — — 3 0 2 127 13 0 6.14 —
1968–69 University of Wisconsin WCHA 16 9 6 1 943 44 2 2.80 .901 — — — — — — — —
1969–70 University of Wisconsin WCHA 21 14 7 0 1250 60 1 2.88 — 4 3 1 240 10 0 2.50 —
1970–71 Montreal Voyageurs AHL 33 8 17 6 1845 111 1 3.57 — 3 0 3 179 12 0 4.02 —
1971–72 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 41 22 8 10 2393 100 1 2.51 — — — — — — — — —
1972–73 Montreal Canadiens NHL 10 8 1 0 583 23 1 2.37 .911 — — — — — — — —
1972–73 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 6 — — — 300 8 1 1.60 — — — — — — — — —
1973–74 Montreal Canadiens NHL 42 23 12 5 2410 111 1 2.76 .905 — — — — — — — —
1975–76 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 64 28 24 12 3684 196 2 3.19 .900 10 5 5 587 34 1 3.48 .906
1976–77 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 33 10 13 6 1799 116 1 3.87 .890 4 1 2 201 12 0 3.58 .886
1977–78 New York Rangers NHL 41 12 20 7 2349 141 4 3.60 .883 1 0 1 60 4 0 4.00 .852
1978–79 New York Rangers NHL 31 15 10 3 1666 101 1 3.64 .866 — — — — — — — —
1979–80 New York Rangers NHL 12 4 7 0 664 44 0 3.98 .873 — — — — — — — —
1979–80 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 5 5 0 0 280 11 0 2.36 .927 — — — — — — — —
1980–81 New York Rangers NHL 10 3 6 1 597 34 0 3.42 .868 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 243 103 93 34 13,743 766 10 3.34 .891 15 6 8 848 50 1 3.54 .898
Source:[32]

Awards and honours

Award Year
All-WCHA Second Team 1969–70 [33]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Wayne Thomas, 1947–2025". NHL.com. July 16, 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  2. ^ "NHL Alumni ALL TIME". www.thecchl.ca. Central Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. ^ "League Awards (By Award)". www.thecchl.ca. Central Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "This week in Wisconsin hockey". Wisconsin Badgers. University of Wisconsin. January 24, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "2023–24 Men's Hockey Fact Book (PDF)" (PDF). Wisconsin Badgers. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Grimm, George (2019). Guardians of the Goal: A Comprehensive Guide to New York Rangers Goaltenders, from Hal Winkler to Ed Giacomin, Henrik Lundqvist, and All Those in Between. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-68358-328-8.
  7. ^ "Calder Cup Champions – Players". theahl.com. American Hockey League. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  8. ^ "Blues Goaltender Jordan Binnington Named NHL Rookie Of The Month". 590 The Fan. March 1, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  9. ^ Mulvoy, Mark (April 2, 1973). "A LOT MORE WHERE THEY CAME FROM". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Herman, Robin (October 11, 1977). "Rangers Acquire Thomas, a Goalie". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  11. ^ "Canadiens vs. Predators – Game Recap – November 14, 2009". ESPN. November 15, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Keese, Parton (June 19, 1975). "Rangers Make a 5 – Man Trade". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  13. ^ Brooks, Larry (December 4, 2016). "Ex-Ranger knows firsthand predicament of Isles' backup". New York Post. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  14. ^ Shea, Kevin; Wilson, Jason (2016). The Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club: Official Centennial Publication. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-0-7710-7931-3. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Longtime Sharks Front Office Executive Wayne Thomas Retires". NHL.com. July 2, 2015. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  16. ^ Clarity, James F. (May 7, 1981). "Rangers Eliminated, but Patrick Is Proud". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  17. ^ Stephens, Eric (July 16, 2025). "Longtime Sharks executive, former NHL goalie Wayne Thomas dies at 77". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  18. ^ Kennedy, Ryan (November 25, 2019). "Mask Mentors: How the coaching profession expanded to include the crease". TheHockeyNews. The Hockey News. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  19. ^ "Rangers Set Back Canucks, 7–5". The New York Times. January 25, 1981. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  20. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. January 28, 1981. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  21. ^ Yannis, Alex (July 12, 1985). "Shifts for 3 Rangers". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  22. ^ "Commissioners' Trophy award winners at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  23. ^ "Badgers' first NHLer Thomas passes away". Wisconsin Badgers. July 16, 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  24. ^ Tierney, Tim (June 10, 1987). "Hawks Hire Ex-Goalie Thomas as Assistant". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  25. ^ Tierney, Tim (October 1, 1987). "Hawks Drop Goalies Belfour, Waite". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  26. ^ a b Hamilton, Linda (January 12, 1990). "Ex-Eagle Skipper is Getting Attention". www.deseret.com. Deseret News. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  27. ^ "Deals". The New York Times. August 24, 1990. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  28. ^ Johnston, Mike (2011). Simply the Best: Insights and Strategies from Great Hockey Coaches. Heritage House Publishing Co. ISBN 978-1-926936-78-9. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  29. ^ "Plager named Blues head coach". UPI. May 1, 1992. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  30. ^ Halligan, John, ed. (1979–1980), The 1979–80 Ranger Yearbook, New York Rangers, p. 49
  31. ^ "Wayne Thomas, ex-NHL goalie, assistant and executive dies at 77". AP News. July 16, 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  32. ^ "Wayne Thomas Stats and News". NHL.com. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  33. ^ "Honors & Awards" (PDF). wcha.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. p. 169. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
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