Former National Hockey League goaltender Wayne Thomas of Ottawa, Ontario passed away on Wednesday at the age of 77 according to the Associated Press. The cause of death was cancer.
Thomas played eight National Hockey League seasons from 1972 to 1981 with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers. He won a Stanley Cup ring with the Canadiens in 1973, and was a NHL All-Star with the Maple Leafs in 1975-76.
In 243 NHL regular season games, Thomas had a record of 103 wins, 93 losses and 34 ties. He had 10 shutouts, a goals against average of 3.34 and a save percentage of .891. Thomas’s first NHL shutout was memorable. That is because he became the 10th goaltender to record a shutout in his NHL debut according to nhl.com. He accomplished the feat by making 20 saves in a 3-0 Canadiens win over the Vancouver Canucks on January 14, 1973.
When Thomas was an All-Star with the Maple Leafs, he had a record of 28 wins, 24 losses and 12 ties. He had two shutouts, a goals against average of 3.20 and a save percentage of .900. Thomas’s first shutout of the All-Star season came on November 1, 1975, as he made 22 saves in a 3-0 Maple Leafs win over the Kansas City Scouts. Thomas’s second shutout of the All-Star season came on February 25, 1976 in an 8-0 Maple Leafs win over the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas made 27 saves.
After his playing career, Thomas remained in hockey. He was an assistant coach for the Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks. Thomas was also the Sharks’ assistant general manager.
