Prior to the NHL entry draft in 1979, McCarthy who was 19 at the time, and his agent Art Kaminsky threatened to sue the NHL over the minimum age of 20 to be eligible for the entry draft. The NHL moved the draft from June to August and lowered to minimum age for draft eligibility.[6][7] McCarthy was drafted in the first round (tenth overall selection) of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars.[2]
Playing career
McCarthy joined the North Stars after the draft at the age of 19 and made the team's opening day roster for the 1979–80 NHL season, playing in a 4–1 win over the Hartford Whalers on October 11, 1979.[8] His first NHL point came in his third game against the Buffalo Sabres on October 14, 1979, and his first two NHL goals against the New York Rangers in a 7–2 win on October 27, 1979.[8] McCarthy finished the regular season with 36 points, scoring 16 goals and logging 39 penalty minutes.[9] The North Stars finished 3rd in the Adams Division with a record of 36–38–16 and qualified for the 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs. In the first round, the North Stars swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in three games with McCarthy scoring 5 points with 2 goals. In the second round, the North Stars defeated the Montreal Canadiens in 4 games to 3, and during the series, McCarthy had one goal and one assist. In the semi-finals, the North Stars were eliminated four games to one by the Philadelphia Flyers, with McCarthy scoring 4 points with 2 goals.
He was selected to play in the 1983 NHL All-Star Game and ended that year with 28 goals in a career-high 80 games played. During the 1983–84 season, he finished fifth in the NHL in game-winning goals (7), seventh in power play goals (16), and ninth in shooting percentage (23.6). In the summer of 1985, he checked into rehab in California for alcohol dependency.[10][11] Later in the 1985–86 season, McCarthy had a number of injuries, missing the season opener with a knee injury, then later suffered injuries to his wrist, shoulder, thumb and contracted influenza.[10]
McCarthy was later traded to the Boston Bruins on May 16, 1986 for second and third-round picks.[12] The trade came after a series of injuries and McCarthy arriving late for practice on multiple occasions, McCarthy also did not agree to a contract extension with the North Stars and was set to become a free agent.[10] McCarthy did agree to a new contract with the Bruins before the trade was completed.[10] During his first season with the franchise, he recorded the fourth-highest shooting percentage (24.8). McCarthy retired as a player at the end of the 1987–88 season, finishing his career with 178 goals and 399 points. He had 12 goals and 38 points in the playoffs.[2] At the start of the 1989–90 season, McCarthy tried out for the Vancouver Canucks, failing to make the roster.[13]
Former North Stars general manager Lou Nanne described McCarthy as "one of the most talented" North Star players of all time.[14] During his playing time he earned the nickname "Jughead", and often played on a line with centre Neal Broten and Hall of Fame winger Dino Ciccarelli.[14]
Legal issues
After McCarthy retired from the NHL, he resided in Minnesota. There, he became involved with drug dealer Carl Thompsen. His activities resulted in McCarthy receiving a prison sentence of five years and ten months for conspiracy to traffic a truck full of marijuana in 1994.[15] As he was considered an illegal alien by U.S. authorities, he was sent to the U.S. Federal Leavenworth Penitentiary. He started a hockey program at Leavenworth, earning the respect of his fellow inmates and, eventually, a transfer to a prison in Canada to complete the final year of his full sentence.[15] McCarthy credited the hockey program he began in prison for stirring his passion for coaching.[14]
McCarthy was named head coach of the North Bay Trappers Junior "A" Hockey Club of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) on June 27, 2011.[16] He remained there for two seasons, leading the team to a NOJHL championship in 2013.[1] Later that same year, Tim Clayden – the Trappers' owner – founded an expansion team that same year called the Espanola Rivermen and brought McCarthy on as head coach. McCarthy stayed with the Rivermen when they left the NOJHL to join Clayden's new league, the Canadian International Hockey League,[17] which lasted just one season before folding in 2015.[18]
The NOJHL announced in May 2015 the establishment of another expansion team in Espanola called the Express. McCarthy joined the team as one of the owners and its head coach.[19] In August of the following year, McCarthy announced he was taking a head coaching position with HSC Csíkszereda in the Romanian Hockey League but would continue to remain involved with the Express as one of the owners.[20] He later resigned as Csíkszereda‘s coach in late November 2016. He subsequently returned to Espanola as the Express' head coach for the 2017–18 season.[21]
Personal life and death
After retiring from coaching, McCarthy resided in Chuburna, Yucatán, Mexico.[22] He was married to Tina McCarthy at the time of his death.[23]
McCarthy suffered a dissected aortic aneurysm and died in the hospital following surgery in Chuburna, Yucatán, Mexico, at the age of 61.[1][22]
^Simmons, Steve (May 27, 2020). "The great divide; The time Sherry Bassin passed on selecting Wayne Gretzky first overall". The Winnipeg Sun. p. S4. ProQuest2407167881.
^ abcdZgoda, Jerry (May 20, 1986). "Stars trade McCarthy to Bruins". Minneapolis Star and Tribune. p. 1D. ProQuest417669180.
^Woolsey, Garth (February 16, 1986). "Battling booze in the NHL Drinking may be no more of a problem in hockey than it is in the rest of society, but recent events have underlined the potential for excess and tragedy". Toronto Star. p. E3. ProQuest435403903.
^McMartin, Pete (September 11, 1989). "No Headline: [3* Edition]". Vancouver Sun. p. C1. ProQuest243548506.
^ abcRusso, Michael (February 21, 2016). "NHL insider: Hockey, prison and redemption; Ex-North Star learned lifes lessons at Leavenworth". Star Tribune. p. C4. ProQuest1768057164.
