Former Buffalo Sabres forward Peter McNab passed away earlier this week at the age of 70. McNab had most recently served as the broadcaster for the Colorado Avalanche, a position he held since 1995, and got to see the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup earlier this year.
McNab, a Vancouver native, was drafted by the Sabres 85th overall in 1972. After another year at the University of Denver, he joined the AHL’s Cincinnati Swords before making his Buffalo debut in the 1973-74 season.
He played three seasons with the Sabres organization, from 1973 until 1976. He went on to spend the majority of his NHL career with the Boston Bruins, then spent two seasons each with the Canucks and Devils before hanging up the skaters in 1987. His time in Boston, of course, included a physical confrontation with a fan, which led to the infamous Mike Milbury shoe moment.
In total, he skated in 954 regular-season NHL games and accrued 813 points. In addition to his broadcast work with the Avalanche, he also worked with the Devils and internationally for the Olympics in Turin, Nagano and Salt Lake City.
To this day, he remains in the Bruins’ top ten career leaders in goals, points and playoff scoring. He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2021.