Alex McKendry

Alex McKendry
Alex McKendry
Born	November 21, 1956 (age 68); Midland, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Winger
Shot	Left
Played for	New York Islanders; Calgary Flames
NHL draft	14th overall, 1976; New York Islanders
WHA draft	15th overall, 1976; Indianapolis Racers
Playing career	1976–1983

Alex McKendry (born November 21, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 46 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Calgary Flames from 1978 to 1981. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1976 to 1983, was primarily spent in the Central Hockey League. He was a first round selection of the Islanders, taken 14th overall in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft. He appeared in six playoff games in the Islanders' Stanley Cup championship season of 1979–80. McKendry's most significant time in the NHL came in 1980–81 when he appeared in 36 games for the Flames.

Playing career

McKendry, a native of Midland, Ontario, played three seasons of junior hockey for the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL).^[1] His best with the Wolves was in 1975–76 when he had 43 goals and 102 points in the regular season and added 12 points in 16 playoff games.^[2] The Wolves reached the OMJHL championship series, where they were defeated by the Hamilton Fincups.^[3] McKendry was voted to the league's third all-star team.^[4]

The New York Islanders selected McKendry with their first round selection, 14th overall, at the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft.^[5] Additionally, he was selected by the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), 15th overall, in its 1976 Amateur Draft.^[6] He chose the NHL over the WHA, and though he impressed team officials in his first training camp, the Islanders assigned McKendry to their Central Hockey League (CHL) affiliate, the Fort Worth Texans. He appeared in 65 games in Fort Worth, scoring 7 goals and 14 assists. He made his NHL debut in 1977–78, appearing in four games with the Islanders,^[2] but spent the majority of the season in Fort Worth where the Texans won the Adams Cup as league champions.^[7]

McKendry again spent most of the 1979–80 season in the CHL, as a member of the Indianapolis Checkers, where he was named a league all-star after scoring 40 goals and 77 points.^[2] He was recalled by the Islanders during the 1980 Stanley Cup Playoffs following an injury to team star Mike Bossy. He scored the first two goals of his NHL career on April 12, 1980, against the Los Angeles Kings as part of a 6–0 victory that allowed the Islanders to win their preliminary round series.^[8] He appeared in six playoff games, adding two assists to his two goals,^[2] as the Islanders won their first Stanley Cup championship.^[9]

The Calgary Flames acquired McKendry prior to the 1980–81 season, trading a third round selection in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft on October 9, 1980.^[2] He enjoyed his most significant time in the NHL that season,^[10] appearing in 36 games with Calgary, scoring 3 goals and 6 assists.^[2] He was playing with the Flames' CHL affiliate, the Birmingham Bulls, when the team folded mid-season in February 1981 due to financial difficulty. He was assigned to the Fort Worth Texans for the remainder of the season.^[11]

McKendry never returned to the NHL. He played two additional seasons in the Flames system – 1981–82 with the Oklahoma City Stars and 1982–83 with the Colorado Flames –^[2] after which he retired as a player.^[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1973–74	Sudbury Wolves	OHA	61	4	8	12	173	4	0	1	1	0
1974–75	Sudbury Wolves	OMJHL	57	19	34	53	181	15	5	8	13	29
1975–76	Sudbury Wolves	OMJHL	65	43	59	102	121	16	4	8	12	15
1976–77	Fort Worth Texans	CHL	65	7	14	21	80	6	0	2	2	4
1976–77	Muskegon Mohawks	IHL	11	4	6	10	31	—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	New York Islanders	NHL	4	0	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	Fort Worth Texans	CHL	72	22	22	44	148	10	1	3	4	30
1978–79	New York Islanders	NHL	4	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Fort Worth Texans	CHL	59	12	26	38	202	5	0	2	2	4
1979–80	New York Islanders	NHL	2	0	0	0	0	6	2	2	4	0
1979–80	Indianapolis Checkers	CHL	76	40	37	77	64	4	2	4	6	7
1980–81	Calgary Flames	NHL	36	3	6	9	19	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Birmingham Bulls	CHL	10	1	5	6	23	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Fort Worth Texans	CHL	19	3	3	6	25	5	0	0	0	13
1981–82	Oklahoma City Stars	CHL	80	27	59	86	163	4	1	1	2	9
1982–83	Colorado Flames	CHL	72	25	42	67	44	5	0	2	2	4
CHL totals			453	137	206	343	749	39	4	14	18	71
NHL totals			43	3	6	9	21	6	2	2	4	0

References

Career statistics: "Alex McKendry player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2012-09-02.

^ Ornest, Leo, ed. (1981). 1981–82 Calgary Flames Fact Book. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 43.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Alex McKendry profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
^ Bell, Aaron (ed.). 2009–10 OHL Media Guide. Ontario Hockey League. p. 117.
^ Bell, Aaron (ed.). 2009–10 OHL Media Guide. Ontario Hockey League. p. 146.
^ "1976 draft choices". New York Islanders Hockey Club. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
^ "Alex McKendry statistics". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
^ "1976 NHL draft pick – Alex McKendry". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
^ "Islanders rout Kings, 6–0, and win series". New York Times. 1980-04-13. p. S5. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
^ "New York Islanders, 1979–80". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
^ ^a ^b Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. p. 567. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
^ "Bernhardt has pads, will travel". Calgary Herald. 1981-02-24. p. A19. Retrieved 2012-09-02.