Rob McClanahan
Bruce McClanahan | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1958 |
| Occupation | Ice hockey player |
| Years active | 1980–1984 |
| Known for | Member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won gold |
Robert Bruce McClanahan (born January 9, 1958) is a retired American professional ice hockey athlete who participated in 224 National Hockey League (NHL) contests representing the Buffalo Sabres, Hartford Whalers, and New York Rangers from 1980 to 1983. He played a pivotal role on the U.S. men's Olympic hockey squad that triumphed over the Soviet Union on their way to securing gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid.
Amateur and international career
Before advancing to collegiate hockey, McClanahan attended Mounds View High School. He then competed for three seasons with the University of Minnesota, contributing to their 1979 NCAA national championship victory. Following his participation in the 1979 World Championship in Moscow, he committed full-time to the U.S. Olympic team, amassing 34 goals across 63 exhibition matches. During the 1980 Winter Olympics, McClanahan tallied five goals in seven games and scored the winning goal against Finland in the gold medal match, clinching a 4–2 victory just two days after the iconic triumph over the Soviet team.
Early in the Olympic tournament, McClanahan suffered an upper thigh contusion during the opening game versus Sweden. This injury, combined with an earlier absence of teammate Jack O'Callahan due to injury, left the roster depleted. A memorable conversation with coach Herb Brooks during intermission inspired McClanahan to persevere through his pain, helping secure a crucial comeback draw that was instrumental in the team's ultimate gold medal achievement.
Professional career
McClanahan was drafted forty-ninth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft but commenced his NHL career with them shortly after the Olympics in 1980. His tenure in the NHL was relatively short and mainly involved playing supporting roles. Throughout his professional journey, he alternated between NHL appearances and time spent in the AHL. During part of the 1983–84 season, he played in the CHL with the Tulsa Oilers before concluding his playing days under former Olympic coach Herb Brooks with the New York Rangers in 1984. Additionally, McClanahan suited up for the Hartford Whalers during the 1981–82 season and represented Team USA at the 1981 Canada Cup.
Post-playing career
Upon retiring from professional hockey, McClanahan transitioned into finance. He began at Morgan Stanley in 1985 and later held positions at Bear Stearns and Piper Jaffray, where he advanced to managing director. In March 2002, he joined ThinkEquity Partners’ Minneapolis branch as Principal and Head of Trading.
McClanahan also made a guest appearance on American Dad! during season 6, episode Return of the Bling.
Currently, he serves as head coach for The Blake School boys varsity hockey team.
In popular culture
In the 2004 Disney movie Miracle, which chronicles the U.S. Olympic team's gold medal victory in 1980, McClanahan was portrayed by actor Nathan West, himself a former junior hockey goaltender who sports a tattoo of the National Hockey League emblem. Earlier, in the 1981 television film Miracle on Ice, actor Ken Stovitz took on the role of McClanahan.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1975–76 | Mounds View High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 40 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 38 | 17 | 25 | 42 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 43 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | United States | Intl | 63 | 34 | 36 | 70 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 13 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1980–81 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 53 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | ||
| 1980–81 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 18 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 17 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Binghamton Whalers | AHL | 27 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | New York Rangers | NHL | 5 |9 |14 |10 | 2 |5 |7 |2 | ||||||||||
| 1981–82 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 4 |5 |9 |0 | |||||||||||
| 1982–83 | New York Rangers | NHL | 22 |26 |48 |46 | 2 |5 |7 |12 | ||||||||||
| 1983–84 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 4 |10 |14 |10 | |||||||||||
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3"|NHL totals !224 !!38 !!63 !!101 !!126 !34 !!4 !!12 !!16 !!31
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | United States | WC | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| 1980 | United States | OLY | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1981 | United States | CC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Overall senior statistics | 21 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 10 | |||