Sitting down with scout, coach, and NHL staple Tom McVie, for 60 years of hockey stories

Tom McVie is one of the best storytellers in the hockey world.

His strong, scratchy, deep voice adds to the telling of tales compiled across more than six decades in pro hockey. When puck drops on the new season, it will be the 83-year-old’s 25th consecutive season in the Bruins organization and 30th overall.

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During his pro career, he’s been a player, a player/coach, an NHL head coach and finally a scout, a role he’s served for the Bruins for almost two decades. He once moved a player from the third line to the fourth line, and when that player asked why, McVie responded: “Because we don’t have a fifth line.”

He’s quick and his wits are keen.

Call his cell, get his voicemail, and you’ll hear this: “Don’t wait for things to get easier, simpler, or better; life will always be complicated. Learn to be happy right now. Otherwise, you’ll run out of time.”

When McVie was 10 his father gave him some similarly sage advice: “What you’ve got to do — and I don’t know how you’re going to do it — but what you’ve got to do is try to find something you love to do, and then just talk someone into paying you for it.”

“He was the smartest man in the world, this guy,” McVie said with a laugh. “I’ve never had a real job. It’s great, just great.”

After a 20-year stint in the minors, the Bruins hired him to coach their minor-league affiliate, the Dayton Gems of the International Hockey League, in 1973-74. He later served as the coach for the Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and New Jersey Devils. McVie has experienced nearly everything there is about pro hockey and he enjoys sharing his stories.

The Athletic connected with McVie for a summer session of story hour and he did not disappoint, taking us through the start of his coaching career, his relationship with Bobby Orr, and how hockey saved his life after his wife passed away.

The Athletic: Tommy, tell the story how you started coaching in the Bruins organization.

McVie: Harry Sinden had just finished coaching Team Canada when I got the call to coach the Dayton Gems. It was just tremendous. I was a player/coach and I was learning to coach in the Bruins organization and I was developing players for the Bruins.

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But, I’ve got to tell you this story. I’m ready to develop players for the Dayton Gems and I get a call from Harry Sinden and he says, “Tommy, I’ve got a job for you before [Bruins] camp opens. We’re going to Wallace Arena in Fitchburg and we’re going to train there, but we’ve got guys coming off injury and the coaches can’t go near them, so we’re going to send them out to Fitchburg early and I want you to train them. I want you to have these guys ready in two weeks.” OK, so here we go. He sends me Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Matt Ravlich, Gilles Gilbert and a few other guys who were either coming off shoulder injuries, but mostly knee injuries.

I’m in tremendous shape. I would run six miles before breakfast and do 50 pushups. These guys, as you know in those days, when the season was over you would throw your skates in the trunk of your car – if you had a car – and you take them out before camp, wipe the rust off, the trainer would sharpen them up, you’d put them on and get on the ice again. [Players] would never go near a rink or skate during the summer. Now, they play all year round. Anyway, I have these guys and I would do some skating drills. I didn’t do stops and starts, because we were just starting out and I didn’t want them to blow out their groins. So, we’re doing these drills and Gilbert was in the net. We would do end-to-end rushes, and I’ve never seen a goalie that could skate as well in his pads. He could keep up with these guys. All the goalies I ever played with you had to help them to the net and help them stand in the crease because they couldn’t skate.

Anyway, we’re doing these drills and Phil was working so hard, his hair was all over his face and he was sweating, and I thought to myself, “Any minute now, Phil Esposito, who had scored 70-something goals, is going to come up to me and say, ‘Why don’t you go F_ yourself.’” I thought he would get off the ice and I would never see him again. He never said a word. But, this gets better.

Now, we’re doing all these drills and the great Bobby Orr skates up to me, while the other guys are skating around, and says, “Coach, I’ve got to ask you something. I’ve got brand new skates on and my feet are just killing me. Would I embarrass you if I just got off the ice and put my other skates on?’ What am I going to say to Bobby Orr? ‘No, Bobby you’re not getting off the ice.’

So, later in life when I was coaching, whenever a player would go off the ice and not say anything to the coach, and then would come back after going to the bathroom, or getting another stick, I would say, “You should’ve said something to me and show me some respect. If Bobby Orr can ask me to go change his skates, you can ask me to. Go F-off and get off the ice.” From then on, if a guy needed to get off the ice they would come ask and I’d say, “Yeah, go ahead.” When I was playing, if you got off the ice, you’d be off the ice all right. The Hockey News wouldn’t be able to find you.

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Anyway, now camp starts and all the players come in. [Johnny] Bucyk comes in and all these other guys, and the seven players I had stuck out like a sore thumb because these guys have been going for a week and a half, while the others didn’t do anything in the summer. My guys were jumping and the others asked, “What have you guys been doing?” They said, “That McVie is crazy.” That was my introduction to the famous Boston Bruins.

The Athletic: How does a kid from British Columbia become a Bruins fan?

McVie: Even when I was young, it was the Bruins for me. I was always a Milt Schmidt, Bruins fan. He was just unbelievable. We would have a street hockey game, and before we’d start I’d say, “I’m Milt Schmidt.” One time, I spoke at the Rhode Island Reds alumni dinner and Mr. Schmidt was there. He was in Boston and told the Reds, “If Tommy McVie is going to be the guest speaker, you send a car up for me I’ll come down.” So, Mr. Schmidt was there and I started telling the story of when I was young I pretended I was Milt Schmidt, but after about 30 or 40 years I learned two things. No. 1: There’s only one Milt Schmidt; and No. 2: I’m not him.

I went over to the table to sit with him and I was just in awe. I had known him a little bit before but not much. He said, “Tommy, that was nice but you talked about me too long.” It was one of the highest thrills of my hockey life.

The Athletic: You mentioned that you recently spoke with Rick Middleton about the Bruins retiring his No. 16 this upcoming season. How did that conversation go?

McVie: I was talking with Rick Middleton a few weeks ago to congratulate him and asked, “What took so long?” I couldn’t believe it took so long for this. It’s been 30 years before his jersey’s going up. I told him, “I know the reason.” He said, “Why’s that?” I told him, “Because I played against you a couple of times and you made the game look so easy they didn’t want to raise your sweater.” He was Nifty all right. The goals he scored were unbelievable. It took too long, but I’m so excited for him. It’s great.

The Athletic: Tell us another story about Bobby Orr.

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McVie: My wife passed away in 2003 and we have the Arlene McVie Skating Foundation. She skated as a young kid, taught skating and was quite the skater. In fact, everyone used to say that she skated way better than I did. That pissed me off because it was true. Anyway, we called every NHL team and we got jerseys signed by all the captains. Bobby said, “Whatever you need, you call me.” He sent me four or five signed pictures of him scoring the famous goal [to win the 1970 Stanley Cup] and we had them at the silent auction, along with all these jerseys, and we had Ray Bourque stuff, and we raised $100,000 that night in her name and the money went to buy skates for girls and boys under the age of 10. What they had to do was write me a letter why they needed skates. I would read through them and start crying. It was so touching and I would get pictures of little girls with their skates, or I would get a picture of a hockey player with his helmet on and stick. It was all paid for by the foundation. We gave all the money to the kids and used the rest to buy ice time. It was a thrill of a lifetime and Bobby Orr said, “Whatever you need.” He kept sending me more stuff. It was a great thing.

The Athletic: You always speak glowingly about your late wife and what she meant to you. How did hockey, and staying in the game help you after she passed?

McVie: It saved my life. It happened in March 2003 and I was just a mess. I was completely a mess. Good thing I didn’t drink, or anything, because I’m sure I would’ve been a drunk. I used to drink beer but not anymore. Anyway, the Bruins were playing New Jersey in the playoffs at the time and I was just a mess. Harry Sinden and Mike O’Connell called me. They told me, “Look, we want you to come back here right now.” I said, “I don’t think I can. I just don’t think I can.” They wanted me to come back and be part of the playoffs, so I did. I got off the plane in Newark, went to the rink, and usually I’m the loudest guy in the arena, but I was quiet.

I traveled with the team and unfortunately they didn’t win. When we got back to Boston, I started to come around. I would say Harry Sinden and Mike O’Connell, at the time, pretty much saved my life. I know I sound a little excited about that, but if I had been sitting at home, I’m not sure what would have happened. Hockey saved me.

The Athletic: You said you’re remarried, so how does your wife feel about you and the game?

McVie: She doesn’t quite get it. She’ll say, “All you ever do is talk about hockey.” I say, “Yeah. Well, I’ve been hanging around the truck depot at the gravel pit and all those guys talk about is truck driving. I go down to the railroad station and all those guys talk about trains. That’s why I talk about hockey [laughter].

The Athletic: What’s the one hockey story you like to tell?

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McVie: I tell this story all the time: I was coaching the Winnipeg Jets and they were an expansion club. I’m the only guy walking on this planet that’s coached three expansion clubs and can still carry on a little bit of a conversation [laughter]. Anyway, this writer, a young fellow, comes along and I’ve never seen him before. He was carrying a recorder, comes in and sticks the microphone in the face and asked, “Are you Tom McVie?” Like, who doesn’t know who I am? Everyone knows who I am [laughter]. So, I said, “Yeah.” He said, “Well, let me ask you something. Are you the Tom McVie that coached the Washington Capitals and they set a league record for losing games?” I said, “Yes. I’m Tom McVie.” He said, “Are you the Tom McVie that coached the Winnipeg Jets and you broke that losing record? Now, you’re coaching the New Jersey Devils and you’re in danger of setting a new losing record?” I said, “Yeah.” He said, “Did you ever think of quitting?” And I said, “Fuck, no. This is the only thing I’m really good at.”

The Athletic: Speaking of coaching jobs, the last one you had was with the Providence Bruins during the 1997-98 season. Providence went 19-49-7-5, so how would you describe that season?

McVie: That was my 27th year in coaching, I was so happy to be back in the Bruins organization and I loved it in Providence. They had a great rink downtown. I lived in those apartments across the street and I could walk over to the rink. In fact, I can tell you a story about that. I was walking down from my apartment and the light was red, so I was standing there waiting for the light to change when a car pulled up and slowed down. There were no other cars around and there was a bumper sticker on the front and it said: “Jesus loves you.” Then the car pulled away and on the back bumper it said: “But everyone else in Providence thinks you’re an asshole.” What was that?

Anyway, I coached, and I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t get that team to win. We would go into the second period with the lead, but we blew third-period leads like no one else in hockey. I don’t know. The team was in great shape. Rod Langway was coaching with me and he did a pretty good job, but I don’t know. I loved my players. I was tough on them because I didn’t want them hanging around the American League. I was there to develop players. I wanted them to get the hell out of there. I’d say to a guy, “If you’re happy about playing here we don’t want you here. We want you to develop and move up to the National League.”

In Providence, it was a tough year. We only won 19 games. I think the players just turned me off. I had been coaching a long time and I had never ran into that before. It just didn’t work out. I’m not upset with anybody, because I didn’t get the job done. I really did love it there. The year came and went and I got fired and I never coached another game after that – never. It didn’t work out because I didn’t get the job done. Peter Laviolette came in the next year and they won the championship and he did a hell of a job coaching there and now he’s coaching in Nashville.

I’m certainly not bitter. I’m just excited about every day working in hockey and I love the Bruins. I just wish I could’ve done a better job and stayed in Providence and coached more, but it didn’t work out.

Top file photo of McVie, left, with Don Cherry, right, with Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images

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