Joseph Gerald George McNeil (April 17, 1926 – June 17, 2004) was a professional ice hockey goaltender who won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens between 1947 and 1956.
[1] McNeil was called up from the Cincinnati Mohawks of the American Hockey League (AHL) in March 1950 when Montreal's goaltender, Bill Durnan, was hit in the head with a skate blade.
[2] Durnan returned but felt he had lost his edge, so he announced that he sit out a playoff game against the New York Rangers.
McNeil initially refused to take "Bill's spot," so Durnan was asked to talk to his understudy in a private part of the dressing room.
"[4] The Canadiens won both games on goals by Maurice Richard and a stellar performance by McNeil, who was dubbed by the Detroit press, "the magician.
"[5] When the Canadiens went on to eliminate the heavily-favored Red Wings, Detroit's coach, Tommy Ivan, remarked, "Gerry McNeil was the difference.
In the 1954 Stanley Cup Finals McNeil suffered another overtime loss, this time in game seven when the puck was deflected past him by his teammate Doug Harvey.
He spent several winters in Panama City Beach, Florida with his hockey buddies: Elmer Lach, Ken Mosdell and Maurice Richard.