McCankie, a half back and ruckman, was only 16 when he made his league debut in 1941.
[2] He represented the VFL in the 1947 Hobart Carnival, having also appeared at interstate level in 1945.
[2] At the end of the 1950 season, the then vice-captain was in the running to replace Arthur Olliver as playing coach but the job went to Charlie Sutton instead.
[3] He instead took up the position of North Hobart captain-coach, leading them from 1951 to 1953, with the highlight being a grand final appearance in his first season.
In 1953 he captain-coached Tasmania in the Adelaide Carnival and won the first ever Lefroy Medal.