Thank You, Maxy: The Life and Legacy of Peter McNab

No matter the circumstance, the person or the reasoning, Peter McNab had a remarkable knack for leaving places, people, and moments better than he found them.
It's no surprise that upon receiving the devastating news of his passing on Nov. 6 at age 70, that there was subsequently a unanimous outpour of recognition as a result of the innumerable lives he so graciously touched for the better as everyone tries to grapple with a world without the illuminating warmth that was Peter McNab.
McNab's legacy stems beyond just the hockey world - which is quite an impressive feat in and of its own - as he would go on to become an adoring fixture in the Colorado community.
There's no way to quantify the immeasurable loss of Maxy - his beloved nickname -- or a "Legendary Legend," as Altitude Sports TV Play-By-Play Analyst Marc Moser fondly referred to Peter as - but perhaps the only way to is to celebrate the incredible life that he so wholly lived and to praise the significant impact that he forever leaves behind.
Here's to celebrating Maxy:

A GOLDEN LAB ON A TEAM FULL OF BULL TERRIERS

Peter maintained the very same mellow temperament - as, "A golden lab on a team full of bull terriers," as fondly recounted by former Boston Bruins Coach Don Cherry - throughout his successful playing days and into his post-playing career as a broadcast analyst.

In a true testament to his exceptional athleticism, the Vancouver native - who had relocated to San Diego at the age of 14 - would go on to attend the University of Denver [DU] on a baseball scholarship, but later join the hockey team and defy the odds of what was uncommon back in the 1970s, of making the jump from NCAA hockey to the NHL after being drafted 85th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1972.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound centerman excelled in the NHL, where he completed a 14-year career with the Sabres (1973-76), Boston Bruins (1976-1984), Vancouver Canucks (1984-1985) and New Jersey Devils (1985-87), amassed 813 points (363G, 450A) through 955 regular-season games and produced six 35-plus goal seasons. He also dressed for the U.S. National Team at the 1986 World Championships in Moscow, Russia, and would go on to be inducted to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
"That was a tough era," Former Avalanche defenseman, captain (2009-11), two-time Stanley Cup Champion (1996 and 2001) Adam Foote said. "What he did to score and be productive - I mean he was in the stands fighting; he wasn't a fighter, but he would do it though. I look back at that era, I don't know if I would have liked playing. I look back at my era and there were two or three guys that could beat me up and that's not good, but back in his era and there's like seven or eight guys that could [beat you up]. Even the players today don't understand the era he played in. It was scary."
Despite his hefty stature, McNab wasn't wired as a bruising power forward nor did he play that way. Throughout his career, he only totaled 179 PIMs, but in somewhat of an ironic fashion, he was forever tied to the Mike Milbury Shoe incident.

During a game against the New York Rangers in 1979, Peter joined his Bruins teammates - including Milbury - in climbing into the stands at Madison Square Garden to confront fans, which eventually transpired into an iconic clip of Milbury striking a fan with his own shoe.
"That could not have been more opposite of who he was personality wise," Altitude Sports Radio Play-by-Play Conor McGahey said with a laugh. "Because really, he was like his dad, Max McNab, and both were gentle giants. [Peter] had the ability to make you feel like one of the best Bruins of all time. He made you feel like a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, you know what I mean? It was all him."

"I GOT ONE FOR YA"

Peter could have seamlessly pursued a path post-playing career in hockey operations - as his father Max did as both a General Manager and a coach or as his brother David did as a scout, executive, and most recently, senior vice president of hockey operations (with the Anaheim Ducks up until 2021).
But instead, Peter traded the skates and pads for microphone and broadcast booth as he retired from hockey at the end of the 1986-87 season and thus, transitioned into his post-playing career as a color analyst beginning with the Devils in 1987.
"He could have been a GM or coach because of experience," Foote said. "But I'm glad he wasn't. Hearing all these stories of what it was like working with him or how he interacted with the community, that was Pete. He touched people."

Following his eight-year stint broadcasting on SportsChannel and covering New Jersey, he returned to his roots as he moved back to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche's first-ever color analyst during the team's inaugural season in 1995.
And for a community new to the sport, Peter not only simplified the tactics and rules in a consumable fashion, but he chronicled the game, his experiences and sharp insight with such charm that he enchanted what would evolve into generations of avid, passionate hockey fans.
"We talk about his giant heart all the time," McGahey said. "Just think about it, he embedded himself among the community and used his gift of storytelling to teach. He helped bridge the gap to many, who knew nothing about hockey, as he shared his knowledge. He turned kids who were knew to the game - since the team came to Denver - into these lovers of not just hockey, but life. I know that sounds cheesy, but his effect to them and to everybody he just glowed all the time. Not everybody has that skill or that gift to be able to do that."
And just as Peter so aptly helped cultivate a community of engaged Avalanche fans, he served as a beloved mentor to his colleagues at Altitude Sports.
Whether it was Moser, McGahey, Kyle Keefe (Reporter and Host), Mark Rycroft (former NHL-turned-Studio Analyst), or TV Host and Reporters Lauren Gardner, Lauren Jbara and Katie Gaus, or Matt Krol (Vice President/General Manager/Executive Producer) Lee Blair (Graphics and Producer) Doug Menzies (Senior Producer/Director) and Brandon Svitak (Replay Operator), Paul Ladd (Producer/Editor) and Peter Aragon (Producer/Editor),Peter bestowed his wisdom and brilliant IQ of the sport onto them.

More often than not, Peter loved finding a deeper meaning in virtually anything to which he would famously come up to one of his colleagues, shake his index finger while bearing an infectious grin and say, "I got one for ya!'
"He would look through and find patterns of game notes and stat sheets and find something that nobody else could find," McGahey recalled. "That was a lesson that I learned from him when it came from stats. There would be this host or this reporter who would just read off stats and we'd watch that, and we'd go, 'OK, but what do those stats mean in regard to the game?' It made you go back and dig deeper so you weren't just regurgitating information. It made you think more about the deeper meaning or what the pattern was going on with that player or that team. He had the ability to educate the most advanced hockey minds or somebody who had never seen the game before, that's a lost art. That's what made him a special broadcaster."

THE ETERNAL OPTIMIST

Just as relatable and charismatic as Peter transmitted through the television screen, that sincerity was amplified when in his humble and gracious presence. It was no surprise that made such genuine connections with players, coaches and staff dating throughout all decades of his own career and post-career.
No matter the circumstance of being on or covering a Stanley Cup contender versus a team in the weeds of a tedious rebuild, Peter offered his same even-keel personality and sensible perspective.
For Foote, who experienced both the elation of hoisting the Stanley Cup - twice with the Avalanche - and the beginning of the team's eventual slump towards reconstruction, Peter was a staple and resource throughout his career in Colorado. Foote looked forward to his conversations with Peter on the team plane, where we would meander his way down the aisle to the back of the plane and the two would share conversations on not just hockey, but life.
"He was a mentor to me, and not just me, but to a lot of players," Foote said. "He had such accuracy of what was going on with our team and he knew how to handle it. [Former President and General Manager of the Avalanche] Pierre Lacroix was a very smart man and he knew that Peter knew. I could sense that Pierre knew he could trust Pete because he was like a coach, an uncle or a mentor… He just knew when to say the right things to us.
"When you'd look back at him on the plane after a big game and he'd give you a wink you'd be like, 'OK, Pete's happy, this is cool!'" Foote continued.

And as a proud alumnus of DU, Peter had a special affection towards his fellow Pioneers. After reciting an invite to Colorado's development camp in 2018, undrafted forward Logan O'Connor - who played three seasons at DU and won the 2017 national championship - O'Connor found himself on the receiving end of frequent visits at his stall from Peter during that camp.
O'Connor made the most of his opportunity and went on to forgo his senior season at Denver and join the Avalanche organization where he has been a mainstay the past two seasons and helped the club reach its third-ever Stanley Cup this past June. The now 26-year-old noted how much he'll cherish that Pioneer bond and those lively chats with Peter.
"He was really good at making everyone feel comfortable," O'Connor said. "He could make you feel like you'd known him for 20-plus years when you really maybe only had known him for a couple of years or even had just met him. He just had a way of making everyone feel special in different ways."

For current Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar, Peter's calming presence and astute observations were immensely appreciated as Bednar made the job from the AHL to the NHL and the Avalanche had a dismal 48-point season (2016-17) during his first year as the bench boss, before ascending to the juggernaut it is today.
"He was always the eternal optimist and had a way of making you feel good during those conversations," Bednar recalled. "Peter had a knack for seeing things, the subtle changes in our game, or the subtle changes in our players. We'd come off a night where we struggled, and he'd pick up the one or two positives in our team or certain individual players that would help pick you up. That's a gift that he had. He was such a student of the game. He would pick up things in the game before you even would as coaches or subtle changes in players. He was a great guy to talk to because he was always so intuitive in what you were doing with your team."

THE ULTIMATE EVERYTHING

A true testament to the incredible gentleman, fixture in the community, family man, and one-of-a-kind person, Peter was became overwhelmingly evident with the extensive outpour of love, support and sharing of stories that came to light in the aftermath of his passing.
"I'm almost ashamed that I didn't appreciate the magnitude of Pete when he was here," Keefe said. "We knew him as Pete, Maxy, but I didn't realize how global of a friend he was… Pete had a knack and ability to make people feel good about themselves when the cameras weren't around."

Whether it was as a teammate, a coworker, an endearing personality with a contagiously glowing smile on Altitude Sports, as a friend, a mentor, a proud Girl Dad or just as a friendly face, sporting jeans, a jacket, a ball cap and a notebook in attendance at every Avalanche practice, Peter didn't miss an opportunity to establish a meaningful and lasting connection with someone. For those fortunate enough to know him more and more over the years, his generosity, care and friendship had no limits.
And even in the wake of his own taxing cancer diagnosis in August of 2021 - followed by reaching remission this past February and a recent relapse, Peter maintained his hopeful, positive spirit throughout the entirety of his brave battle.
"When I think back to some of the most difficult moments in my life, he was there," Moser said. "He was there as the ultimate ear, the ultimate soundboard, the ultimate friend, the ultimate everything. It's impossible to comprehend what Pete has meant to all of us. His touch, his humanity, it just went to so many places. I'm so grateful it did. He touched so many people and so many lives in such a positive way."

THANK YOU, MAXY

Peter McNab enriched so many lives for the better and in doing so, left behind a vault's worth of countless special memories.
Whether that was endearing moments like his notoriously loud "Surfin in the U.S.A." ringtone ringing at - typically - the most inopportune times, but immediately sparking a roomful of exuberance as he not-so-hastily tried to silence it. Or his quick wit towards his counterparts on air followed by a signature smirk directed into the camera. Or his jovial mood always as he roamed the practice facility or pressbox, often donning a rainbow, pride pin of an Avalanche logo. Even his routine of stashing multiple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from the team plane for a "late night snack."

Or this past year where he got to witness his beloved Pioneers triumphantly claim their ninth national championship, followed by joining the Avalanche in Tampa, Florida as they victoriously became Stanley Cup Champions on June 26 and calling the game on-air with McGahey.
As a player, Peter helped the Sabres to the 1975 Stanley Cup Final, where they were beaten in six games by Philadelphia. So despite not ever winning himself, he didn't touch the Cup when it returned to Colorado this summer, but he did share a touching moment with the team's captain Gabriel Landeskog, who joined the team as a fresh, 18-year-old and is now days away from his 30th birthday - as the two embraced side-by-side and soaked up the moment while Peter delivered a live hit from the on-ice celebrations.
"What an amazing last moment to have," McGahey said. "You could hear his pure joy in the final call. You can hear him smiling ear-to-ear and just taking in the moment. To do that with him, that was the everlasting memory there to be able to call the Stanley Cup win with him by my side. I could not have wanted to share that with anybody else."
Perhaps most importantly, Peter leaves behind a legacy constructed on the value of friendship and altruism.

"Peter told me last summer, 'I have always believed that to have a friend, you must be a friend.'" Blair said. "In that case, Peter had thousands of friends, because Maxy was a friend to absolutely everyone he ever met. I am so thankful to be one of the very many lives that Peter touched. I will miss him dearly."
Peter not only bestowed upon us his brilliant wisdom on the x's and o's of the sport he so dearly loved and that was intrinsically ingrained in his DNA, but more importantly, he taught us the vitality of connections, the strengths in community, the ease of kindness, the magnitude of love and the gift of life, in all its candor, challenges, surprises and bliss.
Life without Peter McNab will never be quite the same. Yet because of him; his radiant generosity, authenticity and genuine heart which have sincerely impacted so many, the world is better for it.
Thank you, Maxy.