Former goalie, Sharks executive Thomas dies at 77

Wayne Thomas, a goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers who played eight seasons in the NHL and later served as an executive with the San Jose Sharks, has died.

The Sharks announced Wednesday that the 77-year-old, who had cancer, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family.

Thomas was born in Ottawa on Oct. 9, 1947, setting off into his hockey career with the Ottawa Capitals of the Central Canada Hockey League between 1963-67 and being named the CCHL's top goalie in 1965-66.

He went on to play three years of varsity hockey at the University of Wisconsin under coach Bob Johnson and had a shutout in his first game in 1968, an 11-0 victory against Pennsylvania. In 1970, Wisconsin's first season in the WCHA, he helped lead the team to the Frozen Four Tournament.

Thomas's NHL rights were originally held by the Maple Leafs. He was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1968 with forwards Gary Croteau and Brian Murphy for forward Grant Moore and defenseman Lou Deveault.

He would be part of a six-player trade between the Kings and Canadiens on May 22, 1970, going to Montreal with defenseman Gregg Boddy and forward Leon Rochefort in exchange for forwards Lucien Grenier and Larry Mickey, and goalie Jack Norris.

Thomas spent the 1970-72 seasons in the American Hockey League with Montreal and Nova Scotia, winning the Calder Cup with Nova Scotia.

He made his NHL debut in 1972 with the Canadiens, becoming the 10th goalie in NHL history to have a shutout in his first game, a 3-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks. Thomas won his first seven home starts, going 8-1-0 overall with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 1972-73, and was a member of the Canadiens' Stanley Cup-winning team that season.

His 2.77 GAA was the fourth-best in the NHL in 1973-74, and on March 10, 1974, he set a Canadiens record with 53 saves in a 5-4 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins (since tied by Carey Price on Nov. 14, 2009).

Thomas was traded to the Maple Leafs on June 17, 1975, for a first-round selection in the 1976 NHL Draft (Peter Lee). During the 1975-76 season, he played in a career-high 64 games, had 28 wins and played in the NHL All-Star Game.

The Rangers claimed Thomas on Oct. 10, 1977, in the League's waiver draft and he would spend the next four seasons with them. He ended his NHL playing career in 1981, finishing with a record of 103-93-0 with 34 ties, a 3.34 GAA, .891 save percentage and 10 shutouts in 243 games (227 starts). He also appeared in 15 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

After retiring, Thomas was hired by the Rangers as a goaltending coach and remained in the position until the end of the 1984-85 season.

He was named coach of the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the International Hockey League in 1985. In his second year there, the team won the league championship and Thomas was awarded the Commissioner's Trophy as the IHL's Coach of the Year.

Thomas would serve as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues between 1986-93, joining the Sharks in 1993 as assistant to the general manager and assistant coach.

Over the next 21 years, he would take on a more advanced role in working with Sharks goaltenders and become the team's assistant general manager.

Thomas retired from the Sharks in 2015 after 45 years in pro hockey.