{{Infobox ice hockey player | played_for = Calgary Flames<br>Tampa Bay Lightning<br>Philadelphia Flyers<br>Carolina Hurricanes<br>New York Rangers<br>Boston Bruins | position = Right wing | shoots = Right | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 3 | weight_lb = 235 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|6|15|mf=y}} | birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | draft = 52nd overall | draft_year = 1991 | draft_team = Calgary Flames | career_start = 1992 | career_end = 2004 }}'''Sandy McCarthy''' (born June 15, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.
==Playing career==
McCarthy grew up playing minor hockey in the Barrie Minor Hockey Association with the Flyers rep program. He began playing hockey in the Georgian Bay Junior C Hockey League with the Midland Centennials and the Central Junior A Hockey League for the Hawkesbury Hawks.
In May 1989, McCarthy was selected by the Niagara Falls Thunder in the 11th round (163rd overall) of the OHL Priority Selection. After not being signed by the Thunder, McCarthy's rights were waived to QMJHL Laval Titan where as a power forward, starred for 3 years - including a trip to the Memorial Cup in Hamilton in 1990.
McCarthy was selected by the Calgary Flames in the third round (52nd overall) of the 1991 NHL entry draft. Following his junior career, his next stop was during the 1992–93 season for the IHL's Salt Lake Golden Eagles. Throughout his career with the Flames he played the role as the enforcer, with many major fights.<ref name="Hockey Hall of Fame">{{cite web|title=Hockey Hall of Fame|url=http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11057|access-date=2017-03-26|archive-date=2017-09-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905093838/http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11057|url-status=dead}}</ref>
While playing in the NHL, McCarthy became well known for incidents surrounding racial slurs. In the year 1998, McCarthy was accused of racial insensitivity in the form of gestures against Black-Canadian player Peter Worrell.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/07/sports/nhl-notebook-tampa-bay-nhl-investigates-alleged-racial-slurs.html|title=N.H.L.: Notebook -- Tampa Bay; N.H.L. Investigates Alleged Racial Slurs|agency=Associated Press|date=1998-10-07|work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Along with teammate Darcy Tucker, allegations were denied and the victim, Worrell, also confirmed he had not seen or heard any racial insults made towards him from either of the Tampa Bay players. McCarthy stated that growing up half aboriginal and half black, he would "never go there" because he had to go through racial taunts growing up.<ref name=":0" /> This incident occurred during a game against the Florida Panthers while McCarthy was with Tampa Bay Lightning in 1998.
The following season in 1999, McCarthy was playing for the Philadelphia Flyers when he stated that Toronto Maple Leafs player Tie Domi made racial slurs towards him. Domi insisted this was a false accusation against him and went on to say he had no respect for McCarthy and would never partake in a fight with him. An NHL investigation was also conducted that reinforced Domi's denial.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2011/8/16/2365520/tie-domi-vs-sandy-mccarthy|title=Tie Domi vs Sandy McCarthy|date=2011-08-16|work=Pension Plan Puppets|access-date=2018-03-26}}</ref>
As his time in the NHL progressed, he switched from his role as a power forward in junior hockey to more of a pressure player, offensively as well as defensively.<ref name="Hockey Hall of Fame"/>
McCarthy played in Calgary for five years before being traded, in 1998, to the Tampa Bay Lightning, for a short stay. His next stop was with the Philadelphia Flyers for the next two seasons then a brief stint for the Carolina Hurricanes. McCarthy then moved on to the New York Rangers in August 2000 where he scored a career high 11 goals. The next season, he scored a career high in points with 23.
One of his more infamous fights happened while a member of the New York Rangers. In a game on November 8, 2001, against the New York Islanders, McCarthy challenged defenceman Eric Cairns to a fight which Cairns refused. Later in the shift, McCarthy scored and as McCarthy celebrated, Cairns gave him a jab to the jaw, which led to a fight between Cairns and Steve McKenna. While Cairns was in the penalty box, he was called chicken by Theoren Fleury who flapped his arms like a chicken to suggest that Cairns was afraid to fight McCarthy, who flexed his biceps and looked at Cairns.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dellapina |first=John |date=December 21, 2001|title=Rangers Issue Fightin' Words McCarthy, Fleury Target Isles' Cairns |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/rangers-issue-fightin-words-mccarthy-fleury-target-isles-cairns-article-1.926844 |work=NY Daily News|location=New York|access-date=November 28, 2001}}</ref> The next time the two teams played against each other on December 21, 2001 Cairns fought McCarthy and beat him.<ref>{{cite news|last=Caldwell|first=Dave|date=December 22, 2001|title=Hockey; Cairns Doesn't Back Down, and Neither Do Isles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/22/sports/hockey-cairns-doesn-t-back-down-and-neither-do-isles.html|work=The New York Times|location=New York|access-date=27 November 2017}}</ref>
McCarthy signed with the Boston Bruins during the summer of 2003 then was claimed off waivers at the 2004 trade deadline by the Rangers.
In 2012, McCarthy was inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame in Barrie, Ontario.<ref>{{cite web|title=Free Press Online Sports|url=http://www.madhunt.com/hornets-huntsville-prvu-20121005.html|work=Hornets coach inducted in Barrie Sports Hall of Fame|access-date=1 December 2012}}</ref>
In his 735 games, 15 season NHL career, McCarthy recorded 72 goals, 76 assists and 1554 penalty minutes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Barrie Sports Hall of Fame Society|url=http://www.bshof.ca/?p=825|access-date=1 December 2012}}</ref> In his 11 seasons in the NHL he made just over 7 million dollars, increasing his yearly amount each year he played.<ref>{{cite web|title=Salary History|url=http://www.hockeyzoneplus.com/salaries/2512|access-date=26 March 2017}}</ref>
== Coaching career == After 15 seasons in the NHL, McCarthy changed his focus from professional hockey to becoming an assistant head coach with the Woodstock Slammers, a Junior A team in New Brunswick.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web|url=http://slammershockey.ca/news.php?news_id=1103650|title=Slammers Hire Assistant Head Coach|website=slammershockey.ca/news}}</ref> Andrew McCain, President of the Junior A team stated McCarthy was a "motivator who had strong beliefs in detection and discipline" which would help the team reach their goal of making it to the Royal Bank cup.<ref name=":03" /> In 2015, McCarthy became a part of the coaching staff of the team and later became the head coach.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://slammershockey.ca/news.php?news_id=1641746 |title=Banquet Held |website=slammershockey.ca/news}}</ref>
==Personal life== McCarthy's father is Black, while his mother is a white woman from Newfoundland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.saipantribune.com/index.php/94825394-1dfb-11e4-aedf-250bc8c9958e/ |title=NHL faces another racial accusation |date=29 April 1999 |publisher=Saipan Tribune |accessdate=January 27, 2023}}</ref> He claims that his mother also has Mi'kmaq ancestry.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E4D7173BF934A35753C1A96E958260|title=N.H.L.: Notebook -- Tampa Bay; N.H.L. Investigates Alleged Racial Slurs |newspaper=The New York Times|date=1998-10-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E7D9153DF93BA15757C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1|title=Sports of The Times; Hockey Pioneer Takes the Sport to Another Level|newspaper=The New York Times|author=Rhoden, William C.|author-link=William C. Rhoden|date=1999-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Native Hockey|url=http://nativehockey.com/past-legends/|access-date=26 March 2017|date=2015-10-25|archive-date=2022-01-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110140558/http://nativehockey.com/past-legends/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Born in Toronto, McCarthy moved to Barrie, Ontario as a young boy and lived across the street from the rink in Allandale.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pereira |first=Gene |title=Former NHLer says he'll always respect enforcers|url=http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2012/10/02/former-nhler-says-hell-always-respect-enforcers|access-date=1 December 2012|newspaper=The Barrie Examiner|date=2 October 2012}}</ref> He now lives in Woodstock, New Brunswick. He was previously the head coach of the Campbellton Tigers of the Maritime Hockey League but left in September 2021 to focus on his personal health. He was replaced as Head Coach by Charles Leblanc.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sandy McCarthy to put career on hold for Health Reasons |url=https://www.campbelltontigershockey.ca/sandy-mccarthy-to-put-career-on-hold-for-health-reasons |date=September 9, 2021 |publisher=Campbellton Tigers |access-date=November 4, 2023}}</ref>
==Career statistics== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 1987–88 | Midland Centennials | GBJHL | 18 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — |-bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1988–89 | Hawkesbury Hawks | CJHL | 42 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 139 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1989–90 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 65 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 269 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 60 |-bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1990–91 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 68 | 21 | 19 | 40 | 297 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 67 |- | 1991–92 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 62 | 39 | 51 | 90 | 326 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 81 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1992–93 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 77 | 18 | 20 | 38 | 220 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1993–94 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 79 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 173 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1994–95 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 37 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 101 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 |- | 1995–96 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 75 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 173 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1996–97 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 33 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 113 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1997–98 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 52 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 170 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1997–98 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 14 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1998–99 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 67 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 135 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1998–99 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |- | 1999–2000 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 58 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 111 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1999–2000 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2000–01 | New York Rangers | NHL | 81 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 171 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2001–02 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 171 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2002–03 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2003–04 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 37 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2003–04 | New York Rangers | NHL | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 736 ! 72 ! 76 ! 148 ! 1534 ! 23 ! 0 ! 2 ! 2 ! 61 |}
==Transactions== *March 24, 1998 – Traded by the Calgary Flames, along with Calgary's 1998 3rd and 5th round draft choices, to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Jason Wiemer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.foxsports.com/nhl/calgary-flames-team-transactions?year=1998&month=1&type=6 |title=1998 NHL Transactions: Calgary Flames, Traded |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 4, 2017 |work=Fox Sports |access-date=September 4, 2017 |quote=}}</ref> *March 20, 1999 – Traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning, along with Mikael Andersson, to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Colin Forbes and Philadelphia's 1999 4th round draft choice.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/21/sports/nhl-trade-roundup-islanders-3-veterans-are-traded-as-rebuilding-begins.html|title=N.H.L.: Trade Roundup -- Islanders; 3 Veterans Are Traded As Rebuilding Begins|first=Tarik|last=El-Bashir |work=The New York Times |date=March 21, 1999|access-date=September 4, 2017}}</ref> *March 14, 2000 – Traded by the Philadelphia Flyers to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Kent Manderville.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/hurricanes-acquire-sandy-mccarthy-from-philadelphia/c-470966 |title=Hurricanes Acquire Sandy McCarthy From Philadelphia |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 14, 2000 |website=nhl.com |publisher=Carolina Hurricanes |access-date=September 4, 2017 |quote=}}</ref> *August 4, 2000 – Traded by the Carolina Hurricanes, along with Carolina's 2001 4th round draft choice, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Darren Langdon and Rob DiMaio.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/05/sports/hockey-rangers-trade-for-toughness.html |title=Hockey; Rangers Trade for Toughness |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 4, 2000 |website=nhl.com |publisher=The New York Times |access-date=September 4, 2017 |quote=}}</ref> *August 12, 2003 – Signed as a free agent with the Boston Bruins.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11057 |title=NHL Player Search: Sandy McCarthy |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 4, 2017 |website=hhof.com |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |access-date=September 4, 2017 |quote= |archive-date=September 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905093838/http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11057 |url-status=dead }}</ref> *March 9, 2004 – Claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers from the Boston Bruins.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=1755000 |title=Rangers' dump aids Senators' quest |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 9, 2004 |website=espn.com |publisher=ESPN |access-date=September 4, 2017 |quote=}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Ice hockey stats}} {{S-start}} {{Succession box| before = Adam Graves | title = Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Winner | years = 2000–01 NHL season through<br> 2001–02 NHL season | after = Matthew Barnaby}} {{S-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccarthy, Sandy}} Category:1972 births Category:Black Canadian ice hockey players Category:Black Canadian sportsmen Category:Boston Bruins players Category:Canadian ice hockey right wingers Category:Calgary Flames draft picks Category:Calgary Flames players Category:Carolina Hurricanes players Category:Laval Titan players Category:Living people Category:New York Rangers players Category:Philadelphia Flyers players Category:Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) players Category:Ice hockey people from Barrie Category:Ice hockey people from Toronto Category:Tampa Bay Lightning players