by Phil Johnson, Toronto Sun
There’s a red and white blur as Toronto Tomahawks’ goaltender Bob McCready scoops up a ball and arcs his oversized stick to direct a pass up the floor.
McCready streaks to the bench to begin general manager-coach Jim Bishop’s National Lacrosse League version of musical chairs. As McCready reaches the near players’ gate, alternate goalie Ron Thomas bounds out the far gate to gain five yards on the play. The small but vocal crowds at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens love it.
Bob (Buffer) McCready, a 33-year-old inspector at General Motors’ St. Catharines, Ont., plant, joined Tomahawks from Syracuse Stingers in a deal which saw Stingers acquire goalie Rick Palla. He was an instant hit, blocking everything in sight as he anchored three straight wins before giving way to fatigue in the fourth game. He has been one of the most consistent NLL stoppers.
Thomas had been with Tomahawks since day one, but gained alternate status only recently when Roger Williams was released, eventually finding his way to Maryland Arrows to complete a previous deal. Two short years ago, McCready and Thomas were netminders with Brantford Warriors who went on to the national senior box lacrosse championship — the Mann Cup.
There seemed little chance after the NLL’s inaugural draft that the two would again become teammates. Montreal Les Quebecois selected first irf the goalie draft and grabbed Dave Wedlock. Stingers had second choice and wasted no time in naming McCready. Tomahawks selected fourth and picked the “best young offensive goaltender” — Palla.
Even Bishop admitted that McCready was “by far the best offensive goaltender in lacrosse.” It was Stingers’ misfortune that permitted McCready to become available 10 games into the season. A majority of the Stingers moved to the Syracuse area, while McCready was forced to remain in St. Catharines to protect his seniority at GM. Commuting between Syracuse and St. Kitts presented problems the club couldn ‘t overcome. So the best offensive goalie in box lacrosse went on the trading block, much to the delight of Bishop, Tomahawks’ assistant coach Bob Hanna and chief scout Frank Wilbur. “He can outrun most forwards,” said Bishop soon after the trade, permitting an unprofessional chortle to escape his lips. “If what we need is a superstar to draw people to the Gardens, McCready is the man. “It’ll take a while, though,” this reporter was warned, “He hasn’t been practising with Syracuse and he’s only been in two ball games, so don’t expect a lot right off the bat.
” Bishop needn’t have worried. In his first game in the red and white Toronto uniform, McCready played just over 12 minutes of shutout ball to start the game, moved the ball up the floor with authority and kept the crowd alive throughout. Goaltenders in lacrosse are respected, not so much for their considerable athletic prowess as for their bravery under fire. Few soldiers have faced the nightly barrage these men in the masks must face in every lacrosse game. “It is definitely a two-goalie set-up for teams now,” said Thomas, a 34-year-old youth counsellor and full-blooded Cayuga from the Six Nations reserve near Brantford, Ont. “There is just too much for one man to handle. With the calibre of shooters you have in this league, there’s twice as much chance of serious injury. These guys play for keeps and a goalie — especially a goalie who likes to roam out of his crease — is open for anyone to run at him. Having a second goaltender is a must.”
Thomas and McCready admit their friendship is an asset and neither feels resentment when the other gets the call on a given night. “If a guy is hot and wins a game for you, I say leave him in there because everyone has his ups and downs,’,’ said McCready. “If both guys are going well, then it works to the team’s advantage to get them into the action. We like to get our fast break moving and that means running. A tired goalie isn’t going to be as ef- fective. ‘ Bishop feels he has the best one-two punch in the league, although Philly Wings (Wayne Platt), Rochester (Merv Marshall) and Montreal (Wedlock) might disagree.
“Thomas is a good stopper and Buffer can initiate a running attack like no one else. The combination will be healthy for us,” said Bishop. “Healthy,” is a word that shouldn’t be in Bishop’s vocabulary what with the rash of injuries on his team. His fingers will be crossed that Thomas and McCready remain in their present sound physical state.
A trifle paunchy at nearly 200 pounds on his six-foot frame, McCready was bathed in sweat after that first game with Tomahawks. “I’ve got to get in shape or this heat will kill me,” he said. Everybody on a Jim Bishop team gets in shape — or wastes away trying. Buffer McCready was within commuting distance and joined the training grind at York University. Nearly a month later, with Tomahawks battling for breathing room in third place and Quebecois hot on their tail, McCready played the entire 60 minutes against league-leading Rochester Griffins, shutting them out in the first period, and Tomahawks won handily in steamy 95-degree heat.
“I’m in shape now,” McCready said. “I had to strip right down to the bare facts between periods and towel off but I made it through the whole game. ” The paunch did look a lot less imposing.