Basil McRae
Basil Mcrae
Basil McRae was born on January 5, 1961 in Beaverton, Ontario. He played his major junior hockey with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). In the 1980 NHL entry draft, the Quebec Nordiques drafted McRae in the 3rd round, 87th overall. He played 20 regular season games and 9 playoff matches with the big club in 1981, later spending some time with the Fredericton Express of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Richard Turmel and spent a couple of years toiling in the minors with the St. Catharines Saints of the AHL. In 1985 Basil signed as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings but was traded back to his original team, the Nordiques along with John Ogradnick and Doug Shedden for Brent Ashton, Gilbert Delorme and Mark Kumpel.
At the start of the 1987 season he signed with the Minnesota North Stars, the team he would have the most success with. The 1987-88 season saw McRae play the whole 80 game season with the North Stars, the first time he played a full season in the NHL. He formed a tough enforcer duo along with Shane Churla, leading the league in penalty minutes with 351 in 1989. The Tampa Bay Lightning claimed him in the 1992 expansion draft and traded him to the St. Louis Blues in 1993. After a couple of seasons in the Blues organization, Basil McRae signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1996 and only managed to play in 8 games before retiring from professional hockey.