Wayne Thomas, a former goaltender who spent his last four years in the NHL with the Rangers, died Monday after a battle with cancer, the Sharks said in a statement on Wednesday. He was 77.
An undrafted netminder out of Ottawa, Ontario, Thomas enjoyed an eight-year career in the league before he made the jump into management. He played for the Canadiens, Maple Leafs and the Rangers, who claimed him in the 1977 Waiver Draft to serve as a tandem with John Davidson.
When he hung up the skates in 1981, Thomas finished with a 103-93-34 record, a 3.34 goals-against average and 10 shutouts.
He posted a 34-43-11 record over four years with the Blueshirts.
The Rangers hired Thomas as a goaltending coach after he retired, making him one of the first of his kind in professional hockey. He remained in that post through the 1984-85 season.
Thomas later became the head coach of the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in the International Hockey League. The Golden Eagles won the Turner Cup, the league’s championship trophy, in just his second year at the helm – a feat he earned the Commissioner’s Trophy for as the IHL’s Coach of the Year.
After serving as an assistant coach with the Blackhawks and Blues, Thomas joined the Sharks as assistant to the general manager and assistant coach.
The Canadian made his mark on the organization over the next 21 years, rising from a day-to-day goalie coach to assistant general manager.
Thomas capped 45 years in hockey when he retired from his post as the Sharks’ vice president and assistant general manager in 2015.
According to the Sharks, Thomas passed peacefully at home surrounded by his family.
