|
View: Previous | Next
|
| 1981 NHL DRAFT PICK |
 |
Kirk McCaskill
Selected in fourth round
No.
64 overall by Winnipeg Jets
Born April 9, 1961
 | Position:
Center / Right Wing
Height: 6-1 Weight: 190
|
|
| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Vermont (ECAC)
Birthplace: Kapuskasking, Ontario (Canada)
Hometown:
Paradise Valley, Arizona |
 |
 |
|
| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM |
| 1978-79 |
Trinity-Pawling | N.Y. H.S. |
17 | 26 |
22 | 48 |
-- | | 1979-80 |
Vermont | ECAC |
35 | 14 |
8 | 22 |
8 | | 1980-81 |
Vermont | ECAC |
32 | 28 |
23 | 51 |
25 |
|
PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
Hockey Magazine Prep School All-Star First Team: 1979-80 (T-P)
Miscellaneous: Not selected in 1980 NHL Entry Draft despite being
eligible. ... Born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, while
his father was playing for local senior-league team. ... Moved with family to
Nashville, Tenn., when he was two months old and spent his childhood
in several cities (Nashville, Memphis, Vancouver, Phoenix and Los Angeles),
while father pursued professional hockey career. ... Settled in Phoenix
area after his father retired when Kirk was 14 years old. ... Attended
Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling, N.Y., before entering University of
Vermont. ... Was star pitcher on Trinity-Pawling baseball team, he turned down
a baseball scholarship to Arizona State University so that he could pursue
both hockey and baseball at Vermont. ... Went 8-0 as a pitcher with 97
strikeouts and a 0.97 ERA in his final year at Trinity-Pawling. ... Also
played soccer on Trinity-Pawling, and was varsity team's leading goal-scorer
as a senior in 1978. |
| NHL CAREER |
| Never played in NHL. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: Vermont (ECAC); Sherbrooke
(AHL)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame: Inducted
2003
University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame: Inducted 1993
NCAA East All-America First Team: 1981-82 (Vermont)
ECAC All-Star First Team: 1981-82 (Vermont)
Vermont Cunningham Award (Hockey MVP): 1981-82
Vermont (Hockey) Captain: 1982-83
Miscellaneous: Was a finalist for the 1981-82 Hobey Baker Award.
... Signed with California Angels in June 1982 and was assigned to Class A
team in Salem, Mass. This did not affect his NCAA hockey eligibility, and he
returned to school for the 1982-83 season after a season of minor-league
baseball. ... Left University of Vermont in January 1983 to join California
Angels spring training camp in Arizona. ... Spent 1983 baseball season at
Nashua, N.H., in the Eastern League and Redwood, Calif., in the California
League. Had record of 4-8 with a 4.45 ERA at Nashua and 6-5 with a 2.33 ERA at
Redwood before returning to hockey by signing with Winnipeg in the fall of
1983. ... Wore No. 21 at Winnipeg's training camp in 1983, but failed to
impress Winnipeg coach Barry Long, who commented "McCaskill plays hockey the
way he plays baseball -- once every four days." ... Moved to Rancho Santa Fe,
Calif., after his retirement from baseball and became president of the local
Little League association.
McCaskill's Baseball Career:
McCaskill is the second-most accomplished NHL draft pick when it comes to
career performance in Major League Baseball. Only Tom Glavine went on to greater
baseball success than the right-handed McCaskill, who pitched in the majors
for 12 years after struggling through an rough season with Sherbrooke (AHL). McCaskill walked away
from hockey and devoted himself to baseball after the 1983-84 season. He made
his major-league debut with the California Angels on May 1, 1985, and went
12-12 with a 4.70 ERA as a rookie in 1985. He followed that impressive debut
season with the best season of his baseball career, going 17-10 with a 3.36
ERA and 202 strikeouts for the division-winning Angels in 1986. That marked
the best pitching performance by a former NHL draft pick until Glavine won 20
games in 1991. McCaskill never regained his 1986 form, however, although he
did manage to go 15-10 with a career-best 2.93 ERA in 1989. On Sept. 14, 1990,
McCaskill gave up back-to-back home runs by Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey
Jr., the only time a father-son combination ever achieved this feat. In his
worst year, McCaskill led the majors with 19 losses for California in 1991.
Traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1992, he was ultimately released by the
White Sox during the 1996 season and opted for retirement at age 35. His
career totals included a 106-108 record with a 4.12 ERA and 1,003 strikeouts.
McCaskill pitched in two American League Championship Series, going 0-2 for
the Angels in 1986 and working three games in relief for Chicago in 1993.
McCaskill still ranks No. 2 behind Ferguson Jenkins on the wins list for MLB
pitchers who were born in Canada.
Personal: Full name is Kirk Edward McCaskill. ... Son of former NHL player
Ted McCaskill, who was also an extra in the movie Slap Shot. ... Held
dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship throughout his hockey career. |
|
|
Visit the new
Hockey Draft Central |
HockeyDraftCentral.com is in the middle of rebuilding. You are looking at a page
that is not yet updated but is still part of the old site. Check out the new look.
• New Home Page
|
|
SNAPSHOT '81 | | Total Selected: |
211 | | Forwards: |
119 | | Defense: |
67 | | Goaltenders: |
25 | | Major Junior: |
122 | | Tier II/Jr. B: |
10/4 | | College Players: |
21 | | High School: |
18 |
| Canadian: |
139 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
3 | | USA Citizens: |
37 | | U.S.-Born: |
36 |
| European: |
32 |
| Reached NHL: |
114 |
| Stanley Cup: |
17 | | Hall of Fame: |
2 |
| All-Star Game: |
14 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
7 |
| Olympians: |
30 |
| Picks Traded: |
38 |
|
|
