George McPhee played all his minor and junior hockey in Guelph. His greatest moment came as a member of the 1977-78 Holody Platers which won the Centennial Cup.
He then moved on to become a standout at Bowling Green University in Ohio. McPhee started his career there as the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s Rookie of the Year amassing 40 goals and 48 assists. His outstanding career was capped off in his senior season when he was voted recipient of the prestigious Hobey Baker Award given to the top College hockey player in the United States. He was also named an All-American as a senior and finished as the CCHA’s all-time leading scorer with 267 points.
McPhee became the first player in CCHA history to make the conference’s all-academic team three straight years and in the Hockey News edition of ‘All-time Great Players and Teams’, George was chosen a second team allstar.
As an NHL player, George spent seven seasons (1982-1989) with the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils before a back injury forced him to retire.
In June of 1997, at the age of 39, McPhee became the youngest General Manager in the NHL when he was named the Vice President and GM of the Washington Capitals. He had spent the five previous seasons as the VP of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks.
He possesses a business degree from Bowling Green and a law degree from Rutgers University.
Inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame – Athlete and Builder categories – on May 15, 2000
