Kay Whitmore works his way up the NHL ladder

“After spending my whole life trying to get to the NHL, I figured I couldn’t very well turn down the offer to work there on a full-time basis.”

Never let it be said that Sudbury native and well-known goaltender Kay Whitmore has lost his sense of humour, nor his ability to remain grounded.

For those, like myself, who can remember watching minor hockey games back in the 1970s and 1980s, following the career of the outgoing young netminder always provided a great sense of pride.

Despite suiting up in enemy attire with the Peterborough Petes through his OHL career, Whitmore remained so constantly likable and upbeat, that it seemed difficult to cheer against the visiting team.

A veteran of some 150 NHL games and a tour of duty that spanned 16 years of professional hockey, Whitmore recalls with fondness at least a couple of stops along the way.

“Going to the finals in 1994 with the Vancouver Canucks,” says the eldest of two boys in the family, needing little time to contemplate one of the obvious highlights of his NHL playing days.

“Pat Quinn was a great coach … and I was playing a fair bit,”

While the Canucks ultimately fell in the Stanley Cup finals to the New York Rangers, Whitmore had already experienced the thrill of winning it all, helping backstop the Springfield Indians to a Calder Cup (AHL) run in the spring of 1991.

“For some reason, I was fortunate enough to play with a lot of great guys who happened to become very good coaches,” noted Whitmore.

Todd Richards (San Jose), John Stevens (Philadelphia), Joel Quenneville (Chicago), Dave Tippett (Phoenix) and Ron Francis (Carolina) are among a group of former teammates who continue to stay involved with a game they love.

For Whitmore, that transition began in earnest in the summer of 2002, although the recipient of the James Norris (IHL) Trophy in 1998 (lowest goals against average in the league) maintains he had to be dragged away kicking and screaming.

Over the course of the next few years, Whitmore explored a variety of hockey-related options only slightly away from the rink — working as a television analyst with The Score, providing goaltending clinics for young athletes, and working as an assistant coach with the Peterborough Petes.

But it was after the NHL work stoppage of 2004-2005 that opportunities really began to flourish for Whitmore.

Initially employed on a part-time basis to consult with the league in matters relating to the specifications for goaltending equipment, he was offered a full-time position within the league office about one year later, in part due to a long-time friendship with former teammate Kris King.

Which brings us right back to the beginning of this column — accepting the full-time offer would mean stepping away from his TV gig, one which he certainly enjoyed. But there’s no doubt, some four years later, it’s a decision he would make again in a heartbeat.

While overseeing the adherence of NHL goaltenders to the equipment standards remains a big part of his job, Whitmore is thrilled with the variety of roles his job entails. “There’s always something on the go — working with the video review process, making presentations to the general managers … that part has been very exciting to me.

“The playoffs are one of my favourite times” says Whitmore. As a “series manager,” he, along with others from the NHL head office, essentially take on a role of “hockey operations supervisor” for a particular playoff series, acting as a go-between to the teams and the NHL, or more specifically senior vice-president Colin Campbell.

As someone who spent a great deal of time between the pipes from the 1980s through to the new millennium, Whitmore essentially lived the goaltending revolution. “It was probably kind of a downfall on my part not to adjust more as goaltending changed. But you kind of get stuck with the game as you learned it,” he explains.

Coming out of the lockout, Whitmore says he was pleased with the increased participation of current players in looking at changes that were needed. “To have 14 or so goalies involved in the process of having goal pads decreased from 12 inches to 11 inches — we’re pushing for equipment that’s protective, not restrictive.”

While he knows that having to put NHL puckstoppers through the rigors of equipment measurements moments after a tough shootout loss can be challenging, Whitmore suggests that having been in their shoes makes it easier.

“There’s a small number of goaltenders who are against what we’re doing. But most are extremely co-operative and a lot of guys will take time to talk a little about the issues.” Through it all, Whitmore exhibits a philosophical approach that I can’t help to think came in particularly handy tending the nets when things weren’t going so well.

“The fact is that there are probably 14-year-old kids who do stuff better these days than when I played in the NHL,” Whitmore says with a laugh. True – but a 14-year-old who may well grow up still having to answer to the “NHL Chief of Goaltending Police,” Kay Whitmore.

The kid has come a long way since the shores of Long Lake.

Randy Pascal is the voice of Eastlink Sports and the founder of SudburySports.com.