Wayne Thomas (hockey)
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Wayne Thomas was born in Ottawa, Ontario on October 9, 1947. Wayne was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings but was later traded to the Montreal Canadiens and spent roughly 3 years in the AHL with the Canadiens minor league affiliate.
In 1972-73, Thomas started a few games in goal right before the playoffs in order to give star netminder Ken Dryden a rest. In his first NHL pro start, Wayne recorded a 3-0 shutout versus the Vancouver Canucks on January 14, 1973. When Dryden decided to study law instead of tending goal Thomas played 42 games. However, Wayne was never really able to seriously contend for the starting goaltending position. In 1974-1975, Wayne was on the Canadiens' active roster for the entire season but did not play.
After his inactive 1974-75 campaign, Wayne Thomas was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is where Wayne finally enjoyed some level of success. He won 28 games and was chosen to participate in the annual NHL All-Star game. This success was shortlived because the following season, Thomas struggled and his position was overtaken by another Leaf goalie, Mike Palmateer.
In 1977-78, Wayne was placed on waivers and claimed by the New York Rangers. Wayne continued his career with the New York Rangers for 4 more years until retiring in 1981.
Thomas now serves as the General Manager of the AHL Worcester Sharks. They are the AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks.
