Vernon "Keith" McCreary was a left winger

Winger (ice hockey)

Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

 in the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 who played for the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

, Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...

 and Atlanta Flames

Atlanta Flames

The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the...

.

He was born in Sundridge, Ontario

Sundridge, Ontario

Sundridge is a village in central Ontario, Canada, approximately 75 km south of North Bay, Ontario along Highway 11, on the shore of Lake Bernard. Sundridge is a tourist destination in both winter and summer, with boating and snowmobiling providing the main attraction. Algonquin Provincial Park is...

.

Playing career

As property of the Montreal Canadiens, McCreary spent a seven years in the minor league system only promoted for a single playoff game in 1962 and 9 games during the 1964–65 season.

He became an NHL regular with the Pittsburgh Penguins following the 1967 NHL Expansion

1967 NHL expansion

The National Hockey League undertook a major expansion for the 1967–68 season, adding six new franchises to double the size of the league. This marked the first change in the composition of the league since 1942, when the Brooklyn Americans folded. Thus, the expansion ended the era of the Original...

. In 1972, he was claimed by the Atlanta Flames in the expansion draft and was designated the team captain. McCreary retired following the 1974–75 season following 532 NHL games. He recorded a total of 131 goals and 112 assists for 243 points.

His brother, Bill McCreary Sr., was also an NHL left winger.

Post Retirement/Death

McCreary joined the NHL Alumni Association and was the Association's chairman. He died after a long bout with cancer on December 9, 2003, aged 63.

His Atlanta Flames Jersey is on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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