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W i l l i a m s a n d t o u g h a s n a i l s d e f e n s e m - en like John Mayasich and Jack Kirrane, McCartan provided the last line of defense for a U.S. team that steamrolled to a 7-0-0 record against the likes o f Cz e c h o s l ov a k i a , t h e Soviet Union and Canada. "It's not mentioned a lot overall, [ but] we had a pretty good team," recalled the 1983 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. "I think we had the best d e f e n s e i n t h e t o u r n a - ment with Mayasich and Kirrane, especially. Those guys were great. I think our forwards compared w i t h a ny b o d y e l s e a n d maybe a notch above some of them." Buoyed by his Olympic success, McCartan embarked on a 15-year professional career a t a t i m e w h e n A m e r i c a n g o a l t e n d e r s were pretty much an unheard of proposi- tion. After notching a shutout in his NHL debut on Broadway with the N.Y. Rangers, McCartan would spend much of his career with various minor league outfits before closing out his career close to home with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the upstart World Hockey Association. "It was a grind." McCartan recalled. "Back then [teams] only had one goalie and they p l ay e d a l l t h e t i m e . Eve n i f h e g ot h u r t , they'd stop the game, stitch a guy up or give him a rest and he had to g o out and play again. It wasn't as much fun as amateur hockey, but I liked it." As he watches today's goalies, bigger, more athletic and definitely bet- ter protected than when he played, McCartan mar- vels at how far the game h a s c o m e s i n c e h e p u t away his pads. " I w a s j u s t t h i n k i n g a b o u t t h a t b e c a u s e a couple of the games that I've been watching here in the playoffs, guys g ot hit right in the mask with hard shots. They just stop the play and adjust their st r a p s a n d t h a t 's a b o u t it," said McCartan, who played most of his career without a mask. "I can remember guys being knocked out, just flat on their back and getting hit with a shot like that. But those masks are nice now." Perhaps the biggest change is the accep- tance of American goaltenders who occupy spots on most NHL rosters. And while many have gone on to great careers, only one male goalie—Jim Craig in 1980—and two female goalies— Sarah Tueting in 1998 and Maddy Rooney in 2018—have matched McCartan's success on the Olympic stage. It's a claim to fame that McCartan doesn't dwell on and rarely talks about unless some- one brings it up, typically on the eve of anoth- er Olympic Games. What he will say is that the American goal- ies no longer take a back seat to anyone. What he won't mention is his role in helping them get there. And when the day comes when another American goalie proudly exits the Olympic arena with a gold medal hanging from his or her neck, Jack McCartan hopes to have a front row seat in front of his television to see it. P OCTOBER 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 35 "My dad used to take me to some of the old St. Paul Saints games and I just fell in love with it." —Jack McCartan, Team USA 1960 Gold Medal Winning Goalie JACK MCCARTAN HOLDS THE RARE DISTINCTION OF BEING ONE OF ONLY FOUR AMERICAN GOALTENDERS TO LEAD A U.S. TEAM TO AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL. THE OTHER THREE ARE JIM CRAIG (1980), SARAH TUETING (1998) AND MADDIE ROONEY (2018).