Jay McKee

Biography:

A graduate of the Ernestown Minor Hockey Association and Ernestown Jets Junior C team, Jay was a first-round selection in both the Ontario Hockey League with the Sudbury Wolves in 1993 and in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres in 1995. A second-team OHL all-star with Sudbury, he also played with the Niagara Falls Thunder in the OHL.

Renowned as an excellent shot blocker, in 802 NHL games over 14 seasons, Jay scored 21 goals and 125 points and three goals and nine points in 90 Stanley Cup playoff games. Most of those games were with the Sabres where he served as an alternate captain. With the Sabres, Jay reached the Eastern Conference final three times and the Stanley Cup final once, in 1999.

Jay was Buffalo’s nominee for the Bill Masterson Trophy, given for players who exemplify perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. He also played for the St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jay hosted charity golf tournaments for a decade that supported the Child Life Program at Kingston General Hospital, Juvenile Diabetes Research and an orphanage in Belarus. He started coaching after his playing career was over, starting in 2014 he was a player/coach with the Dundas Real McCoys Senior A club, leading the team to the Allan Cup. After several years as head coach with the Kitchener Rangers and Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL, he took the Bulldogs to the final game of the 2022 Memorial Cup Tournament.