Inside the McTavish family tree: Mason McTavish, son of former player and coach Dale, set to captain Team Canada at 2022 World Juniors
Whether as a player, coach or owner, the McTavish name is well known in the Canadian ice hockey community.
Dale McTavish is a former player and coach and his son Mason is one of the NHL’s top prospects. The two are particularly familiar to hockey fans in Ontario.
Both Mason and Dale dressed for the Pembroke Lumber Kings as well as the Peterborough Petes. When Mason played with the Lumber Kings, his father headed the bench and coached Mason when he was 16 years old.
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Now Mason will captain Team Canada for the next week and a half with a goal of winning a gold medal at World Juniors 2022.
Here’s a look at the McTavish family tree.
Mason McTavish
The Ducks have a number of bright young stars in their organization in Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. Add Mason McTavish to that list.
The 2021 Draft No. 3 is a strong, brutal center who has high motor skills and a knack for finding loose pucks. He also has an excellent shot in his arsenal, making him a weapon with the puck on his stick.
Mason was originally born in Switzerland, where Dale played hockey at the time, but grew up in Ontario. He played for the Pembroke Lumber Kings, an A-level junior hockey team playing in the Central Canada Hockey League, where his father coached him. He was selected fifth overall by the Peterborough Peters in the 2019 OHL Draft.
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He played the 2020-21 season in Switzerland as the OHL didn’t have a season due to COVID-19 and then recovered last season. He started in the AHL, was called up to Anaheim after three games, and then was sent back to the OHL. After just five games with Peterborough, he was traded to the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he helped the team win the OHL Championship and make it to the Memorial Cup.
Mason also dressed for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics, recording an assist for the country. Now he’s captaining his country in Edmonton as he and his Canadian teammates seek a gold medal at the World Juniors.
Dale McTavish
Mason’s father, Dale, was a longtime hockey player himself.
Born in Eganville, Ontario, McTavish played for the Peterborough Petes for four seasons and helped lead the team to an OHL championship and a Memorial Cup berth in 1993.
After failing to get drafted into the NHL, he spent two years playing Canadian collegiate hockey with St. Francis Xavier, where he began to attract the attention of NHL clubs. He signed a contract with the Flames in 1996 but subsequently spent most of the next few seasons with their AHL affiliate, the Saint John Flames.
He skated in nine NHL games, recording one goal and two assists. After the 1996/97 season, McTavish went to Europe where he played the next 15 seasons, from Finland to Switzerland and then back to Finland. In 2011 he retired from ice hockey.
McTavish bought the Pembroke Lumber Kings in 2013 from current Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe. In 2019 he finally sold the team to Alex Armstrong.