Doug McKay

There have been a number of great players who have played well over 1000 NHL games but never won a Stanley Cup. Names like Harry Howell, Mike Gartner, Borje Salming, Gilbert Perreault, Brad Park, and Marcel Dionne headline that list.

While those players enjoyed incredible careers, you have to wonder if they'd trade all of that for what Doug McKay has.

McKay, a native of Hamilton, Ontario, played in only one NHL game in his entire hockey career, but it just happened to be at the right place at the right time. He got called up by Detroit in game 3 of the 1950 Stanley Cup finals. The 20 year old rookie just helped the Indianapolis Capitals capture the AHL championship and Detroit figured he could give them a little boost.

Although he travelled with the team for the rest of the series, he never played again. But when Detroit's Pete Babando scored in overtime in game 7 the Wings emerged as the victors and the Stanley Cup champions. Because McKay appeared in the series he earned the right to have his named engraved on Lord Stanley's Grail.

It was McKay's first and last game. He remained in the Wings' farm system for a couple more years before going to Stratford Ontario where he retired from pro hockey but continued to play senior hockey. McKay would go on to become a successful coach, earning two Turner Cup championships in the IHL.