Gary Inness

Gary George Inness (May 28, 1949 – February 23, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender and teacher. He played 162 games in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Washington Capitals between 1973 and 1981, and 63 games in the World Hockey Association with the Indianapolis Racers from 1977 to 1978.

Playing career Gary Inness took an unusual route to the NHL. After playing Junior B with the Weston Dodgers, Inness then went to McMaster University in Ontario for 4 years, playing both football as a centre and hockey for his university team. Inness then played one year with the University of Toronto, winning the CIAU championship while completing his teacher's certificate.

Inness never had aspirations of playing in the National Hockey League (NHL), instead thinking he would be a teacher in Ontario. However, the Pittsburgh Penguins invited him to training camp, and Inness signed as a free agent with them in 1973. Inness played for parts of almost three seasons in Pittsburgh before he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. After his stint with the Flyers, he played for two seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the Indianapolis Racers, playing with a 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky. When the Racers folded in December 1978, he returned to the NHL by signing with the Washington Capitals, with whom he played for parts of three seasons before retiring at the end of the 1980–81 NHL season.

Upon retiring from NHL play, Inness happened to be in Hershey, Pennsylvania, when Hershey Bears coach Bryan Murray was promoted to coach the parent Washington Capitals. Being in the right place at the right time, Inness was hired to coach the Bears until being replaced midway through the 1984-85 AHL season.

Post-hockey career Inness worked as a teacher and then a guidance counselor at Barrie North Collegiate Institute up until early 2010, after which he retired. He was well known for his involvement with coaching in the school and remained an important part of its history. He died on February 23, 2021, from complications of dementia.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 1970–71 McMaster University CIAU 16 — — — 888 70 0 4.73 — — — — — — — — — 1971–72 McMaster University CIAU 18 — — — 1060 59 0 3.44 — — — — — — — — — 1972–73 University of Toronto CIAU 9 — — — 540 24 0 2.67 — — — — — — — — — 1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 20 7 10 1 1031 56 0 3.26 .885 — — — — — — — — 1973–74 Hershey Bears AHL 20 11 4 4 1160 56 1 2.89 — — — — — — — — — 1974–75 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 57 24 18 10 3116 161 2 3.10 .905 9 5 4 537 24 0 2.68 .919 1975–76 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 23 8 9 2 1208 82 0 4.07 .881 — — — — — — — — 1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 2 2 0 0 120 3 0 1.51 .950 — — — — — — — — 1975–76 Hershey Bears AHL 2 0 2 0 119 9 0 4.54 — — — — — — — — — 1976–77 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 6 1 0 2 211 9 0 2.57 .899 — — — — — — — — 1977–78 Indianapolis Racers WHA 52 14 30 4 2850 200 0 4.21 .870 — — — — — — — — 1978–79 Indianapolis Racers WHA 11 3 6 0 609 51 0 5.02 .862 — — — — — — — — 1978–79 Washington Capitals NHL 37 14 14 8 2103 130 0 3.71 .880 — — — — — — — — 1979–80 Washington Capitals NHL 14 2 9 2 725 44 0 3.64 .874 — — — — — — — — 1979–80 Hershey Bears AHL 11 4 4 3 673 44 0 3.92 — 8 7 1 531 25 0 2.82 — 1980–81 Washington Capitals NHL 3 0 1 2 180 9 0 3.02 .917 — — — — — — — — 1980–81 Hershey Bears AHL 10 4 2 2 529 31 1 3.52 — 4 0 3 198 12 0 3.64 — WHA totals 63 17 36 4 3459 251 0 4.35 .869 — — — — — — — — NHL totals 162 58 61 27 8690 494 2 3.41 .892 9 5 4 537 24 0 2.68 .919