PENSACOLA, FL – The Ice Flyers’ beloved goaltender, “Big John” McLean, is hanging up his skates.
“I am forced to retire due to medical hockey injures that have sidelined me over the past 2 seasons,” said McLean. “I wish I could continue to play because I still have the same passion that I’ve had since I was a kid. It makes leaving the game that much harder when its not in my control. I have known for 3 months that I was done with hockey, but was unable to announce it publicly until now.”
At a towering 6’9”, McLean is history’s tallest goalkeeper by 2 inches, and one of the two tallest players to ever put on skates.
“A question I’m asked everywhere I go is “Hey, do you play basketball?” Or “Hey, how tall are you?” People are shocked when I say I play hockey. They also think I am lying when I tell them I am 6’9”, and am 1” taller than LeBron James.
Next in line for tallest goaltender at 6’7” is Ben Bishop, formerly of the Tampa Bay Lightning and current Dallas Stars goalie.
“I have been compared to him my whole career,” McLean related. “I play my own way, but it’s a little bit like Ben Bishop. I really just get my body in front of the net. I wouldn’t say I’m a butterfly goalie or standup goalie. Sometimes I use my flexibility to my advantage and sometimes I stay deep in the net and make myself as big as possible.”
It was John’s father that introduced him to hockey.
“My dad was a defenseman at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota,” said John. “He was the number one reason I started playing hockey. Dad put me in hockey skates on the outdoor rink in my hometown of Eagan, Minnesota just before my 2nd birthday. I wanted to be like him when I was 3 years old, and I still strive to be like him 24 years later. He’s been my role model. My parents gave me every opportunity to be successful and I would not be the person I am today without my family. I also never would have achieved my dream of playing professional hockey without them.”
A very serious injury in high school threatened to end McLean’s career before it ever 
started. McLean’s head hit the ice hard after his helmet was knocked off by a player’s knee. The result was a series of problems that included bleeding in the brain and nerve damage to his right arm. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester told him if he still had any symptoms in six months he would never be able to play hockey again.
“They said I would be lucky just to have a normal life,” says McLean. “At the time, I could not walk for 20 minutes without the room spinning. And then, six months to the day of the injury, the symptoms were gone.”
John attributes his overcoming to his faith.
“My whole life has been based around faith, family and hockey,” said McLean. “I was invited to go hear a testimony from my mentor and team Chaplin David “T-Bone” Trombly last Monday night. He is a former US Marine, and his message encouraged me to announce my retirement publicly. There was a lot in his message that dealt with his faith in the military; things I could definitely translate to my faith as pertains to hockey.”
To hear McLean speak of his faith should come as no surprise to Ice Flyer fans. It was not uncommon to see Big John kneeling on the ice with the opposing team after a game.
McLean has come to love sunny Pensacola, and his plans are to remain. “There have been many people that I’ve made connections with here,” John says. There’s a family that’s basically adopted me during my 3 years here – Beth and John Schachner. They say when one door closes another opens ….. well the door opened within 24 hours of retiring. I am currently working at Pensacola Beach Properties and in school to get my real estate license with Dave Schachner.” John has also started a catch and release shark fishing charter service.
“What has transpired over the last week since my retirement announcement has been
simply amazing,” McLean said. “I had no idea the amount of fans that followed me. It has been the most humbling week of my life – to receive so many sincere messages from fans and former teammates on how I impacted them.”
Photos courtesy of Brooke Hammel
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