Brian Burke, President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, ended much speculation on Friday afternoon, announcing that Rick St. Croix has officially been named the hockey club’s goaltending coach.

PHOTO CREDIT - Tim Cornett

Toronto - September 28, 2012 - Brian Burke, President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Friday that Rick St. Croix has been named the hockey club’s goaltending coach. St. Croix will work with goaltenders at all levels of the Maple Leafs organization.

“I won a Calder Cup with Rick many years ago,” said Burke. “He was calm, intelligent-a student of the game. I think he'll be a great addition to our coaching staff."

“We are extremely pleased to add Rick St. Croix to our coaching staff," said Maple Leafs Head Coach Randy Carlyle. "We trust his knowledge and experience with today's model of goaltender and the Leafs are fortunate to get a person of Rick's calibre."

St. Croix, 57, was the goaltending coach for the 1999 Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars and also served as an assistant coach for the Winnipeg Jets from 1987 to 1989. Last season the Kenora, Ontario native was the goalie coach for the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps. He was previously the Manitoba Moose goaltending consultant in 2003-04 and an assistant coach with Manitoba from 2004-05 to 2010-11 before the Moose franchise moved to St. John’s.

As a goaltender, St. Croix was selected in the fourth round of the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft and went on to play 130 career NHL games for both Toronto and Philadelphia. Between the 1982-83 and 1984-85 seasons, he appeared in 47 games for the Maple Leafs. He along with Maine teammate Robbie Moore were the recipients of the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Trophy for the 1979-80 season as their team had the AHL’s lowest goals against average. In 1985-86, he won the IHL’s James Norris Memorial Trophy along with Fort Wayne teammate Pokey Reddick, which was awarded annually to the goaltender(s) with the fewest goals against. He was named an AHL First Team All-Star in 1980 and an IHL Second Team All-Star in 1986.