the 1978 tournament and had three points in five games in 1979 though Canada failed to medal. With McCrimmon as team captain, the Wheat Kings again reached the league championship in 1978–79. He scored 28 points in 22 games to help Brandon win the President's Cup. The team advanced to the 1979 Memorial Cup tournament where it reached the final against the Ontario Hockey League champion Peterborough Petes. McCrimmon routinely played a high number of minutes each game; his teammates marvelled at his stamina. In the Memorial Cup final, he played virtually every minute of the contest. His total ice time was 60 minutes, 38 seconds, and he was off the ice only to serve a two-minute penalty. Peterborough won the game, 2–1 in overtime, after McCrimmon lost the puck on a play he thought was icing was not called. Peterborough's Terry Bovair stole the puck from him and scored the championship winning goal. Despite the loss, McCrimmon was named a tournament all-star on defence. Professional At the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, considered one of the deepest in league history, McCrimmon was selected 15th overall by the Boston Bruins. He made his NHL debut on October 11, 1979, in the team's opening night victory over the Winnipeg Jets. He scored 5 goals and 16 points in his rookie season of 1979–80 and improved to 11 goals and 29 points in his second season. With only nine points in the 1981–82 season, McCrimmon had gained a reputation as a player who did not attack with the puck in the NHL. Following the retirement of Rogie Vachon, the Bruins needed a new goaltender. They sent McCrimmon to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Pete Peeters on June 9, 1982. Flyers' coach Bob McCammon argued that McCrimmon had been "intimidated" by playing with fellow 1979 Bruins pick and all-star, Ray Bourque, and that he could be a better overall defenceman. McCrimmon's offence improved in his first two seasons in Philadelphia – 25 points in 1982–83 and 24, though without a goal scored, in 1983–84 – but he established himself as a top shutdown defenceman with the Flyers. He recorded 43 points in 1984–85 and posted a plus-minus rating of +52, fifth best in the NHL. McCrimmon was ruled out of the 1985 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the third game of the league semi-final against the Quebec Nordiques when he suffered a third-degree separation