 After a three-year college career with the Michigan Tech Huskies, McRae played with Charlotte of the Eastern Hockey League and Providence in the American Hockey League before joining the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League in 1971.Signed by Toronto, he first appeared with the Leafs in 11 games during the 1972–73 season.He spent the next few years bouncing between the NHL club and its minor league affiliates in the CHL.