Kirk McLean - International Play

International Play

Over the course of his career, McLean represented Canada in international competition once. On March 28, 1990, McLean was among the players named to Canada's roster for the 1990 World Championships in Bern and Fribourg, Switzerland. McLean was given the role of starting goaltender, with Ken Wregget serving as his backup. Canada won its first four round robin games with McLean in net, including an 8–0 shutout victory versus Norway in which McLean split goaltending duties with Wregget, thus clinching a spot in the medal round. As the round robin continued, Canada added to their perfect record with a 5–3 victory over Czechoslovakia in which McLean stopped 25 of 28 shots for the victory. McLean started Canada's next game, a 3–1 victory versus Sweden, but was replaced in the second period by third string goaltender Bob Essensa who had yet to play in the tournament. Following a 3–3 tie with the Soviet Union, Canada clinched first place in the round robin. The game was one of McLean's best of the tournament, as he managed to keep the Soviet Union at bay during the third period in which they had a 14–2 margin in shots on goal.

After suffering a 3–2 loss versus Czechoslovakia in the opening game of the medal round, Canada opted to start Essensa versus the Soviet Union. Essensa let in four early goals before being replaced by McLean, who let in another three in a 7–1 loss to move Canada out of contention for the gold medal. In the final game of the tournament versus Sweden, Canada suffered a 6–4 loss and finished fourth overall for the tournament, missing out on their opportunity for a bronze medal that would have come with a win versus Sweden.