As property of the Montreal Canadiens, McCreary spent seven years in the minor league system, only promoted for a single playoff game in 1962 and 9 games during the 1964–65 season. During this time, he was a top scorer for the
Hull-Ottawa Canadiens. He became an NHL regular with the
Pittsburgh Penguins following the
1967 NHL Expansion. In 1972, he was claimed by the
Atlanta Flames in the Expansion Draft and was designated the franchise's first captain. McCreary retired following the 1974–75 season after 532
NHL games. He recorded a total of 131 goals and 116 assists during his
NHL career. McCreary played for the
Montreal Canadiens,
Pittsburgh Penguins,
Atlanta Flames,
Hershey Bears,
Hull-Ottawa Canadiens, and
Cleveland Barons. His brother,
Bill McCreary Sr., was also an NHL left winger. ==Life and retirement==