As a youth, Palmateer played in the 1966
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto
Shopsy's minor ice hockey team. Born in
Toronto,
Ontario, Palmateer was drafted 85th overall by the
Toronto Maple Leafs in the
1974 NHL amateur draft. Palmateer played 356 games in the NHL, posting 149 wins against 138 losses and 52 ties while compiling a 3.53
goals against average. Palmateer began his career with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1976-77 season and served as the club's starting goaltender for the next three seasons. In his fourth season, the 1979-80 campaign, Palmateer was slowed by injuries and made just 38 appearances for the Leafs while sharing the duties with four other goalies. Off-ice drama during this season led to his departure from Toronto. After being sidelined with an ankle injury that kept him out of the crease for six weeks, Palmateer's injury was questioned by the team's management, who felt he was healthy enough to play. Palmateer, a pending free agent, could not get Maple Leafs general manager
Punch Imlach to agree to a multi-year contract and their impasse ultimately led to the goaltender signing a four-year $800,000 The clubs also swapped draft picks. Following the trade, Capitals general manager
Max McNab declared "with a player like Palmateer, I feel we are set in goal for the next ten years." When Palmateer continued to falter, both McNab and Green were fired. During the off-season,
David Poile was hired as the new general manager of the Capitals and just days into the job, on September 9, 1982, made his first trade by sending Palmateer back to the Maple Leafs for cash considerations. Back in Toronto, Palmateer resumed his job as the club's starting goalie, suiting up for 53 games. The next year, his knee problems flared up again and the goalie was limited to 34 games and had his 12th knee surgery performed. With Palmateer sidelined, the bulk of the goaltending duties for the Maple Leafs fell to prospect
Allan Bester, who was summoned from the
Ontario Hockey League in midseason to take over the starting job. The following year, with Palmateer ready to return, the Maple Leaf management opted to go with youth in goal, and named 20-year-olds Bester and
Ken Wregget their tandem. That left Palmateer as the odd man out and he was instructed by Maple Leafs general manager
Gerry McNamara to stay home and collect his salary. Out of Toronto's plans, Palmateer nearly got a chance to return to the ice in February, after an injury to
Edmonton Oilers star goaltender
Grant Fuhr. The Oilers' director of player personnel, Barry Fraser, thought Palmateer could be a veteran option to fill in for Fuhr and contacted the Maple Leafs about a trade, but the talks never got off the ground when Fuhr's injury proved to be less serious than first thought. The season ended with Palmateer never suiting up at all. Palmateer's final taste of NHL action - a preseason game - came with the Edmonton Oilers. However, with 14 knee operations, a year spent off the ice and the all-star tandem of Fuhr and
Andy Moog already in Edmonton, his tryout was brief and he officially retired from the National Hockey League. Palmateer returned to the Maple Leafs as a scout in 2001 and worked with the club for the next 14 years. He is now up to twenty knee surgeries and a knee replacement. ==Awards and achievements==