Denny Lambert
Encyclopedia
Denny Lambert is a former professional Canadian ice hockey
player. Lambert played in the National Hockey League
(NHL) for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (twice), Ottawa Senators
, Nashville Predators
and the Atlanta Thrashers
between 1995 and 2002. He has also coached the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
of the Ontario Hockey League
from 2008–2011.
. After one full season in Nashville, Lambert was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for Randy Robitaille
in 1999. He would return for a second stint in Anaheim in 2001–02 before officially announcing his retirement on July 11, 2003.
He would play in 487 regular season NHL games, scoring 27 goals and 66 assists for 93 points, while racking up 1391 penalty minutes. After retiring, he accepted a position as assistant coach with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
of the Ontario Hockey League
, where he began his career as a junior player. On June 24, 2008, Lambert was named head coach of the Greyhounds, replacing Craig Hartsburg
who signed to coach the NHL's Ottawa Senators. http://www.sootoday.com/content/sports/full_story.asp?StoryNumber=32962
in the 2004–05 season, and remained in that position with the club until the summer of 2008, when Greyhounds head coach Craig Hartsburg
left the team to become the head coach of the Ottawa Senators
. The Greyhounds promoted Lambert to the head coaching position.
In his first season as the head coach, Sault Ste. Marie failed to qualify for the post-season, as the young, rebuilding club finished with their fewest point total since the 1994–95 season, and finished in last place in the OHL.
The Greyhounds rebounded in Lambert's second season with the team, with the help of assistant coach Mike Stapleton, as the club with an impressive record of 36–27–1–4 to finish with 77 points, and fifth place in the Western Conference. The Greyhounds faced the Plymouth Whalers
in the conference quarter-finals, and lost the series in five games.
Lambert returned to Sault Ste. Marie for a third season in 2010–11, however, the team fell back into last place in the Western Conference, and on January 11, 2011, the Greyhounds relieved Lambert from his duties. Sault Ste. Marie had a record of 14–21–5–0 at the time of his firing.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player. Lambert played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (twice), Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
and the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
between 1995 and 2002. He has also coached the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey...
of the Ontario Hockey League
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
from 2008–2011.
Playing career
Throughout his NHL career, Lambert's primary role was that of an enforcer. Undrafted, he was signed as a free agent by the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993. He would ultimately play in only 46 games with Anaheim, spending the majority of his time in their farm system. On July 29, 1996, he was signed by the Ottawa Senators, and was a regular in Ottawa lineup for two full seasons before being claimed by the Nashville Predators in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft1998 NHL Expansion Draft
The 1998 NHL Expansion Draft was held in on June 26, 1998. The draft took place to fill the roster of the league's expansion team for the 1998–99 season, the Nashville Predators.-Rules:...
. After one full season in Nashville, Lambert was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for Randy Robitaille
Randy Robitaille
Randy Robitaille is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League under a professional try-out contract . Robitaille has played for nine teams in the National Hockey League...
in 1999. He would return for a second stint in Anaheim in 2001–02 before officially announcing his retirement on July 11, 2003.
He would play in 487 regular season NHL games, scoring 27 goals and 66 assists for 93 points, while racking up 1391 penalty minutes. After retiring, he accepted a position as assistant coach with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey...
of the Ontario Hockey League
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
, where he began his career as a junior player. On June 24, 2008, Lambert was named head coach of the Greyhounds, replacing Craig Hartsburg
Craig Hartsburg
Craig William Hartsburg is a retired Canadian professional hockey player and associate coach in the National Hockey League for the Calgary Flames. He also coached in the Ontario Hockey League. He has previously been an NHL head coach with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and...
who signed to coach the NHL's Ottawa Senators. http://www.sootoday.com/content/sports/full_story.asp?StoryNumber=32962
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1988–89 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey... |
OHL Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada.... |
61 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 203 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1989–90 | Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 61 | 23 | 29 | 52 | 276 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1990–91 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 59 | 28 | 39 | 67 | 169 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 48 | ||
| 1991–92 | San Diego Gulls San Diego Gulls (1990–1995) The second San Diego Gulls team was founded in 1990 as part of the International Hockey League. The Gulls played at the Valley View Casino Center, formerly known as the San Diego Sports Arena.... |
IHL | 71 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 229 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 1992–93 | St. Thomas Wildcats St. Thomas Wildcats The St. Thomas Wildcats were a professional ice hockey team in the Colonial Hockey League, later the United Hockey League, now known as the International Hockey League. They played at the St. Thomas-Elgin Memorial Centre in St. Thomas, Ontario. The team was a founding member of the league and was... |
COHL | 5 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1992–93 | San Diego Gulls | IHL | 56 | 18 | 12 | 30 | 277 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 44 | ||
| 1993–94 | San Diego Gulls | IHL | 79 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 314 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 45 | ||
| 1994–95 | San Diego Gulls | IHL | 75 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 222 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1994–95 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1995–96 1995–96 AHL season The 1995–96 AHL season was the 60th season of the American Hockey League. The AHL expands by two teams and realigns into two conferences, and four divisions. The Northern Conference includes the North and Atlantic Divisions... |
Baltimore Bandits Baltimore Bandits The Baltimore Bandits were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League in the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
44 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 126 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 39 | ||
| 1995–96 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 33 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 55 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1996–97 | Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 80 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 217 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 1997–98 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 72 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 250 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | ||
| 1998–99 | Nashville Predators Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 76 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 218 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1999–00 | Atlanta Thrashers Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season... |
NHL | 73 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 219 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2000–01 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 67 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 215 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2001–02 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 73 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 213 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2002–03 2002–03 AHL season The 2002–03 AHL season was the 67th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs finished first overall in the regular season... |
Milwaukee Admirals Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the Bradley Center.-History:... |
AHL | 39 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 132 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 42 | ||
| OHL totals | 181 | 65 | 83 | 148 | 648 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 35 | ||||
| COHL totals | 5 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | ||||
| IHL totals | 281 | 73 | 75 | 148 | 1042 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 99 | ||||
| AHL totals | 83 | 26 | 40 | 66 | 258 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 81 | ||||
| NHL totals | 487 | 27 | 66 | 93 | 1391 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | ||||
Coaching career
Lambert became the assistant coach of the Sault Ste. Marie GreyhoundsSault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey...
in the 2004–05 season, and remained in that position with the club until the summer of 2008, when Greyhounds head coach Craig Hartsburg
Craig Hartsburg
Craig William Hartsburg is a retired Canadian professional hockey player and associate coach in the National Hockey League for the Calgary Flames. He also coached in the Ontario Hockey League. He has previously been an NHL head coach with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and...
left the team to become the head coach of the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. The Greyhounds promoted Lambert to the head coaching position.
In his first season as the head coach, Sault Ste. Marie failed to qualify for the post-season, as the young, rebuilding club finished with their fewest point total since the 1994–95 season, and finished in last place in the OHL.
The Greyhounds rebounded in Lambert's second season with the team, with the help of assistant coach Mike Stapleton, as the club with an impressive record of 36–27–1–4 to finish with 77 points, and fifth place in the Western Conference. The Greyhounds faced the Plymouth Whalers
Plymouth Whalers
The Plymouth Whalers are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They play out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, USA.-History:...
in the conference quarter-finals, and lost the series in five games.
Lambert returned to Sault Ste. Marie for a third season in 2010–11, however, the team fell back into last place in the Western Conference, and on January 11, 2011, the Greyhounds relieved Lambert from his duties. Sault Ste. Marie had a record of 14–21–5–0 at the time of his firing.
Coaching record
| Team | |Regular season | SOO Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey... |
2008–09 2008–09 OHL season The 2008–09 OHL season was the 29th season of the Ontario Hockey League . Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 17, 2008 and concluded on March 15, 2009.... |
68 | 19 | 45 | 2 | 2 | 42 | 5th in West | Missed playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOO Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey... |
2009–10 2009–10 OHL season The 2009–10 OHL season was the 30th season of the Ontario Hockey League . Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010.... |
68 | 36 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 77 | 3rd in West | Lost in First round | ||
| SOO Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey... |
2010–11 2010–11 OHL season The 2010–11 OHL season is the 31st season of the Ontario Hockey League . Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 23, 2010 and ended on March 20, 2011.... |
40 | 14 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 33 | 5th in West | Fired |