Eddie Gerard
Encyclopedia
Edward George Gerard was a Canadian professional ice hockey
player and coach. Born in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada he played professionally for 10 seasons for the hometown Ottawa Senators
and was member of several Stanley Cup
-winning teams before retiring as a player in 1923. He continued in hockey afterward as a coach until 1935, winning a further Stanley Cup in 1926. He was regarded as one of the most prominent athletes in Ottawa, active in several sports and was a halfback
for the Ottawa Rough Riders
football
club from 1909 to 1913. When the Hockey Hall of Fame
was founded in 1945, Gerard was one of the original twelve inductees.
survey in 1912, and at the time of his death was chief engineering clerk for the survey.
of $1,000 for, but refused. Early in the month the Ottawa Senators
offered him a contract of $1,500 for two seasons, which would have made him one of the highest paid players in hockey. He also received an offer from the Sydney Hockey Club
from the Maritime Hockey League
promised $1,600 for the season, with an extra $1,000 to come from advertisements. Gerard joined the professional ranks in 1913–14 with the Ottawa Senators, after playing in senior amateur play since 1907 with various Ottawa teams. He had also played rugby football, and gave that up to play with the Senators. One of the highest regarded athletes in Ottawa, he only signed with the Senators when they assured him he would be able to keep his government job. When he did sign, he was given a bonus of C$
400. In 1915, he was named to the NHA All-Stars which went on a tour in British Columbia to play PCHA teams. Gerard was player-coach of the Senators from 1916 until 1918. He later served as captain of the Senators from 1919 to 1923. He retired after the 1922–23 season due to a growth, although benign, in his throat, which diminished his breathing.
Gerard won four Stanley Cup
s during his playing career. Three came as a member of the Ottawa Senators and one with the Toronto St. Pats. In game five of the 1921 Stanley Cup Finals
, Gerard had six penalties, one of which was a match penalty near the end of the game. Gerard was attending the 1922 Stanley Cup Final, held that year in Toronto when Harry Cameron
, a defenceman of the St. Pats, was injured. Vancouver Millionaires
Manager Lester Patrick
gave permission to Toronto to use Gerard to replace their injured player. Toronto won the game and the series. It was his only game with the St. Pats.
, resigned on the same day. He would coach the New York Americans for two seasons in 1930–31 and 1931–32. In the fall of 1932 he returned as Manager-Coach of the Montreal Maroons for two more seasons; 1932–33, 1933–34.
Prior to the start of the 1934–35 season, the Senators moved from Ottawa to St. Louis, Missouri
and changed their name to the St. Louis Eagles
. Gerard was hired as the first coach of the Eagles and replaced his former teammate on the Senators, Georges Boucher. The team lost eleven of their first thirteen games to start the season and as a result Gerard resigned as coach of the team on December 11, 1934, with Boucher named his replacement.
He died in Ottawa on August 7, 1937 due to the same throat condition which had ended his involvement in hockey. He is interred in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. Gerard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1945.
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 and coach. Born in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada he played professionally for 10 seasons for the hometown Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
and was member of several Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
-winning teams before retiring as a player in 1923. He continued in hockey afterward as a coach until 1935, winning a further Stanley Cup in 1926. He was regarded as one of the most prominent athletes in Ottawa, active in several sports and was a halfback
Halfback (Canadian football)
The halfback in Canadian football, and most commonly the Canadian Football League, refers to the defensive back rather than the running back, as in American football. The defensive halfback lines up inside covering the slotback. They are usually slightly larger than the cornerback to assist the...
for the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
club from 1909 to 1913. When the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
was founded in 1945, Gerard was one of the original twelve inductees.
Personal life
Gerard was born in Ottawa on February 22, 1890. His father was of Scottish descent. He married Lillian Mackenzie and had two daughters. He worked as a printer and was employed by the Canadian Government Printing Bureau. He moved to the geodeticGeodesy
Geodesy , also named geodetics, a branch of earth sciences, is the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space. Geodesists also study geodynamical phenomena such as crustal...
survey in 1912, and at the time of his death was chief engineering clerk for the survey.
Playing career
In November 1913, while still an amateur player, Gerard was approached by several teams in regards to turning professional. He initially had an offer from the Montreal CanadiensMontreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
of $1,000 for, but refused. Early in the month the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
offered him a contract of $1,500 for two seasons, which would have made him one of the highest paid players in hockey. He also received an offer from the Sydney Hockey Club
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
from the Maritime Hockey League
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
promised $1,600 for the season, with an extra $1,000 to come from advertisements. Gerard joined the professional ranks in 1913–14 with the Ottawa Senators, after playing in senior amateur play since 1907 with various Ottawa teams. He had also played rugby football, and gave that up to play with the Senators. One of the highest regarded athletes in Ottawa, he only signed with the Senators when they assured him he would be able to keep his government job. When he did sign, he was given a bonus of C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
400. In 1915, he was named to the NHA All-Stars which went on a tour in British Columbia to play PCHA teams. Gerard was player-coach of the Senators from 1916 until 1918. He later served as captain of the Senators from 1919 to 1923. He retired after the 1922–23 season due to a growth, although benign, in his throat, which diminished his breathing.
Gerard won four Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s during his playing career. Three came as a member of the Ottawa Senators and one with the Toronto St. Pats. In game five of the 1921 Stanley Cup Finals
1921 Stanley Cup Finals
-See also:* 1920–21 NHL season* 1920–21 PCHA season...
, Gerard had six penalties, one of which was a match penalty near the end of the game. Gerard was attending the 1922 Stanley Cup Final, held that year in Toronto when Harry Cameron
Harry Cameron
Harold Hugh "Cammie" Cameron was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played professionally for the Toronto Blueshirts, Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators, Toronto St. Pats and Montreal Canadiens. Cameron won three Stanley Cups in his career...
, a defenceman of the St. Pats, was injured. Vancouver Millionaires
Vancouver Millionaires
The Vancouver Millionaires were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League between 1911 and 1926...
Manager Lester Patrick
Lester Patrick
Curtis Lester "The Silver Fox" Patrick born in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, was a professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association , and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League...
gave permission to Toronto to use Gerard to replace their injured player. Toronto won the game and the series. It was his only game with the St. Pats.
Post-playing career
After retiring as a player he was the Manager-Coach of the Montreal Maroons from 1924–25 season to 1928–29 season, winning his fifth Stanley Cup in 1925–26. He resigned from the Maroons, where he never had a formal contract, on July 8, 1929. Though he never stated why he left the team, there were rumours that he was to join the Senators, whose owner and manager, Tommy GormanTommy Gorman
Thomas Patrick "T. P." Gorman was a founder of the National Hockey League , a winner of seven Stanley Cups as a general manager with four teams, and an Olympic gold medal-winning lacrosse player for Canada....
, resigned on the same day. He would coach the New York Americans for two seasons in 1930–31 and 1931–32. In the fall of 1932 he returned as Manager-Coach of the Montreal Maroons for two more seasons; 1932–33, 1933–34.
Prior to the start of the 1934–35 season, the Senators moved from Ottawa to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and changed their name to the St. Louis Eagles
St. Louis Eagles
The St. Louis Eagles were a professional ice hockey team and a former member of the National Hockey League based in St. Louis, Missouri. The Eagles existed for only one year, playing in the 1934–35 NHL season....
. Gerard was hired as the first coach of the Eagles and replaced his former teammate on the Senators, Georges Boucher. The team lost eleven of their first thirteen games to start the season and as a result Gerard resigned as coach of the team on December 11, 1934, with Boucher named his replacement.
He died in Ottawa on August 7, 1937 due to the same throat condition which had ended his involvement in hockey. He is interred in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. Gerard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1945.
Regular season and playoffs
| 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 | ||
| 1913–14 1913–14 NHA season The 1913–14 NHA season was the fifth season of the National Hockey Association . At the end of the regular season, a tie for first place necessitated a playoff to determine the championship. The Toronto Hockey Club defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6–2 in a two-game, total-goals playoff... |
Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators (original) The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934... |
NHA National Hockey Association The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League... |
11 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1914–15 1914–15 NHA season The 1914–15 NHA season was the sixth season of the National Hockey Association and played from December 26, 1914 until March 3, 1915. Each team played 20 games. The Ottawa Senators won the NHA championship in a two game, total goal playoff against the Montreal Wanderers... |
Ottawa Senators | NHA | 20 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 39 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1915–16 | Ottawa Senators | NHA | 24 | 13 | 5 | 18 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1916–17 | Ottawa Senators | NHA | 19 | 17 | 9 | 26 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 1917–18 | Ottawa Senators | 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... |
20 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1918–19 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 18 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1919–20 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 22 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1920–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 53 | ||
| 1921–22 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 21 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1921–22 | Toronto St. Patricks Toronto St. Patricks The Toronto St. Patricks professional men's ice hockey team started as an amateur ice hockey organization. In 1919, the club purchased the Toronto National Hockey League franchise from the NHL. The club renamed the franchise the Toronto St. Patricks club and operated the franchise until 1927, when... |
NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1922–23 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 23 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| NHA totals | 74 | 45 | 31 | 76 | 167 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | ||||
| NHL totals | 128 | 50 | 47 | 97 | 120 | 27 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 71 | ||||
Coaching record
| 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 | GC | W | L | T | Finish | GC | W | L | T | Result | ||
| 1917–18 | Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators (original) The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934... |
NHL | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 3rd, NHL | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1924–25 | Montreal Maroons Montreal Maroons The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935... |
NHL | 30 | 9 | 19 | 2 | 5th, NHL | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1925–26 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 36 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 2nd, NHL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Won Stanley Cup | ||
| 1926–27 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 44 | 20 | 20 | 4 | 3rd, Canadian | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Lost in Quarterfinals | ||
| 1927–28 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 44 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 2nd, Canadian | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | Lost in Finals | ||
| 1928–29 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 44 | 15 | 20 | 9 | 5th, Canadian | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1930–31 | New York Americans New York Americans The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals... |
NHL | 44 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 4th, Canadian | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1931–32 | New York Americans | NHL | 48 | 16 | 24 | 8 | 4th, American | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1932–33 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 48 | 22 | 20 | 6 | 2nd, Canadian | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Lost in Quarterfinals | ||
| 1933–34 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 48 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 3rd, Canadian | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Lost in Semifinals | ||
| 1934–35 | St. Louis Eagles St. Louis Eagles The St. Louis Eagles were a professional ice hockey team and a former member of the National Hockey League based in St. Louis, Missouri. The Eagles existed for only one year, playing in the 1934–35 NHL season.... |
NHL | 13 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 5th, American | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 421 | 174 | 186 | 61 | — | 21 | 8 | 8 | 5 | One Stanley Cup | ||||