Paul Gardner (ice hockey player)
Encyclopedia
Paul Malone Gardner is a retired Canadian ice hockey
centre
. He is the son of former NHL
player Cal Gardner
and younger brother of Dave Gardner
.
of the National Hockey League
and Toronto Toros
of the World Hockey Association
, Gardner followed the Scouts franchise when it relocated to Colorado, where he played for parts of three seasons. He would also play for the Toronto Maple Leafs
, Pittsburgh Penguins
, Washington Capitals
, and Buffalo Sabres
. Gardner was an effective presence in front of the net, and was a skilled scorer. He led the American Hockey league in scoring twice (1985 and 1986). A popular player, his limited skating skills curtailed a promising career.
of the American Hockey League
for four seasons. He would later become an assistant coach for the Baltimore Skipjacks
(later Portland Pirates
after their relocation) under coach Barry Trotz
. Both Trotz and Gardner would later be promoted to the NHL level when they moved to Nashville to work for the expansion Predators
. Gardner would be assistant coach through the 2002–03 season.
On December 18, 2008, he became the coach of the Hamburg Freezers
of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
On September 13, 2011 Gardner was named head coach of the Bloomington (IL) Blaze hockey club of the CHL.
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...
centre
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
. He is the son of former 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...
player Cal Gardner
Cal Gardner
Calvin Pearly "Ginger, Red, Torchy" Gardner was a professional ice hockey player in the NHL. In 1943, after playing professional hockey for three years and winning the Memorial Cup, he joined the Canadian military and took part in World War II. At the conclusion of the war, he once again began...
and younger brother of Dave Gardner
Dave Gardner
David Calvin Gardner is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 350 National Hockey League games for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons and Philadelphia Flyers...
.
Playing career
Drafted in 1976 by both the Kansas City ScoutsKansas City Scouts
The Kansas City Scouts was a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League from 1974–76. In 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver, Colorado and became the Colorado Rockies...
of 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...
and Toronto Toros
Toronto Toros
The Toronto Toros were an ice hockey team based in Toronto that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976.The franchise was awarded to Doug Michel in 1971 to play in the WHA's inaugural 1972–73 season...
of the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
, Gardner followed the Scouts franchise when it relocated to Colorado, where he played for parts of three seasons. He would also play for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
, Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
, and Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
. Gardner was an effective presence in front of the net, and was a skilled scorer. He led the American Hockey league in scoring twice (1985 and 1986). A popular player, his limited skating skills curtailed a promising career.
Coaching career
Shortly after his playing career ended, Gardner jumped in to the coaching profession, becoming head coach of the Newmarket SaintsNewmarket Saints
The Newmarket Saints were a minor league hockey team in Newmarket, Ontario. It played in the American Hockey League from 1986–91 as the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Ray Twinney Complex....
of the American Hockey League
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...
for four seasons. He would later become an assistant coach for the Baltimore Skipjacks
Baltimore Skipjacks
The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor professional ice hockey team in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and the American Hockey League. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena.-History:...
(later Portland Pirates
Portland Pirates
The Portland Pirates is a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. They play in the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the...
after their relocation) under coach Barry Trotz
Barry Trotz
Barry Trotz is the head coach of the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators. He was previously the coach of the American Hockey League's Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates, with whom he won an AHL championship in 1994. That same year, he won the Louis A.R...
. Both Trotz and Gardner would later be promoted to the NHL level when they moved to Nashville to work for the expansion 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...
. Gardner would be assistant coach through the 2002–03 season.
On December 18, 2008, he became the coach of the Hamburg Freezers
Hamburg Freezers
The Hamburg Freezers are a member of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga that play their games in Hamburg, Germany. Originally known as the Munich Barons from 1999 until 2002, team owner Philip Anschutz relocated the franchise to Hamburg for financial reasons on 3 June 2002, and renamed the team the...
of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
On September 13, 2011 Gardner was named head coach of the Bloomington (IL) Blaze hockey club of the CHL.
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 | ||
| 1974–75 | Oshawa Generals Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League... |
OMJHL | 64 | 27 | 36 | 63 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Oshawa Generals | OMJHL | 65 | 69 | 75 | 144 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 1976–77 AHL season The 1976–77 AHL season was the 41st season of the American Hockey League. The league lost two teams, and divisions were dissolved. Six teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy is awarded is for first place in the regular season, and the John D. Chick Trophy is not... |
Rhode Island Reds Rhode Island Reds Rhode Island Reds has been the name of two sports teams from Rhode Island:*Providence Reds, a former team of the Canadian-American Hockey League and American Hockey League which later changed its name to Rhode Island Reds... |
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... |
14 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Colorado Rockies Colorado Rockies (NHL) The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was... |
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... |
60 | 30 | 29 | 59 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 46 | 30 | 22 | 52 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 64 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 11 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1979–80 1979–80 AHL season The 1979–80 AHL season was the 44th season of the American Hockey League. Ten teams were scheduled to play 80 games each. The New Haven Nighthawks finished first overall in the regular season... |
New Brunswick Hawks New Brunswick Hawks The New Brunswick Hawks were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick. Home games were played at the Moncton Coliseum. They were a member of the American Hockey League between 1978 and 1982. The Hawks operated as a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Black Hawks and the... |
AHL | 20 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 5 | ||
| 1979–80 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 45 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 1980–81 AHL season The 1980–81 AHL season was the 45th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season... |
Springfield Indians Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existence for a total of 60 seasons from 1926 to 1994, with... |
AHL | 14 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original... |
NHL | 62 | 34 | 40 | 74 | 59 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1981–82 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 59 | 36 | 33 | 69 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1982–83 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 70 | 28 | 27 | 55 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 1983–84 AHL season The 1983–84 AHL season was the 48th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league initiates two new awards. The Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award is first awarded to the league's "best goaltender." The Jack A... |
Baltimore Skipjacks Baltimore Skipjacks The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor professional ice hockey team in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and the American Hockey League. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena.-History:... |
AHL | 54 | 32 | 49 | 81 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 1983–84 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 1984–85 AHL season The 1984–85 AHL season was the 49th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Binghamton Whalers finished first overall in the regular season... |
Binghamton Whalers Binghamton Whalers The Binghamton Whalers was an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. It played in Binghamton, New York, USA, at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.-History:... |
AHL | 64 | 51 | 79 | 130 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 1984–85 | Washington Capitals Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup... |
NHL | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 1985–86 AHL season The 1985–86 AHL season was the 50th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season... |
Rochester Americans Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and a top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial... |
AHL | 71 | 61 | 51 | 112 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:... |
NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 1996–97 AHL season The 1996–97 AHL season was the 61st season of the American Hockey League. The league renames its divisions due to relocating teams. The Northern Conferences consists of the Atlantic Division becoming the Canadian Division, and the Central Division becoming the Empire State Division... |
Portland Pirates Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates is a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. They play in the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the... |
AHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 447 | 201 | 201 | 402 | 207 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 14 | ||||