In 2017, Gartner was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in the league's 100-year history. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) in 2001, Gartner has been a member of the HHOF Selection Committee since 2009, and its chair since 2022.
Playing career
Gartner was born in Ottawa, Ontario. As a youth, Gartner played in the 1972 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Toronto.[1] Gartner was drafted in the first round, fourth overall, by the Washington Capitals in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He started his professional career in the WHA as an underager with the Cincinnati Stingers in 1978–79. He played on a line with Mark Messier and finished second to Wayne Gretzky for Rookie-of-the-Year honors. With the WHA folding at the end of the season, he played the next season with the Capitals, and would play for them for the better part of ten seasons. He recorded an assist in his NHL debut on October 11, 1979, versus the Buffalo Sabres, and wore number eleven for the Caps.
In 1979–80, Gartner won the Capitals' Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, and was voted by their fans as the team's Most Promising Player. He also led the team with 36 goals. Gartner was traded to the Minnesota North Stars on March 7, 1989, with Larry Murphy for Dino Ciccarelli and Bob Rouse. He left the Capitals as the team's all-time leader in career goals, assists and points.
Gartner only lasted one season with Minnesota and was traded to the New York Rangers on March 6, 1990 for Ulf Dahlén, a draft pick, and future considerations. He scored two goals in his debut with the Rangers versus the Philadelphia Flyers. He scored eleven goals and sixteen points in the remaining twelve regular-season games the Rangers played that year. In 1991–92, he became the first player in NHL history to score his 500th goal, 500th assist, 1000th point and play in his 1000th game all in the same season. The next season, Gartner became the first Ranger to score at least 40 goals in three consecutive seasons. He also scored four goals in the NHL All-Star Game and earned the All-Star Game MVP award.
Gartner has his number retired by the Washington Capitals in 2008.
Gartner was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Glenn Anderson, a minor leaguer, and a draft pick at the trade deadline on March 21, 1994.[2] The deal was driven by Rangers head coach Mike Keenan who disliked Gartner for his lack of grit and disappointing performances in the playoffs. Rangers general manager Neil Smith convinced his Maple Leafs counterpart Cliff Fletcher to agree to the trade by noting that Gartner had one year left on his contract while Anderson was expected to become a free agent at season's end.[3] Gartner played with the Leafs until 1996, when he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes, who had just re-located from Winnipeg. Gartner scored the first goal and hat trick in Phoenix history on October 7 against the Boston Bruins, in the franchise's second game since relocation. He played two seasons with the Coyotes before retiring in August 1998.
Hockey administrator
Gartner was active with the NHL Players Association. He served as president of the NHLPA from 1996 until his retirement in 1998 and served as Chairman of the Goals & Dreams program with the NHLPA. He resigned from the NHLPA on March 19, 2007.[4]
Gartner has been a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee in 2009,[5] and its chair since 2022.[6] He was announced as chair-elect of the Hall as a whole, to replace Lanny McDonald whose term expired in June 2025.[7]
Distinction
Gartner never won the Stanley Cup nor played in the Cup Finals, never won an NHL award, and was never named to the postseason All-Star Team. Gartner was a member of the New York Rangers team that would go on to win the championship in 1994, but he was traded to Toronto at the trade deadline. Gartner got farther than he ever would in the playoffs that same year, as the Maple Leafs made it to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Vancouver Canucks in five games. He was traded close to the NHL trading deadline three times in his career, and in a combined 35 games with his new teams during the regular season after the mid-season deals, he had 24 goals, 18 assists, 42 points, and a +16 rating. He led his team in goals nine times during his career and scored 30 or more goals each year for the first 15 seasons of his NHL career, setting a record. Despite scoring 50 goals only once in a single season, Gartner became only the fifth player in NHL history to reach 700 goals.
Gartner was also known for his blazing on-ice speed and ability to beat defenders down the ice.[8] The Washington Capitals retired Gartner's #11 in a ceremony before their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 28, 2008.[9]
During the 1996 Super Skills competition, Gartner had set the record for the fastest skater event with a time of 13.386 (full course standing start). The record stood for 20 years until Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings broke it with a skating/running start 2016.[10] In the 2017 All-Star Game, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers set a time of 13.310 beating Gartner (standing start) but not Larkin (running start).[11]
Gartner is one of only eight players in NHL history to score 700 career goals. In 2017 he was named to NHL's 100th anniversary list of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.[13] He was the NHL's Player of the Week for the weeks ending February 22, 1987 and November 26, 1989, and was the NHL's Player of the Month for February 1987, becoming first Capital to win the award. He was an NHL All-Star Game MVP in 1993, was the NHL's Fastest Skater at the All-Star Game Skills Competition in 1991, 1993 and 1996, and played in the NHL All-Star Game seven times (1981, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996).
Mike Gartner had his jersey retired by the Washington Capitals in 2008. The banner shown here has since been replaced.
Gartner scored the last goal ever at Chicago Stadium in the 1994 playoffs. His jersey was number #11 retired by Washington Capitals on December 28, 2008. In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, he was ranked No. 67 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons[14]
Gartner holds the NHL record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons, 15, tied with Jaromir Jagr and Alexander Ovechkin.[15]He also holds NHL records for most goals in an All-Star Game, four, in 1993 (shared with Wayne Gretzky, Dany Heatley and others) and for fastest two goals from the start of an All-Star Game in 3:37 in 1993. He holds the Washington Capitals records for longest point-streak with 17 games (twice), longest goal-scoring-streak (1986–87), nine games (shares record), most shorthanded goals in a season (1986–87), six (shares record), and most points by a right winger in one season (1984–85) with 102.
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