Greg Gardner

Last updated

Greg Gardner
Born (1975-11-21) November 21, 1975 (age 48)
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Syracuse Crunch
Dayton Bombers
Mississippi Sea Wolves
Fischtown Pinguins
Playing career 2000–2006
Coaching career
Current position
Title Associate head coach
Team Mercyhurst
Conference Atlantic Hockey
Biographical details
Alma mater Niagara University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2006–2011 Niagara (Assistant)
2011–2014 Princeton (Assistant)
2014–Present Mercyhurst (Associate)
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Maccabiah Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1997 Israel Ice hockey

Gregory Gardner (born November 21, 1975) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former goaltender who is the NCAA Division I record-holder for shutouts in a season (as of 2021). He was the first ever player signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. [1]

Contents

Career

When Niagara University began sponsoring men's ice hockey in 1996, they did so with Gardner as their primary goaltender. The team joined ECAC West for their inaugural season, one of the top conferences in Division III, and performed surprisingly well. Gardner helped the team finish second in the conference but, because the team was in its first season of play, they were ineligible for any postseason play. Both Gardner and the Eagles played even better in year two, with Niagara winning both the ECAC West regular season and Tournament Championships. While Gardner overall numbers were underwhelming, 12 of the team's 27 games had been played against Division I programs. Niagara had done this because the school's plan was to promote the program to Division I the following year.

He played for Team Canada in the 1997 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning a gold medal. [2] [3]

Gardner got his first taste of D-I hockey in the fall of 1998 and showed that he belonged when he helped Niagara earn a weekend split against the defending NCAA champion, #2 Michigan. [4] He continued to play steady in goal for Niagara, helping the team finish with a winning record. For his final season, Gardner's team became a founding member of College Hockey America and he responded with one of the most stunning seasons in NCAA history. Gardner was in goal for 41 of the team's 42 games and led the nation with 29 wins and a 1.53 goals against average. He also set the NCAA record with 12 shutouts on the season, bringing his career total up to 16. In a stretch of 15 games, beginning in late December, Gardner went 13–0–2 and helped earn Niagara its first ever national ranking. [5] Despite the gaudy totals, Gardner's competition was perceived as weak and he was not named as an All-American. Regardless of the personal slight, Gardner helped the Purple Eagles win the inaugural CHA Tournament and put the team in prime position for an at-large bid.

Because the CHA was a new conference, they did not have an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament despite having the requisite number of member teams (6). Even though the conssnsus at the time was that the conference was inferior to the other established leagues, the NCAA selection committee could not ignore Niagara's 29–7–4 record and awarded the final western seed to the Purple Eagles. [6] Niagara faced New Hampshire in its first NCAA game and showed they belonged by winning the match. While the Eagles were outshout 18–35, Gardner turned away 34 attempts and led the team to a moderately surprising 4–1 win. [7] While they could not replicate the performance in the second game, falling to the eventual national champions, Gardner had ensured his legacy with the program by giving the Purple Eagles their first (and only as of 2021) 30-win season.

After graduating, Gardner played several years of professional hockey, mostly in the ECHL. His best season came in 2003 when he helped the Mississippi Sea Wolves capture a division championship. Gardner retired as a player in 2006 and immediately returned to college hockey as a coach. He spent 5 seasons as an assistant with his alma mater before moving on to Princeton in 2011. he is currently the associate head coach at Mercyhurst. [8]

Gardner was inducted into the Niagara Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. [9]

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGPWLTMINGA SO GAA SV% GPWLMINGASOGAASV%
1992–93 Caledon Canadians CJBHL 28———13907313.15—————————
1993–94 Caledon Canadians MetJHL 110040507.50—————————
1993–94 Thornhill Islanders MetJHL 3118111181310313.41—————————
1994–95 Thornhill Islanders MetJHL 42——————2.89—11—————3.19—
1995–96 Thornhill Islanders MetJHL 34———200510022.99—18—————3.23—
1996–97 Niagara ECAC West 178529395403.45.875————————
1997–98 Niagara ECAC West 251210314547403.05.875————————
1998–99 Niagara Independent 301510317427842.69.912————————
1999–00 Niagara CHA 412984250364121.53.936————————
2000–01 Syracuse Crunch AHL 91503512804.78.859————————
2000–01 Dayton Bombers ECHL 28149216007022.62.9083—————2.96.894
2001–02 Dayton Bombers ECHL 1611419654312.67.903————————
2001–02 Syracuse Crunch AHL 187639924122.48.9231———————
2002–03 Mississippi Sea Wolves ECHL 5532174314114502.77.91912—————2.03.941
2003–04 Mississippi Sea Wolves ECHL 4730143278911332.43.9235—————2.23.935
2004–05 Fischtown Pinguins Bundesliga 49———285911442.43—5—————3.27—
2005–06 Fischtown Pinguins Bundesliga 47——————2.63—13—————2.11—
NCAA totals1136433126,638270162.44.907————————
ECHL totals1468744108,49537162.62.91720———————
AHL totals2781131,3436923.08.9051———————
Bundesliga totals96————————18———————

Awards and honors

AwardYear
All-CHA First Team 1999–00 [10]

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References

  1. ↑ "Columbus Blue Jackets Sign First Player in Club History". Columbus Blue Jackets. May 4, 2000. Archived from the original on October 28, 2000. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ "1997 Team Canada Delegation"
  3. ↑ Paul Lungen (December 7, 2012). "Maccabi Team Canada". Jewish Independent.
  4. ↑ "1998-99 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Niagara Purple Eagles. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ "USA TODAY/American Hockey Magazine Poll". USCHO.com. January 10, 2000. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  6. ↑ "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Niagara 4, New Hampshire 1". USCHO.com. March 24, 2000. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Greg Gardner". Mercyhurst Lakers. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Purple Eagles Hall of Fame". Niagara Purple Eagles. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  10. ↑ "CHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
First Awarded
 CHA Player of the Year
1999–00 		Succeeded by
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