Jimmy Gardner (ice hockey)

James Henry Gardner (May 21, 1881 – November 6, 1940) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach. Gardner started his career as professionalism was just starting in ice hockey. He won championships with both amateur and professional teams. After his hockey career ended, Gardner coached professionally, most notably with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey Association (NHA). Gardner helped found the NHA, the predecessor of today's National Hockey League, and the Canadiens, including suggesting the team name.

Jimmy Gardner
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1963
Gardner in 1912 with the New Westminster Royals.
Born (1881-05-21)May 21, 1881
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died November 6, 1940(1940-11-06) (aged 59)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Pittsburgh Professionals
Montreal Wanderers
Montreal Shamrocks
Calumet Miners
New Westminster Royals
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 18991911

Hockey career

Gardner in 1907 with the Pittsburgh Pros.

Gardner's playing career started with Montreal Hockey Club amateur men's team of the Canadian Amateur Hockey League in 1900, where he played until 1903, winning the Stanley Cup twice, in 1902 and 1903 as one of the 'Little Men of Iron'. In 1903, the players of the Montreal Hockey Club left to form the new Montreal Wanderers of the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL).

After one season with the Wanderer, he then turned professional, playing two years for US teams the Calumet Miners and the Pittsburgh Professionals before returning to Canada and the Montreal Shamrocks. He would return to the Wanderers in 1908 and play for the club until 1911, winning the Cup in 1908 and 1910. He joined the new PCHA and played for New Westminster for two seasons, before returning to Montreal to play for the Montreal Canadiens for two seasons before retiring as a player.

He then coached the Canadiens for two seasons and in later years coached the Hamilton Tigers, Providence Reds, and teams in the Western Canada Hockey League and Quebec Hockey League.

Mr. Gardner is credited with helping to found the Montreal Canadiens in 1909, including its name. Gardner, as an official of the Wanderers, met with Ambrose O'Brien during the hockey meetings of December 1909, when the Wanderers and O'Brien's teams were left out of a new professional league. Gardner and O'Brien together worked on the idea of the new National Hockey Association, and the idea of a new francophone team for Montreal, to be named "Les Canadiens". The club would be a natural rival for the anglophone Wanderers. O'Brien, whose family controlled railway and mining business, underwrote both the new league and the Canadiens franchise. A month later, the rival league folded and O'Brien's teams absorbed some of the rival teams. O'Brien would sell the Canadiens one year later to George Kennedy, who owned Club Athletique Canadien.

Gardner died in Montreal on November 6, 1940 after a lengthy illness.[1]

He was inducted posthumously into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.[2]

Career statistics

Player statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1899–1900Montreal AAA-2CAIHL48081101
1900–01Montreal AAA-2CAIHL610010
1900–01Montreal AAACAHL10000
1901–02Montreal AAA-2CAIHL15053
1901–02Montreal AAACAHL810116
1901–02*Montreal AAASt-Cup300012
1902–03Montreal AAACAHL33039
1902–03*Montreal AAASt-Cup21016
1903–04Montreal WanderersFAHL65051211
1903–04Montreal WanderersSt-Cup11010
1904–05Calumet MinersIHL231601633
1905–06Calumet MinersIHL1930330
1906–07Pittsburgh ProfessionalsIHL201081861
1907–08*Montreal ShamrocksECAHA1070742
1908–09Montreal WanderersECHA121101161
1908–09Montreal WanderersSt-Cup200013
1909–10Montreal WanderersNHA12100105813039
1909–10*Montreal WanderersSt-Cup10006
1910–11Montreal WanderersNHA1650535
1911–12New Westminster RoyalsPCHA1580849
1912–13New Westminster RoyalsPCHA1334721
1913–14Montreal CanadiensNHA151091912
1914–15Montreal CanadiensNHA20000
CAHL totals 12 4 0 4 25
IHL totals 62 29 8 37 124
NHA totals 45 25 9 34 105 1 3 0 3 9
PCHA totals 28 11 4 15 70
St-Cup totals 9 2 0 2 37

* Stanley Cup Champion.

Coaching record

SeasonTeamLeagueRegular seasonPlayoffs
GPWLTPtsResultResult
1910–11Montreal WanderersNHA 16790144th
1912New Westminster RoyalsPCHA 15960181st
1912–13New Westminster RoyalsPCHA 1349083rd
1913–14Montreal CanadiensNHA 201370262ndLost in league playoffs against Toronto Blueshirts
1914–15Montreal CanadiensNHA 206140126th
1924–25Hamilton TigersNHL 3019101391stNo playoffs because of Hamilton Tigers player strike
NHA totals562630052
PCHA totals281315026

References

  1. "Jimmy Gardner, Former Ice Star, Dies After Long Illness at 59" The Gazette (Montreal). Nov. 7, 1940 (pg. 17).
  2. Hockey Hall of Fame 2003, p. 56.
General
  • Hockey Hall of Fame (2003). Honoured Members: Hockey Hall of Fame. Bolton, Ontario: Fenn Publishing. ISBN 1-55168-239-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Preceded by
Napoléon Dorval
Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens
1913–1915
Succeeded by
Newsy Lalonde
Preceded by
Newsy Lalonde
Montreal Canadiens captain
191315
Succeeded by
Howard McNamara
Preceded by
Percy LeSueur
Head coach of the Hamilton Tigers
1924–25
Succeeded by
New York Americans coaches
Tommy Gorman
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