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 with the New Westminster Royals in 1912 | |||
| Born |
May 21, 1881 Montreal, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Died |
November 6, 1940 (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 | 1899–1911 | ||
Hockey career
edit
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 Wanderers, Gardner 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.
Gardner 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.
Gardner is credited with helping to found the Montreal Canadiens in 1909, including its name. As an official of the Wanderers, he 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
editPlayer statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1899–1900 | Montreal AAA-2 | CAIHL | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | ||
| 1900–01 | Montreal AAA-2 | CAIHL | 6 | 10 | 0 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1900–01 | Montreal AAA | CAHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1901–02 | Montreal AAA-2 | CAIHL | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1901–02 | Montreal AAA | CAHL | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1901–02 | Montreal AAA | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 1902–03 | Montreal AAA | CAHL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1902–03 | Montreal AAA | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1903–04 | Montreal Wanderers | FAHL | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | ||
| 1903–04 | Montreal Wanderers | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1904–05 | Calumet Miners | IHL | 23 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1905–06 | Calumet Miners | IHL | 19 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1906–07 | Pittsburgh Professionals | IHL | 20 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1907–08 | Montreal Shamrocks | ECAHA | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1908–09 | Montreal Wanderers | ECHA | 12 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1908–09 | Montreal Wanderers | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 1909–10 | Montreal Wanderers | NHA | 12 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 58 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 1909–10 | Montreal Wanderers | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1910–11 | Montreal Wanderers | NHA | 16 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1911–12 | New Westminster Royals | PCHA | 15 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1912–13 | New Westminster Royals | PCHA | 13 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1913–14 | Montreal Canadiens | NHA | 15 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1914–15 | Montreal Canadiens | NHA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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 | ||||
Coaching record
edit| Season | Team | League | Regular season | Playoffs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | Pts | Result | Result | |||
| 1910–11 | Montreal Wanderers | NHA | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 4th | – |
| 1912 | New Westminster Royals | PCHA | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 1st | – |
| 1912–13 | New Westminster Royals | PCHA | 13 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 3rd | – |
| 1913–14 | Montreal Canadiens | NHA | 20 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 26 | 2nd | Lost in league playoffs against Toronto Blueshirts |
| 1914–15 | Montreal Canadiens | NHA | 20 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 6th | – |
| 1924–25 | Hamilton Tigers | NHL | 30 | 19 | 10 | 1 | 39 | 1st | No playoffs because of Hamilton Tigers player strike |
| NHA totals | 56 | 26 | 30 | 0 | 52 | ||||
| PCHA totals | 28 | 13 | 15 | 0 | 26 | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Jimmy Gardner, Former Ice Star, Dies After Long Illness at 59" The Gazette (Montreal). Nov. 7, 1940 (pg. 17).
- ^ 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.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database