- Cal Gardner
Cal Gardner (
October 30 ,1924 -October 10 ,2001 ) was a professionalice hockey player in the NHL.Early life
Cardner was born in
Transcona, Manitoba . After three years of junior ice hockey in Winnipeg during the early forties, Cal Gardner entered the military for the duration ofWorld War II .Playing career
Fresh out of the service in 1945, he joined the
New York Rovers of the EHL. There he joined forces with wingersRene Trudel andChurch Russell to form the "Atomic Line". Together, they seared their way across the league as Gardner netted 73 points in 40 games.New York Rangers GMLester Patrick could not resist such prospects, so he brought the Atomic lads to Broadway. Their collective impact, however, was minimal at best and only Gardner survived beyond three seasons.After a little more than two campaigns in New York, he was sent to the
Toronto Maple Leafs , home of the highlights of his career. Over the next four years, Gardner, known as "Pearly", notched up 163 points in 247 games, made two All-Star game appearances (1948 and 1949) and, celebrated 2Stanley Cup victories in 1949 and 1951.In 1952, he joined the lowly Chicago Black Hawks for one season before settling in for the duration with the
Boston Bruins .After leaving the NHL, Gardner bounced around the minors with the
Springfield Indians , theProvidence Reds , theCleveland Barons of the AHL and the Kingston Frontenacs of the EPHL. He also served one year, 1970–71, as the colour analyst on Boston Bruins radio broadcasts, working alongsideFred Cusick .Years later, Gardner's two sons, Dave and Paul followed their father's path to the NHL.
Coaching career
Gardner was Head Coach of the
Springfield Indians of the AHL in 1958.Awards and Achievements
*
Memorial Cup Championship (1943)
*EHL First All-Star Team (1946)
*EHL Scoring Champion (1946)
*Played in NHL All-Star game (1948 & 1949)
*Stanley Cup Championships (1949 & 1951)
*AHL Second All-Star Team (1958)
*“Honoured Member” of theManitoba Hockey Hall of Fame External links
*hockeydb|1844
*legendsofhockey|12679
* [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/honoured/players.html?category=9&id=88 Cal Gardiner's biography] at [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/index.html Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.hhof.com/html/exSCJ05_17.shtml Picture of Cal Gardner's Name on the 1949 Stanley Cup Plaque]
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