Herb Gardiner

Herbert Martin Gardiner (May 8, 1891 – January 11, 1972) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1920 and 1929. Additionally, he was the head coach of the Black Hawks for part of the 1928–29 season. Gardiner was a member of the WCHL champion Tigers in 1924 and in 1927 won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player after playing every minute of every game for the Canadiens. He coached several minor professional teams in Philadelphia following his retirement as a player. Gardiner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.

Early life Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1891, Gardiner first played senior hockey in that city in 1908 before moving on to other pursuits. He began a career as a banker in 1909, winning the Winnipeg Bank League's hockey title. At this point in time Gardiner played as a winger on the forward line. He stopped playing entirely for four years as he took on a job as a surveyor for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He joined the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1915. Gardiner faced several medical issues while serving: he was reported to have jaundice, pleurisy, and respiratory ailments in medical reports. He was also wounded in combat, shot in the nose in June 1916, possibly at the Battle of Mont Sorrel. Enlisting as a private, he rose to the rank of lieutenant by the time he was sent back to Canada and discharged in March 1918.

Playing career

Returning to hockey, Gardiner joined the Calgary Wanderers of Alberta's Big-4 League in 1919 then shifted to the Calgary Tigers one season later. He turned professional at the age of 29 in 1921–22 when the Tigers joined the newly formed Western Canada Hockey League, and quickly established himself as one of the league's top defencemen. He was a key member of the Tigers' team that won the 1923–24 WCHL championship. Gardiner and the Tigers lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final, but his performance impressed the Montreal organization.

Gardiner made his NHL debut in 1926 at the age of 35 and immediately showed himself to be one of the league's top defenders. He was named the winner of the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player, nine votes ahead of Bill Cook of the New York Rangers. , Gardiner remains the second-oldest player to ever win the award after Eddie Shore, and along with Wayne Gretzky is one of only two players to be named most valuable in their first year in the league. He led the Ramblers to the Calder Cup finals in 1937 and 1939. The organization named Gardiner the general manager of the proposed Philadelphia Maroons but the team was never launched.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1909–10 Winnipeg Victorias WSrHL 2 3 0 3 0 — — — — — 1914–15 Calgary Monarchs AAHL 3 4 0 4 — — — — — — 1918–19 Calgary Rotary Club CSRHL — — — — — 6 4 4 8 — 1919–20 Calgary Wanderers Big-4 12 8 9 17 6 2 0 0 0 2 1920–21 Calgary Tigers Big-4 13 3 7 10 6 — — — — — 1921–22 Calgary Tigers WCHL 24 4 1 5 6 2 0 0 0 0 1922–23 Calgary Tigers WCHL 29 9 3 12 9 — — — — — 1923–24 Calgary Tigers WCHL 22 5 5 10 4 2 1 0 1 0 1923–24 Calgary Tigers St-Cup — — — — — 2 2 1 3 0 1924–25 Calgary Tigers WCHL 28 12 8 20 18 2 0 0 0 0 1925–26 Calgary Tigers WHL 27 3 1 4 10 — — — — — 1926–27 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 6 6 12 26 4 0 0 0 10 1927–28 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 4 3 7 26 2 0 1 1 4 1928–29 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 13 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1928–29 Montreal Canadiens NHL 7 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 1929–30 Philadelphia Arrows Can-Am 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1931–32 Philadelphia Arrows Can-Am 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1934–35 Philadelphia Arrows Can-Am 12 0 0 0 0 — — — — — WCHL totals 130 33 18 51 47 11 3 1 4 0 NHL totals 108 10 9 19 59 9 0 1 1 16

Coaching record Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L T Pts Division rank Result Chicago Black Hawks 1928–29 32 5 23 4 14 5th in American (Fired)Total 32 5 23 4 14

College

† Gardiner coached the Penn team for 1 games before turning control over to William Farson.