Greg Gardner

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).
==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.https://www.maccabicanada.com/1997-maccabiah-delegation
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Gardner was inducted into the Niagara Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
==Statistics==
===Regular season and playoffs===
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 		GP 	W 	L 	T 	MIN 	GA 	SO 	GAA 	SV% 		GP 	W 	L 	MIN 	GA 	SO 	GAA 	SV%
1992–93 	Caledon Canadians 	CJBHL 		28 	— 	— 	— 	1390 	73 	1 	3.15 	— 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1993–94 	Caledon Canadians 	MetJHL 		1 	1 	0 	0 	40 	5 	0 	7.50 	— 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1993–94 	Thornhill Islanders 	MetJHL 		31 	18 	11 	1 	1813 	103 	1 	3.41 	— 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1994–95 	Thornhill Islanders 	MetJHL 		42 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	2.89 	— 		11 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	3.19 	—
1995–96 	Thornhill Islanders 	MetJHL 		34 	— 	— 	— 	2005 	100 	2 	2.99 	— 		18 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	3.23 	—
1996–97 	Niagara 	ECAC West 		17 	8 	5 	2 	939 	54 	0 	3.45 	.875 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1997–98 	Niagara 	ECAC West 		25 	12 	10 	3 	1454 	74 	0 	3.05 	.875 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1998–99 	Niagara 	Independent 		30 	15 	10 	3 	1742 	78 	4 	2.69 	.912 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1999–00 	Niagara 	CHA 		41 	29 	8 	4 	2503 	64 	12 	1.53 	.936 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2000–01 	Syracuse Crunch 	AHL 		9 	1 	5 	0 	351 	28 	0 	4.78 	.859 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2000–01 	Dayton Bombers 	ECHL 		28 	14 	9 	2 	1600 	70 	2 	2.62 	.908 		3 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	2.96 	.894
2001–02 	Dayton Bombers 	ECHL 		16 	11 	4 	1 	965 	43 	1 	2.67 	.903 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2001–02 	Syracuse Crunch 	AHL 		18 	7 	6 	3 	992 	41 	2 	2.48 	.923 		1 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Mississippi Sea Wolves	ECHL 		55 	32 	17 	4 	3141 	145 	0 	2.77 	.919 		12 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	2.03 	.941
2003–04 	Mississippi Sea Wolves	ECHL 		47 	30 	14 	3 	2789 	113 	3 	2.43 	.923 		5 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	2.23 	.935
2004–05 	Fischtown Pinguins 	Bundesliga 		49 	— 	— 	— 	2859 	114 	4 	2.43 	— 		5 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	3.27 	—
2005–06 	Fischtown Pinguins 	Bundesliga 		47 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	2.63 	— 		13 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	2.11 	—
NCAA totals 	NCAA totals 	NCAA totals 		113 	64 	33 	12 	6,638 	270 	16 	2.44 	.907 		— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
ECHL totals 	ECHL totals 	ECHL totals 		146 	87 	44 	10 	8,495 	371 	6 	2.62 	.917 		20 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
AHL totals 	AHL totals 	AHL totals 		27 	8 	11 	3 	1,343 	69 	2 	3.08 	.905 		1 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
Bundesliga totals	Bundesliga totals 	Bundesliga totals		96 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 		18 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Awards and honors==
Award 	Year 	
All-CHA First Team	1999–00	
==References==
==External links==
*
Category:Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
Category:Dayton Bombers players
Category:Fischtown Pinguins players
Category:Mississippi Sea Wolves players
Category:Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey players
Category:Syracuse Crunch players