Jimmy Gardner
Born: May 21, 1881
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died: November 6, 1940 (aged 59)
Height: 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)
Position: Left Wing
Shot: Left
| Year | League | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899–1900 | CAIHL | Montreal AAA-2 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1900–01 | CAIHL | Montreal AAA-2 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 1900–01 | CAHL | Montreal AAA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901–02 | CAIHL | Montreal AAA-2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| 1901–02 | CAHL | Montreal AAA | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| 1902–03 | CAHL | Montreal AAA | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| 1903–04 | FAHL | Montreal Wanderers | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| 1904–05 | IHL | Calumet Miners | 23 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 33 |
| 1905–06 | IHL | Calumet Miners | 19 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 30 |
| 1906–07 | IHL | Pittsburgh Professionals | 20 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 61 |
| 1907–08 | ECAHA | Montreal Shamrocks | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 42 |
| 1908–09 | ECHA | Montreal Wanderers | 12 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 61 |
| 1909–10 | NHA | Montreal Wanderers | 12 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 58 |
| 1910–11 | NHA | Montreal Wanderers | 16 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 35 |
| 1911–12 | PCHA | New Westminster Royals | 15 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 49 |
| 1912–13 | PCHA | New Westminster Royals | 13 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 21 |
| 1913–14 | NHA | Montreal Canadiens | 15 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 12 |
| 1914–15 | NHA | Montreal Canadiens | 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 | ||
| PCHA totals | 28 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 70 |
Playoff/Stanley Cup Challenges
| Year | League | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899–1900 | CAIHL | Montreal AAA-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1901–02 | Stanley Cup | Montreal AAA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 1902–03 | Stanley Cup | Montreal AAA | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 1903–04 | FAHL | Montreal Wanderers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1903–04 | Stanley Cup | Montreal Wanderers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1908–09 | Stanley Cup | Montreal Wanderers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 1909–10 | NHA | Montreal Wanderers | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| 1909–10 | Stanley Cup | Montreal Wanderers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Stanley Cup totals | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 37 | ||
| CAIHL totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| NHA totals | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | ||
| FAHL totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
James Henry “Jimmy” Gardner (1881–1940) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach who was instrumental in the transition from amateur to professional hockey, achieving championships on both levels. His playing career began with the amateur Montreal Hockey Club of the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) in 1900, where he won the Stanley Cup twice (1902 and 1903) as one of the “Little Men of Iron.” In 1903, he helped found the Montreal Wanderers and later turned professional, spending two seasons with U.S. teams like the Calumet Miners and Pittsburgh Professionals in the International Hockey League (IHL). Returning to the Wanderers, he won the Stanley Cup again in 1908 and 1910 before spending two seasons with the New Westminster Royals of the PCHA and two final seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. Gardner was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.
Beyond his playing career, Gardner was a key figure in the formation of modern hockey organizations. In December 1909, while an official with the Wanderers, he met with Ambrose O’Brien to address being excluded from a new professional league. This meeting was critical in leading to the foundation of the National Hockey Association (NHA), the precursor to the NHL. Furthermore, Gardner is credited with suggesting the name for the NHA’s new French-language team, “Les Canadiens.” After retiring as a player, he coached the Canadiens for two seasons (1913–1915) and later coached the Hamilton Tigers in the NHL, whom he led to a first-place finish in 1925 before a player strike cancelled their playoff run.