Men's Ice Hockey
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Greg Gardner begins his third year as an assistant coach of the Princeton men's hockey team, having joined the program in June 2011. One of his primary focuses is with the goaltenders.
Gardner coached Mike Condon '13 for two years before the netminder signed a two-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens. A second-team All-Ivy League selection, Condon finished his career with the best save percentage in program history at .917. His .923 save percentage his senior year is the second-highest save percentage in a season, while his .919 his junior year is the third-best. Additionally, he capped his career with the third-best goals against average in the program with a 2.67 GAA.
During Gardner's first year working with the goalies, Condon made 57 saves at Union - the fourth most saves in a game in Princeton's 101-year history. Both Condon and Sean Bonar '14 earned assists in a game during the 2011-12 season as well.
Prior to Princeton, Gardner spent five years as an assistant coach at his alma mater Niagara, where he played goal from 1996-2000. Gardner's responsibilities at Niagara included video analysis, scouting, recruiting, overseeing strength and conditioning and working closely with the Niagara Goalies. Gardner has helped lead Niagara to a regular season and tournament championship, as well as an NCAA tournament appearance in 2008.
Following his collegiate career at Niagara, Gardner began a six-year professional career. He signed an NHL contract as a free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets becoming the team's first-ever signee. He played in two exhibition games for the Blue Jackets, beating Nashville, 2-1, and losing to Buffalo, 2-1, and attended three NHL training camps with Columbia (2000 and 2001) and Buffalo (2003). Gardner's professional career included stops with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), Rochester Americans (AHL), Dayton Bombers (ECHL) and Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL). Gardner went overseas for his final two seasons, playing in Germany for Bremerhaven of the German Bundesliga. In his two seasons in Bremerhaven he led the league in goals-against average and was also Named Bundesliga Goalie of the Year.
In his college career, Gardner graduated with 16 shutouts over 113 career games. That total included an NCAA-record 12 shutouts during the 1999-00 season and his total of 16 ranks fifth in the NCAA record books. He also led the NCAA that year with a 1.53 GAA, which still ranks ninth best in Division I history. Gardner was named the College Hockey America Goaltender of the Year, CHA Player of the Year and was named to the First All-Star Team in 2000. In the classroom, he was named to the 2000 CHA All-Academic Team and was honored as Niagara's Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
