Calvin Pearly "Ginger, Red, Torchy" Gardner (October 30, 1924 – October 10, 2001) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player. In 1943, after playing professional hockey for three years and winning the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

, he joined the

Canadian military The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defence Act'', t ...

and took part in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the war, he returned to professional hockey, joining the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

affiliate, the

New York Rovers The New York Rovers were a senior ice hockey team that was established in 1935. They played in the Eastern Hockey League as a farm team of the New York Rangers. The Rovers played alongside the Rangers in Madison Square Garden (1925), Madison Squ ...

. With the Rovers, Gardner centred a line with fellow Manitobans Church Russell and Rene Trudell. The trio were dominant, with all three players being called up to the Rangers and making their

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

debut on February 10, 1946. From their debut, the trio remained intact as a line until December 1947, with the unit being nicknamed "Whiz Kids" and the "rover-boy line." Following the 1948 season, the Rangers traded Gardner to the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

, with whom he won two

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

championships. Gardner was later a hockey announcer with Toronto radio station CKFH in the 1970s. He died in 2001. His two sons

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

and

Dave Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...

were also professional ice hockey players. While playing for the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were two separate minor professional ice hockey franchises, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The original Indians were founding members of the American Hockey Leagu ...

of the AHL in the 1957–58 season, Gardner served as an assistant coach. Gardner also served as a player-head coach while with the

Kingston Frontenacs The Kingston Frontenacs are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario. The Frontenacs play home games at Slush Puppie Place, which opened in 2008. The team's history predates the Ontario Ho ...

of the EPHL in 1959-60.

NHL Transactions

*1945: Signed as a free agent with the

( EHL). *April 26, 1948: Traded to the

(along with

Bill Juzda William Juzda (October 29, 1920 – February 17, 2008) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He played with the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1940 and 1952 ...

, Rene Trudel and the rights to

Frank Mathers Frank Sydney Mathers (March 29, 1924 – February 9, 2005) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player during the 1940s and 1950s. He competed with the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs and the American Hockey League's Pittsburgh Hor ...

) for

Wally Stanowski Walter Peter Stanowski (April 28, 1919 – June 28, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Stanowski started his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1939. In 1941, he was a member ...

and Elwyn Morris. *September 11, 1952: Traded to the

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

(along with

Ray Hannigan Raymond James Hannigan (July 14, 1927 — July 18, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger. He played 3 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League during the 1948–49 season. The rest of his career lasted f ...

Gus Mortson James Angus Gerald "Old Hardrock" Mortson (January 24, 1925 – August 8, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Black Hawks, and Detroit Red Wings, winning ...

and

Al Rollins Elwin Ira Rollins (October 9, 1926 – July 27, 1996) was a professional Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rollins was born in Kincaid, Saskatchewan, but grew up ...

) for Harry Lumley. *June 26, 1953: Traded to the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

in exchange for cash. Sources: Legends of Hockey NHLTradeTracker.com

Awards and achievements

Championship (1943) * EHL First All-Star Team (1946) * EHL Scoring Champion (1946) *Played in

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

All-Star game (1948 & 1949) *

Championships (1949 & 1951) * AHL Second All-Star Team (1958) *Honoured Member of the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Cal 1924 births 2001 deaths Boston Bruins announcers Boston Bruins players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian military personnel of World War II Chicago Blackhawks players Ice hockey people from Winnipeg Kingston Frontenacs (EPHL) players National Hockey League All-Stars New York Rangers players New York Rovers players Providence Reds players St. Boniface Canadiens players Springfield Indians Springfield Indians players Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Winnipeg Esquires players Winnipeg Rangers players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen