Gerald Coleman (born April 3, 1985) is an American former

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) 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. In ice hockey, two o ...

goaltender who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

for the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

. He predominantly played in the minor leagues, most notably with the Alaska Aces of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). Th ...

Playing career

Coleman was drafted 224th overall by the

in the

2003 NHL Entry Draft The 2003 NHL Entry Draft was the 41st NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee on June 21 and 22, 2003. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. This wa ...

. Selected from the

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

, Coleman was awarded the

Dave Pinkney Trophy The Dave Pinkney Trophy is awarded to the goaltenders of the Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian H ...

on his way to capturing the

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

the following season in 2003–04. He is the first graduate of the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

Diversity Program to be drafted and to play in the NHL, making his debut for the Lightning, in relief, on November 11, 2005. On February 24, 2007, Coleman was traded with a 1st round draft pick to the Anaheim Ducks for Shane O'Brien and a 3rd round draft pick. He was then assigned to the Ducks AHL affiliate, the

Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks fr ...

. Coleman attended the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

training camp for the 2008–09 season, before he was released. After starting the year in the ECHL with the Phoenix RoadRunners, Coleman was recalled to the

Worcester Sharks The Worcester Sharks were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2006 to 2015. Affiliated with the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks and located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Sharks played ...

but upon his return was traded to the

Trenton Devils The Trenton Titans were a professional minor league ice hockey team that played in the ECHL. The team last played in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Titans played their home games at the Sun National Bank Center in Trent ...

on November 21, 2008. Coleman was then credited as a major influence in the turn around Trenton Devils season going 27-8-2 for the remainder of the year. Coleman was then invited to the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kans ...

training camp for the 2009–10 before he was reassigned to AHL affiliate, the

Lowell Devils The Lowell Devils were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League playing in Lowell, Massachusetts, at the Tsongas Center. As their name implied, they were the top minor league affiliate of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey L ...

. Coleman appeared in just three games with Lowell before he returned to Trenton for the season. After attending the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

training camp, Coleman played the 2010–11 season with the Alaska Aces, posting a 2.19 GAA and a save percentage of .913, earning a record of 30-15-1-0 with 4 shutouts. In the Kelly Cup Playoffs, Coleman, along with the rest of the Aces set a playoff record with a 12-1 record to capture the cup. Coleman earned 11 of those 12 wins and did so with a .938 save percentage and a 1.73 GAA and 3 shutouts. In the end, Coleman lead the Alaska Aces win their second Brabham Cup and second Kelly Cup in franchise history. The Alaska Aces are also the only team to win the Brabham Cup and Kelly cup in the same year twice. He also captured goaltender of the year. Coleman returned to the Aces the following season and after 23 games was signed to a professional try-out by the

Lake Erie Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hocke ...

of the AHL. Coleman enjoyed a prominent role with the Monsters, winning 11 of 17 games before returning to the Aces to finish a second consecutive year with the lowest goals against average in the ECHL. With off-season surgery and a forecasted lengthy recovery limiting interest from the AHL, Coleman re-signed with the Aces for his third season with the club on July 12, 2012. After his fourth season with the Aces, and backstopping the club to their second

Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

Championship in his successful tenure, Coleman retired from professional hockey due to persisting hip injuries on August 1, 2014. He intended to pursue studies in physical therapy.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Gerald 1985 births African-American ice hockey players Alaska Aces (ECHL) players American men's ice hockey goaltenders Augusta Lynx players Johnstown Chiefs players Lake Erie Monsters players Living people London Knights players Lowell Devils players Memorial Cup winners People from Romeoville, Illinois Phoenix RoadRunners players Portland Pirates players Springfield Falcons players Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks Tampa Bay Lightning players Trenton Devils players Worcester Sharks players Ice hockey players from Illinois USA Hockey National Team Development Program players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people