Troy Duncan Gamble (born April 7, 1967) is a Canadian former

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 ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

. He played 72 games for the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

of the

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 ...

(NHL) from 1987 until 1992, as well as several teams in the

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

and International Hockey League until 1996. He was selected by the Canucks in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft while playing junior for the

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) based in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Established in 1970, the team is tied with the Kamloops Blazers for the most Ed Chynoweth Cups as league cha ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

Career

After winning the WHL Top Goaltender Award in the

for 1984-85 and being named a WHL All-Star First Team after leading the WHL in shutouts and GAA (2.86) while playing for the

, Gamble was drafted by the

in the second round, 25th overall, in the 1985 draft. Gamble would play another junior season for Medicine Hat before being traded mid-year to the

Spokane Chiefs The Spokane Chiefs are an American major junior ice hockey team based in Spokane, Washington. The Chiefs play in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League's Western Conference, playing home games at Spokane Arena. The Chiefs are two-time M ...

during the 86–87 season. He would also make his

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 ...

debut for Vancouver on November 22, 1986, a 5–2 loss to the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

. Vancouver returned him to juniors for the 87–88 season to allow him more playing time and to gain more experience before beginning his NHL career. At 19 years, 229 days at the time of his debut, Gamble was the youngest goaltender in franchise history. In the summer of 1988, the Canucks sent the 21-year-old Gamble and Jack McIlhargey to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

to support a relationship that would later result in Soviet stars

Igor Larionov Igor Nikolayevich Larionov (; born 3 December 1960) is a Russian Coach (ice hockey), ice hockey coach, sports agent and former professional ice hockey player, known as "the Professor". Considered one of the best hockey players of all time, he, a ...

and

Vladimir Krutov Vladimir Yevgenyevich Krutov (; 1 June 1960 – 6 June 2012), nicknamed "The Tank", was a Russian professional ice hockey forward (ice hockey), forward. Together with Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov (ice hockey, born 1958), Sergei Makarov, he was ...

joining the Canucks. Gamble endured rigorous off-season training with Dynamo Moscow for two weeks and another two weeks with Spartak. Gamble's NHL career began well, as in his rookie season of 1990-91 he would post a 16-16-6 record and a 3.45 GAA while appearing in 47 games, outplaying incumbent starter Kirk McLean, who posted a 10-22-3 record with a 3.99 GAA. Gamble would even start in the post-season for the Canucks playing a memorable Smythe Division semifinals match-up against the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

. However, due to reoccurring concussion problems Gamble's career was derailed by PCS symptoms including nausea and recurring headaches. Gamble spent the majority of his career in the minors. He played for 5 teams after his 1991 success and retired following the 1995–96 season as a member of the Houston Aeros. After he retired from hockey he did color commentary for select Aeros games on their radio and internet broadcasts. Gamble later took a manager's job with M-I SWACO, a Texas-based company specializing in global oil and gas production. The work took him on trips through the Middle East, including three years' residence in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

Family tragedy

On March 11, 2010, it was reported that Troy's son Garrett Gamble was killed in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

while serving as a member of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. After attending Stephen F. Austin High in Sugar Land, Texas, Gamble joined the Marine Corps and a family friend stated that “This was something he wanted to do, even before he got out of high school,” and that “He was anxious to go.” In October 2009 Gamble was sent to Afghanistan as a SAW gunner near the front lines. Gamble, 20, was killed after stepping on a

land mine A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...

device while on patrol in

Helmand province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...

, Afghanistan.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards

* WHL East First All-Star Team – 1985 * WHL West First All-Star Team – 1988

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gamble, Troy 1967 births Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Cincinnati Cyclones (IHL) players Hamilton Canucks players Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players Ice hockey people from Nova Scotia Kalamazoo Wings (1974–2000) players Living people Medicine Hat Tigers players Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) players People from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia Spokane Chiefs players Vancouver Canucks draft picks Vancouver Canucks players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen