Dave Gardner, twice a 50-goal, 100-point centre with the Toronto Marlboros juniors and a first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 1972, had died. The 70-year-old had complications from a blood infection in the past while, according to a Facebook post from brother Paul, himself a former NHLer. “Dave first made his contribution by letting me play with him and the older kids in our (Toronto) backyard,” Paul told the Toronto Sun in an earlier interview. Dave scored 54 goals with the St. Michael’s College Buzzers in the Metro junior league, before winning the Red Tilson Trophy as the Ontario Hockey League’s top scorer in his draft year on a super-charged line with Steve Shutt and Billy Harris. Gardner went eighth over all to the Habs, one of four picks the club had in that round after Shutt, goalie Bunny Larocque and before defenceman John Van Boxmeer. Shutt, Gardner and Harris came close to 400 points that season, Harris was chosen first over all by the expansion New York Islanders. Gardner carved out 36 games on a Habs’ dynasty that was stacked at centre, later playing for St. Louis and the California Golden Seals before that team morphed into the Cleveland Barons. After a brief stop with the Philadelphia Flyers, Dave finished his career in the late 1980s in Switzerland and Europe.
Dave and son Ryan, who played in the OHL and Europe as well, are in the Aurora, Ont., Sports Hall Of Fame. Paul, who played for the Leafs and coached their farm team in Newmarket in the late ‘80s, were the sons of Leaf great Cal Gardner, who played on the 1949 and ’51 Cup champions and was named to the top 100 in franchise history during its 2017 Centennial. Each son inherited Cal’s Cup rings and the trio is also in Toronto’s Leaside Sports Hall of Fame. “Dave was a great brother, son, father and grandfather,” Paul said in his Facebook entry. “I was lucky to have him as an older brother who taught me so much. He was a gifted athlete in all sports. In hockey, he was a tremendous puck handler and playmaker. He loved golf and was probably happiest being on a course.”
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