Mike Gartner facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Mike Gartner
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2001
Gartner with the Washington Capitals in 1981
Born	(1959-10-29) October 29, 1959 (age 65) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Cincinnati Stingers Washington Capitals Minnesota North Stars New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs Phoenix Coyotes
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	4th overall, 1979 Washington Capitals
Playing career	1978–1998

Michael Alfred Gartner (born October 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a speedy right winger who played for 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for teams like the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Before the NHL, he also played one season in the World Hockey Association (WHA).

Mike Gartner was a two-time champion with Team Canada in the Canada Cup. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players ever. He was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. Since 2009, Gartner has helped choose new Hall of Fame members. He became the committee's leader in 2022.

Mike Gartner's Hockey Journey
After Playing Hockey
Special Achievements and Records
- Awards and Achievements
- Records
Career statistics
- Regular season and playoffs
- International
Personal Life
See also

Mike Gartner's Hockey Journey

Gartner was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. When he was young, he played in a big hockey tournament called the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.

Starting His Professional Career

The Washington Capitals picked Gartner as the 4th player overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. But he started his pro career a year earlier in the WHA. He played for the Cincinnati Stingers in the 1978–79 season. He played alongside future superstar Mark Messier. Gartner had a great first year, almost winning Rookie-of-the-Year. Only Wayne Gretzky scored more points as a rookie that year.

When the WHA league closed, Gartner joined the Capitals. He played for them for almost ten seasons. In his very first NHL game on October 11, 1979, he got an assist. He wore jersey number 11 for the Capitals.

Shining with the Capitals

Gartner had a strong first season in the NHL in 1979–80. He won the Capitals' Rookie of the Year and MVP awards. Fans also voted him their Most Promising Player. He led the team with 36 goals that year.

On March 7, 1989, Gartner was traded to the Minnesota North Stars. He left the Capitals as their all-time leader in goals, assists, and points. As of November 2023, he is still third in goals and points for the team.

Time with the Rangers and Maple Leafs

Gartner played only one season with Minnesota. He was then traded to the New York Rangers on March 6, 1990. He started strong with the Rangers, scoring two goals in his first game. He scored 11 goals and 16 points in just 12 games that season.

In the 1991–92 season, Gartner made history. He became the first NHL player to reach 500 goals, 500 assists, and 1,000 points all in the same season. He also played his 1,000th game that year. The next season, he was the first Ranger to score at least 40 goals for three years in a row. He also scored four goals in the NHL All-Star Game and won the All-Star Game MVP award.

Gartner has his number retired by the Washington Capitals in 2008.

Gartner was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 21, 1994. He played with the Leafs until 1996. Then, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes. This team had just moved from Winnipeg. Gartner scored the first goal and first hat trick in Phoenix Coyotes history. This happened on October 7, 1996, in the team's second game. He played two seasons with the Coyotes before he stopped playing hockey in August 1998.

After Playing Hockey

Gartner stayed involved in hockey after retiring. He was active with the NHL Players Association (NHLPA). He was the president of the NHLPA from 1996 until he retired in 1998. He also led the Goals & Dreams program for the NHLPA. He left the NHLPA on March 19, 2007.

Since 2009, Gartner has been a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee. This committee chooses who gets into the Hall of Fame. He became the Chair of this committee in 2022. He will also become the overall chair of the Hall in June 2025.

Special Achievements and Records

Even with a long and great career, Mike Gartner never won the Stanley Cup. He also never played in the Cup Finals. He never won a major NHL award and was never named to the postseason All-Star Team. This makes him one of the few Hockey Hall of Fame members with this unique record.

Gartner was on the New York Rangers team that won the championship in 1994. But he was traded to Toronto before the playoffs. Still, he went further in the playoffs that year with the Maple Leafs. They reached the Western Conference Finals.

Gartner was known for how steady he was. He led his team in goals nine times in his career. He scored 30 or more goals for 15 seasons in a row. This set a record that has only been tied by other players. He also became only the fifth player in NHL history to score 700 goals.

Gartner was also famous for his amazing speed on the ice. He could often skate past other players easily.

The Washington Capitals honored Gartner by retiring his jersey number 11. This means no other Capitals player will wear that number. The ceremony happened on December 28, 2008.

In 1996, Gartner set a record for the fastest skater event. He did it in 13.386 seconds. This record stood for 20 years.

Awards and Achievements

Canada Cup Champion (1984, 1987)
Ranked number 89 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players (1998).
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (2001).
Inducted into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame (2012).
One of only 8 players in NHL history to score 700 career goals.
Named to NHL's 100th anniversary list of the 100 Greatest NHL Players (2017).
NHL All-Star Game MVP (1993).
NHL's Fastest Skater at All-Star Game Skills Competition (1991, 1993, 1996).
Played in the NHL All-Star Game seven times (1981, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996).

Mike Gartner had his jersey retired by the Washington Capitals in 2008. The banner shown here has since been replaced.

Scored the last goal ever at Chicago Stadium in the 1994 playoffs.
Jersey number #11 retired by Washington Capitals (December 28, 2008).

Records

NHL record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons - 15 (tied with Jaromír Jágr and Alexander Ovechkin).
NHL record for most goals in an All-Star Game (1993) - 4 (shared with Wayne Gretzky, Dany Heatley and others).
NHL record for fastest two goals from the start of an All-Star Game (1993) - in 3:37.
Washington Capitals record for longest point-streak - 17 games (twice).
Washington Capitals record for longest goal-scoring-streak (1986–87) - 9 games (shares record).
Washington Capitals record for most shorthanded goals in a season (1986–87) - 6 (shares record).
Washington Capitals record most points by a right winger in one season (1984–85) - 102.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1975–76	Toronto Young Nationals	MTHL	26	18	18	36	46	—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	St. Catharines Black Hawks	OMJHL	3	1	3	4	0	4	1	0	1	2
1976–77	Niagara Falls Flyers	OMJHL	62	33	42	75	125	—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	Niagara Falls Flyers	OMJHL	64	41	49	90	56	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Cincinnati Stingers	WHA	78	27	25	52	123	3	0	2	2	2
1979–80	Washington Capitals	NHL	77	36	32	68	66	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Washington Capitals	NHL	80	48	46	94	100	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Washington Capitals	NHL	80	35	45	80	121	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Washington Capitals	NHL	73	38	38	76	54	4	0	0	0	4
1983–84	Washington Capitals	NHL	80	40	45	85	90	8	3	7	10	16
1984–85	Washington Capitals	NHL	80	50	52	102	71	5	4	3	7	9
1985–86	Washington Capitals	NHL	74	35	40	75	63	9	2	10	12	4
1986–87	Washington Capitals	NHL	78	41	32	73	61	7	4	3	7	14
1987–88	Washington Capitals	NHL	80	48	33	81	73	14	3	4	7	14
1988–89	Washington Capitals	NHL	56	26	29	55	71	—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	13	7	7	14	2	5	0	0	0	6
1989–90	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	67	34	36	70	32	—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	New York Rangers	NHL	12	11	5	16	6	10	5	3	8	12
1990–91	New York Rangers	NHL	79	49	20	69	53	6	1	1	2	0
1991–92	New York Rangers	NHL	76	40	41	81	55	13	8	8	16	4
1992–93	New York Rangers	NHL	84	45	23	68	59	—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	New York Rangers	NHL	71	28	24	52	58	—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	10	6	6	12	4	18	5	6	11	14
1994–95	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	38	12	8	20	6	5	2	2	4	2
1995–96	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	82	35	19	54	52	6	4	1	5	4
1996–97	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL	82	32	31	63	38	7	1	2	3	4
1997–98	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL	60	12	15	27	24	5	1	0	1	18
NHL totals			1,432	708	627	1,335	1,159	122	43	50	93	125

International

Year	Team	Event	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1978	Canada	WJC	6	3	3	6	4
1981	Canada	WC	8	4	0	4	8
1982	Canada	WC	10	3	2	5	6
1983	Canada	WC	10	4	1	5	12
1984	Canada	CC	8	3	2	5	10
1987	Canada	CC	9	2	2	4	6
1993	Canada	WC	7	3	4	7	12
Junior totals			6	3	3	6	4
Senior totals			52	19	11	30	54

Personal Life

Mike Gartner and his wife, Colleen, have two sons, Joshua and Dylan, and a daughter named Natalie. They live in Shanty Bay, Ontario.

Gartner is a born-again Christian. He learned about his faith from his former Washington teammate, Jean Pronovost. His son, Josh, played hockey as a goalie for Yale University.

Gartner also has a business with his former teammate, Wes Jarvis. They own three skating rinks in the Greater Toronto Area. These rinks are in Newmarket, Ontario, Richmond Hill, Ontario, and Barrie, Ontario.