Mike Gartner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mike Gartner |
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gartner with the Washington Capitals in 1981
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| Born | October 29, 1959 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
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| 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 |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 4th overall, 1979 Washington Capitals |
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| Playing career | 1978–1998 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Michael Alfred Gartner (born October 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a fast right winger who played 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 won the Canada Cup twice with Team Canada.
In 2017, Gartner was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in the league's history. He was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) in 2001. Since 2009, Gartner has been part of the HHOF Selection Committee. He became its chair in 2022.
Contents
Playing Hockey: Mike Gartner's Career
Mike Gartner was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. When he was young, he played in the 1972 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. He played with a minor ice hockey team from Toronto.
Starting Professional Hockey
The Washington Capitals picked Gartner in the first round of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 4th player chosen overall. He began his professional career in the WHA with the Cincinnati Stingers in the 1978–79 season. He played on a line with future superstar Mark Messier. Gartner had a great first year, finishing second to Wayne Gretzky for the Rookie-of-the-Year award.
Time with the Washington Capitals
The WHA league closed down at the end of that season. Gartner then joined the Washington Capitals for the 1979–80 season. He played for the Capitals for almost ten years. In his first NHL game on October 11, 1979, he got an assist against the Buffalo Sabres. He wore number eleven for the Capitals.
Gartner had a strong first NHL season. He won the Capitals' Rookie of the Year and MVP awards. Fans also voted him the team's 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.
Moving to Other Teams
Gartner played only one season with the Minnesota North Stars. He was 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 the remaining 12 games that season.
In the 1991–92 season, Gartner made history. He became the first NHL player to reach his 500th goal, 500th assist, 1000th point, and play in his 1000th game all in the same season! The next season, he was the first Ranger to score at least 40 goals in three years in a row. He also scored four goals in the NHL All-Star Game and won the All-Star Game MVP award.
On March 21, 1994, Gartner was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This trade happened because the Rangers' coach, Mike Keenan, wanted a different type of player. Gartner played with the Maple 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 on October 7, 1996. He played two seasons with the Coyotes before he retired in August 1998.
Life After Playing Hockey
Gartner stayed involved with 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.
Since 2009, Gartner has been a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He became the chair of this committee in 2022. He is also set to become the chair of the Hall of Fame itself in June 2025.
Special Achievements and Records
Even though Mike Gartner had a long and amazing career, he never won the Stanley Cup. He also never won a major NHL award or was named to the postseason All-Star Team. Despite this, he was still inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. This shows how truly great he was.
Gartner was known for being very consistent. He led his team in goals nine times during his career. He also scored 30 or more goals for the first 15 seasons of his NHL career. This set a record that has since been tied by other players. He was only the fifth player in NHL history to score 700 goals. Gartner was also famous for his incredible speed on the ice. He could often skate past defenders easily.
The Washington Capitals honored Gartner by retiring his jersey number, #11. This happened in a ceremony on December 28, 2008.
Gartner also held a record for speed. In the 1996 Super Skills competition, he set the record for the fastest skater event. His time was 13.386 seconds. This record stood for 20 years!
Awards and Achievements
International Hockey
- In 1998, The Hockey News ranked him number 89 on their list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
- 2001 - Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
WHA (World Hockey Association)
- He was one of the last three WHA players still playing professional hockey when he retired.
- In 2012, he was inducted into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame.
NHL (National Hockey League)
- One of only 8 players in NHL history to score 700 career goals.
- 2017 – Named to NHL's 100th anniversary list of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.
- 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).
Team Honors
- He scored the last goal ever at Chicago Stadium in the 1994 playoffs.
- His jersey number #11 was retired by the Washington Capitals on December 28, 2008.
Hockey Records
- NHL record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons - 15 (tied with Jaromir Jagr and Alexander Ovechkin).
- NHL record for most goals in an All-Star Game (1993) - 4 (shared with Wayne Gretzky and others).
- NHL record for fastest two goals from the start of an All-Star Game (1993) - in 3 minutes, 37 seconds.
- Washington Capitals record for longest point-streak - 17 games (twice).
- Washington Capitals record for most points by a right winger in one season (1984–85) - 102 points.
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 Play
| 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 this faith from his former Washington teammate Jean Pronovost. His son, Josh, played goalie for Yale University.
Gartner and his former teammate, Wes Jarvis, are business partners. They own three skating rinks in the Greater Toronto Area. These rinks are in Newmarket, Ontario, Richmond Hill, Ontario, and Barrie, Ontario.
See also
- List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame
- Hockey Hall of Fame
- Cincinnati Stingers
- List of NHL statistical leaders
- List of NHL players with 1000 points
- List of NHL players with 500 goals
- List of NHL players with 50 goal seasons
- List of NHL players with 100 point seasons
