Hi everyone! As you can see, another member of the Seals family has passed away. Dave Gardner, a member of the team from 1974 to 1978, passed away March 20th at the age of 70. Cal Gardner, an excellent player for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1940s and 1950s was his father, and his brother Paul was a solid goal-scorer in the late 1970s and 1980s with Colorado, Toronto, and Pittsburgh.

Dave Gardner had some great offensive skills as well. He was a big-time scorer with the Toronto Marlies alongside linemates Steve Shutt and Billy Harris. That combination scored close to 400 points one year, and all three became high NHL draft picks. Harris went first overall to the expansion New York Islanders in 1972, Shutt went fourth to Montreal, and Gardner went eighth to the Habs. While Shutt gradually improved his game and became a mainstay in Montreal, Gardner played just 36 games over two years there before being traded to St. Louis in March 1974 for a first-round draft pick. The following year, Gardner was dealt to the Seals where he would finally get the ice-time he deserved. In his four years with the Seals and Barons, Gardner would enjoy his greatest NHL success scoring 166 points in 289 games. The 1975-76 season proved to be his best: 16 goals, 32 assists. During that season, he had a particularly hot hand during a three-game stretch from February 11 to 15 where he scored 10 points. When the Barons and North Stars merged in 1978, Gardner was sent to L.A. with a few other Barons players as compensation for Minnesota’s signing of Gary Sargent. Gardner never suited up for L.A., and he played just two more NHL games, those being for Philadelphia a few years later. He finished out his career in Switzerland before returning to Canada to coach high school hockey.

To remember Dave Gardner, I’ve posted an article from February 6, 1975 after he had scored two goals against the Washington Capitals. You can read about Gardner’s first two-goal game as a Seal right here. R.I.P. Dave.

I also stumbled upon a touching article written by the great Stan Fischler about former Cleveland Barons defenseman Jean Potvin. Of course, Potvin is more known as a member of the New York Islanders, where he played alongside his Hall-of-Fame brother Denis for a number of years. Jean, a defenseman like his younger brother, was no slouch, however, putting up some good numbers in the mid-1970s as the Isles moved up to the top of the standings. Jean passed away one year ago, and was memorialized very recently by family members, former teammates, and other close friends. Click on this link to go the article.

Until next time, stay gold!