The Maple Leaf Forever, Cal Gardner

David

Many Canadian fathers share the same dream. If only their sons could make it to the NHL. It happens for a select few dads.  Almost never when the dad who was doing the wishing is a former NHL player himself. 

There are a handful of success stories
-- Bobby and Brett Hull top the list
along with the Howes.

Paul

Rarer are the NHL dad's
with 2 children who 
made it to the "show" 

Calvin Pearly Gardner 
was blessed. 

Ryan

His two boys, David and Paul both made it. And, grandson, Ryan (Dave's son)
has just finished 
a 20-year career in the 
Swiss League.

Cal Gardner was from rural Manitoba
and turned professional with
the New York Rangers. 
He was a raw-boned, shifty player
who didn't take any guff from
the veteran players on his own team or his opponents. 

They all made him earn his place among them. His playing statistics were proof that he was a generous passer. 

Cal (left) holding Barilko aloft

Following two years in New York,
he was traded to Toronto
where he was on the All-Star team twice
and won 3 Stanley Cup Championships
-- and a place in hockey history. 

He was the set-up guy
that led to Bill Barilko's winning goal
to snatch the 1951 Stanley Cup championship
away from the Canadiens.

He would also go on to play
with Chicago and Boston
but it was an on-ice incident while with Toronto in 1949
that hockey history will never forget.

Ken Reardon

Cal Gardner and Habs defenseman,
Ken Reardon, created a new NHL term,
stick-swinging-duel.

Reardon had promised retaliation
for having his teeth removed by Cal
and Cal promised pay-back for having his jaw broken by Reardon. The ensuing, stick-swinging battle could only be described as vicious and bloodthirsty. 

The next day, the Toronto Star sports section reported that Toronto 's best dressed sitting in the expensive red seats close to the ice, had to look away and couldn't watch it because it was so brutal.  Following the season, the players didn't speak to each other for more than 50 years.

After 16 years of pro hockey, Cal became a radio ad salesman for the Voice of Hockey, Foster Hewitt's
radio station, CKFH in Toronto. 

Foster Hewitt

Cal told me that
"the station's signal was so low
that it was hard to sell advertising".
His clients couldn't hear their
A 30-second ad on their own radio.
He said, Foster, who
"threw nickels around like manhole covers", "would take a complaining customer out for a lunch.
- he'd drive". 

Following lunch, Foster would have arranged to have the customers' advertising commercial go on the air at the same time. According to Cal, Foster's Cadillac "had a radio that was so powerful, it could pick up Egypt " ... problem solved.

Foster would then give the guy an autographed picture
and Cal would sell him more ad spots.

When he reached his mid-70's, Cal dusted off his skates and would show up once a week to take a few spins on the ice just before my beer-league weekly game.  All the guys loved to see him and watching him carry the puck and skate up and down was, well, inspirational.

We named our team, Cal's Pals.

He didn't show up one week and we were worried about him.  He'd gone to the hospital for the first of a series of kidney dialysis treatments. Following treatment, he expressed his anger with the nurses for the parents who had left their children in the hospital waiting room while they were getting their treatment.

Cal was shocked to learn that the children weren't waiting for anyone, they were there for treatments just like him.
He thought he had a disease for old people.


At his next session, he brought along his old Maple Leaf jersey and his NHL scrapbook to show the kids
and help take their minds off what 
was about to happen to them. 

February 13, 1999, the Maple Leafs played their final game against the Blackhawks. 

The same team they played when the arena opened
Nov. 12, 1931 -- both resulted in losses for the Leafs. 

Then the Gardens closed. 

The building had been the epicentre of NHL hockey
since it was built -- the same year the Empire State Building was completed in New York City. 

The who's who of hockey played at Maple Leaf Gardens. 

Even Sinatra took center ice three times for sold-out concerts in the 1970s.

My beer league team decided MLG couldn't close before we had a chance to play a game there. We found out they were accepting rentals. I booked for two hours. Everyone wanted to experience the thrill of being there, amongst all that history, to play where all the greats played. I didn't have to coax anyone to join us or pay for the privilege and everyone showed up early.

Our two teams were fully dressed and ready to go at our appointed hour. We skated around for ten minutes before
we started just so we could inhale the place.

I invited Cal Gardner to join us, just for the pre-game skate.  

He wore his 1951 Maple Leaf jersey and we took a team picture, with Cal as our centrepiece. 

Then our game started.
I went deep into my own end to start to rush the puck.
I hadn't noticed that Cal was still on the ice. He was standing by the gate talking to the players sitting on the bench. 

He was talking "Italian Style" with lots of hand movement
as I was speeding up the right wing and didn't even see him.

I ran head-first, at full speed into Cal 's elbow and literally
did a half gainer before crashing to the ice on my face. 

Cal barely noticed me flying by.

A week later someone asked Cal "what was the best
lick you ever delivered in a game" ... he replied, it was last week at Maple Leaf Gardens ... 39 years after he retired.