By Tim Schmitt Niagara Gazette
tschmitt@gnnewspaper.com
— In the visiting locker room at Quinnipiac University last Saturday, just prior to face-off, Greg Gardner was inspiring the Niagara University men's hockey team he's spent the last few years coaching. His energy was represented in shifty movements. The serious look in his eye spoke volumes.
But something was, unquestionably, missing from Gardner's typical pre-game demeanor.
"He wasn't talking. And that was definitely different," NU head coach Dave Burkholder said. "He's always talking."
That's because Gardner — the team's current goalie coach and one of the most influential players in the program's history — was on a recruiting trip and not with the team. Instead, the Purple Eagles gathered around a bobblehead of the former NU goalie prior to face-off, jabbing it with the spirit that encompasses a hockey locker room.
Tonight, those same bobbleheads — 500 of them, in fact — will be given out at Dwyer Arena prior to NU's home date with St. Lawrence.
And that's made for the some fun at the expense of Gardner, who wears his NU hockey pride proudly.
"I kind of giggled at it when I first saw one," Gardner admitted. "I've been getting lots of flak from the guys. But it's good stuff."
Gardner was one of the founding members of the NU program. When he first came to Monteagle Ridge, it was with a vision of establishing Niagara as a hockey powerhouse. Although the trip has contained some blips, Gardner helped give the team its initial push. Now, Niagara is a staple in the USCHO.com polls.
"When I got here in 1996 the rink was almost completed. We had 28 freshmen. We came to Niagara with a vision for future years," he said. "We had some lean years, but by the end, in our senior year, we went from an expansion team to one of the most competitive teams in the country. We liked being unheralded.
"That was an exciting time in my life."
Now, Niagara is again looking for an NCAA berth and after last weekend's sweep at No. 12 Quinnipiac, Burkholder believes his team is headed in the right direction.
Burkholder pleaded with his team after a win Friday that good teams would be satisfied with a single win at a ranked foe.
"But I asked them if they wanted to be a great team and they responded," he said. "They kind of took it and made it their motto for the weekend."
Gardner, for one, was impressed with the way the team responded. He believes the victories could prove to be a springboard for a big second half of the season. The Purple Eagles (13-8-1) host the College Hockey America Tournament at season's end.
"That was a big weekend. It wasn't' just any other weekend," Gardner said. "We played the No. 12 team on the road and came away with two wins. And they're a very good college club. This really meant something."
And as for the razzing that comes with looking back at his career in light of 500 bobbleheads floating around Dwyer Arena?
"That is the foundation of the program. I don't mind it at all," he said. "When we left, we left banners hanging. Every class tries to add to it. That's the beauty of it. Hopefully this one can too."
Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.
HONORED TONIGHT: Former Niagara University goaltender and current assistant coach Greg Gardner, left, listens to a question from a member of the Greg Gardner Hockey School in this file photo from July 2006. Tonight, Gardner will be honored as 500 bobblehead dolls in his likeness are passed out before Niagara's game against St. Lawrence at Dwyer Arena
