Gordie Dwyer
Encyclopedia
Gordie Dwyer is a Canadian former professional ice hockey
left winger
who played five seasons in the National Hockey League
(NHL) for the Tampa Bay Lightning
, New York Rangers
and Montreal Canadiens
. He is currently the head coach of the P.E.I. Rocket
of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
(QMJHL).
while playing for the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL
. He has also played for the Laval Titan
, Beauport Harfangs
, Drummondville Voltigeurs
and the Quebec Remparts
in the QMJHL.
He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues
in the 3rd round, 67th overall, of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft
. Unable to reach a contract agreement with St. Louis, Dwyer re-entered the draft in 1998
and was selected by the Montreal Canadiens
in the 6th round, 152nd overall.
Dwyer achieved notoriety after receiving a 23 game suspension for leaving the penalty box to engage in a fight and verbally and physically abusing officials when they broke up the resulting bench-clearing brawl in a pre-season game against the Washington Capitals as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning on September 19, 2000. The suspension stands as one of the longest in NHL history.
In 2004, he signed as a free agent by the Carolina Hurricanes
but never played for them, he played for the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League
, where he had 9 points and 183 penalty minutes in 56 games. He remained with Lowell for the 2005–06 season and due to a shoulder injury, he played only 17 games where he had 4 points with 37 penalty minutes.
He went to the Vancouver Canucks
training camp in 2006 hoping to earn a roster space. He also attended the New York Islanders
2007 training camp where he was a late cut. Through 108 NHL contests he has never scored a goal, though he has obtained 5 assists and 394 penalty minutes.
He spent the latter half of the 2006–07 season with the Örebro Vipers of Swedish Division 1. In his first game for Örebro, he notched two assists, where he had 15 points and 16 penalty minutes in 11 games. In the 2007–08 season he played in Villingen-Schwenningen
for the SERC Wild Wings in the German Bundesliga Germany2, where he had 7 points and 34 penalty minutes in 14 games. and previously for the Portland Pirates
of the American Hockey League
, where he had 3 points and 27 penalty minutes in 13 games. He repeated with the Örebro Watford Vipers of Swedish Division 1 for the 2008-2009 season, where he had 7 points and 79 penalty minutes in 13 games.
On May 17, 2011, Dwyer was named the head coach of the P.E.I. Rocket
of the QMJHL.
In The Hockey News
2011 edition of the 100 Most Powerful people in ice hockey, Dwyer was considered one of the Top 40 under the age of 40. This recognition was attributed to his assistance in the development of Tuff 'n Lite, a cut resistant stock.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
left winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who played five seasons in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) for the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
, New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
. He is currently the head coach of the P.E.I. Rocket
P.E.I. Rocket
The P.E.I. Rocket are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The franchise was granted in 1999, however the Rocket were originally located in Montreal, Quebec and called the Montreal Rocket. In 2003 they were relocated to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...
of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...
(QMJHL).
Playing career
He attended Philemon Wright High School in Hull, QuebecHull, Quebec
Hull is the central and oldest part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadian National Capital Region, it contains offices for twenty thousand...
while playing for the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...
. He has also played for the Laval Titan
Laval Titan
The Laval Titan was one of the names used by a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League franchise that played in Laval, Quebec, between 1971 and 1998.-History:...
, Beauport Harfangs
Beauport Harfangs
The Beauport Harfangs were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1990 to 1997. They played their home games at the Aréna Marcel Bédard in the Quebec City suburb of Beauport, Quebec. The team's first coach was Alain Chainey, who was an assistant coach with the...
, Drummondville Voltigeurs
Drummondville Voltigeurs
The Drummondville Voltigeurs are a junior ice hockey team of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The franchise was originally granted for the 1982–83 season, and are based out of Drummondville, Quebec. The team plays its home games at the Centre Marcel Dionne...
and the Quebec Remparts
Québec Remparts
There have been two junior ice hockey franchises known as the Quebec Remparts that played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The first franchise played from 1969 to 1985; the current franchise has played since 1997. Both franchises were based out of Quebec City, Quebec...
in the QMJHL.
He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
in the 3rd round, 67th overall, of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft
1996 NHL Entry Draft
The 1996 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 22, 1996.- Selections by round :Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.- Round one :- Round two :...
. Unable to reach a contract agreement with St. Louis, Dwyer re-entered the draft in 1998
1998 NHL Entry Draft
The 1998 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 27 at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York. A total of 258 players were drafted.- Selections by round :Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.- Round one :- Round two :...
and was selected by the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in the 6th round, 152nd overall.
Dwyer achieved notoriety after receiving a 23 game suspension for leaving the penalty box to engage in a fight and verbally and physically abusing officials when they broke up the resulting bench-clearing brawl in a pre-season game against the Washington Capitals as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning on September 19, 2000. The suspension stands as one of the longest in NHL history.
In 2004, he signed as a free agent by the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
but never played for them, he played for the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
, where he had 9 points and 183 penalty minutes in 56 games. He remained with Lowell for the 2005–06 season and due to a shoulder injury, he played only 17 games where he had 4 points with 37 penalty minutes.
He went to the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
training camp in 2006 hoping to earn a roster space. He also attended the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
2007 training camp where he was a late cut. Through 108 NHL contests he has never scored a goal, though he has obtained 5 assists and 394 penalty minutes.
He spent the latter half of the 2006–07 season with the Örebro Vipers of Swedish Division 1. In his first game for Örebro, he notched two assists, where he had 15 points and 16 penalty minutes in 11 games. In the 2007–08 season he played in Villingen-Schwenningen
Villingen-Schwenningen
Villingen-Schwenningen is a city in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It has 80,941 inhabitants .-History:...
for the SERC Wild Wings in the German Bundesliga Germany2, where he had 7 points and 34 penalty minutes in 14 games. and previously for the Portland Pirates
Portland Pirates
The Portland Pirates is a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. They play in the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the...
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
, where he had 3 points and 27 penalty minutes in 13 games. He repeated with the Örebro Watford Vipers of Swedish Division 1 for the 2008-2009 season, where he had 7 points and 79 penalty minutes in 13 games.
Post-playing career
The Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League has named Gordie Dwyer as their new Head Coach and Associate General Manager for the 2009-2010 season. Dwyer led a rebuilding team to a regular-season record of 27-20-1-2 (won-lost-overtime losses-shootout losses). The Caps finished third in the Roger Meek Division, and won an emotional seven-game division semifinal series against second-place Miramichi. The Summerside Western Capitals were then eliminated by eventual league-champion Woodstock in a five-game division final. In 2010-2011, Gordie returned as Head Coach and Associate Director of Hockey Operations of the Summerside Western Capitals leading the team to a very successful 36-12-1-3 record finishing in 2nd place of the 11 team league. Under Dwyer’s guidance, the team went on to capture the KENT CUP MHL Championship with a 12-3 playoff record on the strengths of a 4-0 game sweep in the first round, a dramatic 7th game come-from-behind win in the Semi-finals, followed by a 4-0 sweep in the league finals. At the opening of the Draft, three annual awards were handed out. Coach of the Year went to Gordie Dwyer of the Summerside Western Capitals. Dywer led his Capitals to a 36-12-1-3 record on the regular season for 76 points. In the playoffs, his team was even more impressive as they accomplished two series sweeps and ousted the top Woodstock Slammers in a dramatic game seven comeback.On May 17, 2011, Dwyer was named the head coach of the P.E.I. Rocket
P.E.I. Rocket
The P.E.I. Rocket are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The franchise was granted in 1999, however the Rocket were originally located in Montreal, Quebec and called the Montreal Rocket. In 2003 they were relocated to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...
of the QMJHL.
In The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
2011 edition of the 100 Most Powerful people in ice hockey, Dwyer was considered one of the Top 40 under the age of 40. This recognition was attributed to his assistance in the development of Tuff 'n Lite, a cut resistant stock.
Transactions
- Traded to Tampa Bay by Montreal for Mike McBain, November 26, 1999.
- Traded to NY Rangers by Tampa Bay for Boyd Kane, October 10, 2002.
- Claimed on waivers by Montreal from NY Rangers, February 21, 2003.
- Signed as a free agent by Carolina, August 11, 2004.
- Missed majority of 2005–06 season recovering from a shoulder injury.