Gaston Reginald Gingras (born February 13, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played one season in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and ten seasons in the National Hockey League from 1978 to 1989. He won the 1986 Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens.

Career

Born and raised in Temiscaming, Quebec, Gingras did not start playing hockey until the age of seven, when he convinced his mother that if his best buddy could play then he would play too, and she got the necessary equipment for both boys.

In 1974, he played for the North Bay Trappers of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League and then with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League, followed by the Hamilton Fincups also of the OHL. He then joined the World Hockey Association for the 1978/79 season with the Birmingham Bulls.

Gingras spent one season in Birmingham, joining Michel Goulet, Rick Vaive, Craig Hartsburg, Rob Ramage, Pat Riggin and Keith Crowder, all of whom were underage players too young to be eligible for the NHL Draft under the rules at the time. After the 1978–79 season, the WHA merged with the NHL. Included in the merger were New England (Hartford), Quebec, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Birmingham and Cincinnati were not brought under the auspices of the NHL and subsequently disbanded, and their underage players were all declared eligible for the upcoming draft.

In the 1979 NHL entry draft, Gingras was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. Although he was not picked until the second round, and was 27th overall, he was Montreal's first pick, ahead of other players such as Mats Näslund, Guy Carbonneau and Rick Wamsley. Playing first with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs of the American Hockey League, he joined the Canadiens in the 1979–80 NHL season. Gingras played four seasons at the Montreal Forum, alongside players such as Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey, Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt. Possessing a fierce slap shot, he often played 'the point' on the Habs power play.

On December 17, 1982, Gingras was traded to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs alongside Dan Daoust in exchange for future considerations (later determined to be a second-round pick in 1986 for Gingras, and a third-round pick in the 1984 draft for Daoust). He would spend 2½ seasons in Toronto.

In the middle of the 1984–85 season, he was sent by the Leafs down to the AHL where he played for the St. Catharines Saints. He was then traded to the Sherbrooke Canadiens, Montreal's farm team. During this time another highlight of Gingras career emerged. Along with other notables, such as Patrick Roy, Stéphane Richer, Brian Skrudland and Ric Nattress, they won the Calder Cup.

For the 1985–86 season, he returned to the Montreal Canadiens and was part of their Stanley Cup winning team that beat the Calgary Flames four games to one.

In the 1987–88 season, he played two games for the Canadiens before moving to the St. Louis Blues for almost two seasons. Near the end of the 1988–89 season he moved to Switzerland to play for EHC Biel followed by Hockey Club Lugano in the Italian part of Switzerland.

He then moved on to play for HC Gherdëina in Italy before returning to Canada to play for the Fredericton Canadiens where he was a player/coach until he retired. He returned to play a few games with the Chesapeake Icebreakers of the ECHL in their final season.

In his NHL career, Gingras played 476 games scored 61 goals and 174 assists for a total of 235 points while collecting 161 penalty minutes in the regular season. In the playoffs he scored 6 goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 52 games and collected 20 penalty minutes.

Personal life

Although retired, Gingras still plays with the NHL Old Timers. He runs clinics to help youth players to become better players and holds one every Sunday in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec. In 2007, he went to Salluit, Nunavik to help younger Inuit develop their hockey skills. He also trains children for the Montreal Canadiens Hockey School in the Complexe Sportif Bell in Brossard, Montreal.

Gaston Gingras is the father of Sebastien Gingras, a defenseman and member of the 2014 Union College National Division I Men's Hockey Championship Team. He is the uncle of former figure skater Jennifer Robinson.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1974–75North Bay TrappersOPJHL4111273874—————
1975–76Kitchener RangersOMJHL661331449483367
1976–77Kitchener RangersOMJHL5913627513430116
1977–78Kitchener RangersOMJHL3213243731—————
1977–78Hamilton FincupsOMJHL2911193037153111413
1978–79Birmingham BullsWHA6013213435—————
1979–80Nova Scotia VoyageursAHL3011273817—————
1979–80Montreal CanadiensNHL34371018101678
1980–81Montreal CanadiensNHL55516212211010
1981–82Montreal CanadiensNHL34618242850110
1982–83Montreal CanadiensNHL221898—————
1982–83Toronto Maple LeafsNHL451018281031232
1983–84Toronto Maple LeafsNHL597202716—————
1984–85Toronto Maple LeafsNHL50220—————
1984–85St. Catharines SaintsAHL367121913—————
1984–85Sherbrooke CanadiensAHL21314176175494
1985–86Sherbrooke CanadiensAHL4211203114—————
1985–86Montreal CanadiensNHL348182612112354
1986–87Montreal CanadiensNHL661134452150220
1987–88Montreal CanadiensNHL20112—————
1987–88St. Louis BluesNHL687222918101344
1988–89St. Louis BluesNHL5231013670112
1989–90EHC BielNLA361723402063362
1990–91EHC BielNLA1316713—————
1991–92HC LuganoNLA361019292020000
1992–93HC GherdëinaITA19324271631344
1992–93HC GherdëinaALP3010192928—————
1993–94HC GherdëinaITA21314171420000
1993–94HC GherdëinaALP27515206—————
1994–95Fredericton CanadiensAHL19369417212148
1995–96Fredericton CanadiensAHL392212318—————
1998–99Chesapeake IcebreakersECHL50446—————
WHA totals6013213435—————
NHL totals47661174235161526182420

External links

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