Garry Unger

Garry Unger
Garry Unger
Born	December 7, 1947 (age 77); Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	AHL; Rochester Americans; Moncton Alpines; NHL; Toronto Maple Leafs; Detroit Red Wings; St. Louis Blues; Atlanta Flames; Los Angeles Kings; Edmonton Oilers
National team	Canada
Playing career	1967–1988

Garry Douglas Unger (born December 7, 1947) is a former professional ice hockey centre who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1967 until 1983.

Playing career

Unger set an NHL record by playing 914 consecutive games in the regular season between February 24, 1968, and December 21, 1979, doing so with four teams: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Flames.^[1] Unger passed Andy Hebenton, who had the record of 630 consecutive games played that had stood since the 1963-64 NHL season. Unger's streak came to an end after Flames' coach Al MacNeil benched him on December 21, 1979 (the only game he would miss that season). His record has since been surpassed by Phil Kessel who has played over 1000 consecutive games as of the completion of the 2022–23 NHL season.

He was part of a six-player blockbuster transaction in which he was traded along with Frank Mahovlich and Pete Stemkowski from the Maple Leafs to the Red Wings for Norm Ullman, Paul Henderson and Floyd Smith on March 4, 1968. The Maple Leafs and Red Wings were in fifth and sixth place respectively at the bottom of the East Division standings at the time of the deal.^[2]

Unger finished his career with 1105 career NHL games, scoring 413 goals and 391 assists for 804 points, and he also registered 1075 career penalty minutes.^[1] Unger was the 1974 NHL All-Star Game MVP played in Chicago. He had an assist and scored a shorthanded goal in the West Division's 6–4 victory over the East Division.

After retiring from the NHL he went to play for three seasons in the British professional league. During a season for the Peterborough Pirates he racked up 95 goals and well over 200 points while playing in only 30 games.

Personal

Garry was the oldest of four children of Jakob and Olive (Wheeler) Unger. Unger's younger sister used a wheelchair; she proved to be an inspiration to Unger during his playing career. After being traded to Atlanta in 1979, Unger encountered a group of Christian players, including Paul Henderson, whom Unger credits with helping him discover spirituality and giving meaning to his life.^[3]

He and his wife Beverly have three children. Garry presently works with the Banff Hockey Academy in Banff, Alberta, Canada.^{[citation needed]}

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1965–66	Calgary Buffaloes	AJHL	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	London Nationals	OHA	48	38	35	73	60	6	2	5	7	27
1966–67	Rochester Americans	AHL	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
1966–67	Tulsa Oilers	CPHL	2	2	0	2	2	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	London Nationals	OHA	2	4	1	5	2	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	15	1	1	2	4	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Tulsa Oilers	CHL	9	3	5	8	6	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Rochester Americans	AHL	5	1	3	4	6	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	13	5	10	15	2	—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	76	24	20	44	33	—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	76	42	24	66	67	4	0	1	1	6
1970–71	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	51	13	14	27	63	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	St. Louis Blues	NHL	28	15	14	29	41	6	3	2	5	20
1971–72	St. Louis Blues	NHL	78	36	34	70	104	11	4	5	9	35
1972–73	St. Louis Blues	NHL	78	41	39	80	119	5	1	2	3	2
1973–74	St. Louis Blues	NHL	78	33	35	68	96	—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	St. Louis Blues	NHL	80	36	44	80	123	2	1	3	4	6
1975–76	St. Louis Blues	NHL	80	39	44	83	95	3	2	1	3	7
1976–77	St. Louis Blues	NHL	80	30	27	57	56	4	0	1	1	2
1977–78	St. Louis Blues	NHL	80	32	20	52	66	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	St. Louis Blues	NHL	80	30	26	56	44	—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Atlanta Flames	NHL	79	17	16	33	39	4	0	3	3	2
1980–81	Los Angeles Kings	NHL	58	10	10	20	40	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	13	0	0	0	6	8	0	0	0	2
1981–82	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	46	7	13	20	69	4	1	0	1	23
1982–83	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	16	2	0	2	8	1	0	0	0	0
1982–83	Moncton Alpines	AHL	8	2	3	5	0	—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Dundee Rockets	BHL	35	86	48	134	64	6	7	6	13	44
1986–87	Peterborough Pirates	BHL-2	30	95	143	238	58	8	17	15	32	38
1987–88	Peterborough Pirates	BHL	32	37	44	81	116	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals			1,105	413	391	804	1,075	52	12	18	30	105

International

Year	Team	Event	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1978	Canada	WC	10	0	0	0	30
1979	Canada	WC	7	2	1	3	12
Senior totals			17	2	1	3	42

References

^ ^a ^b "Garry Unger player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
^ "Mahovlich, Ullman Traded," The Edmonton Journal, Monday, March 4, 1968. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ "Doug Jarvis player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 8, 2010.

External links

Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
http://oldtimehockeyuk.com/gu1-wp – Garry Unger talks about his career in a podcast interview

Preceded by Red Berenson	St. Louis Blues captain 1976–77	Succeeded by Red Berenson

[LOH-1] "Garry Unger player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 8, 2010.

[2] "Mahovlich, Ullman Traded," The Edmonton Journal, Monday, March 4, 1968. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[Legends-3] "Doug Jarvis player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 8, 2010.

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