Kaminski era over in Mississippi

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. – The Mississippi RiverKings have announced that Paul Gardner has been named the new Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations for the team, replacing Kevin Kaminski.  “We needed to move in a different direction,” RiverKings Director of Business Operations Ab Mattice said. “We feel this change can help provide a more successful team for our fans.” 

The 54-year-old Gardner brings playing and coaching experience at several levels of professional hockey to the Mid-South. Most recently, he has been coaching in the German Elite League (DEL) at Hamburg, and before that in the Russian Super League (KHL) at Yaroslavl. From 2008 to this past April at Hamburg, Gardner had been head coach and assistant sports director, taking a 14th place team the previous year to an eighth place finish, then leading the Freezers to the second round of the league playoffs. Prior to that, Gardner was with the Nashville Predators for seven seasons from 1997-2004. He spent five seasons as an assistant coach and two more as a professional scout for the NHL team. In his first year in Nashville, he scouted extensively in preparation for the team’s inaugural season.  From 1990 to 1997, Gardner was with the Washington Capitals organization as an assistant coach for the Portland Pirates AHL affiliate for five seasons and for two seasons as the head professional scout for the Capitals. During his time in Portland, Gardner’s teams were the 1994 AHL Calder Cup champions and the 1996 AHL Eastern Conference champions.  Gardner’s coaching background also includes four seasons as head coach and assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Newmarket Saints, one season as assistant coach with the Maple Leafs, and one season as player/assistant coach with the Rochester Americans in the Buffalo Sabres organization.  As a player, Gardner’s career encompasses 447 games with the Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Rockies.  Between 1976 abd 1986, Gardner scored 201 goals for 402 points.  Among his accomplishments, Gardner was the 1977 Colorado Rockies Rookie of the Year, 1981 Pittsbugh Penguins Unsung Hero, was the AHL’s leading scorer and Most Valuable Player in 1985 and 1986, and was named in 1992 to the “All Time American Hockey League Team.” Gardner was also named as co-coach of the AHL All-Star Team in 1995.  Gardner is confident he can make the RiverKings a winning team. 
“Coming in to take over for coaches is sometimes a difficult thing, but I’m very excited about the opportunity to come here,” he said.  He added that his teams will be making things happen on the offensive side of the ice. “You’ve got to play solid defense in any game that you play so we’ll make sure we’re trained to do that, but I don’t like to sit back at all. I like to try and take the play to the other team and be aggressive in the offensive zone,” Gardner said.  The new RiverKings coach’s hockey pedigree goes back to his father Cal, who won two Stanley Cup championships in a 12-year career spent in the 1940’s and 50’s with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, and Boston Bruins. Paul’s brother David also played in the NHL for five different teams and then continued his career in Europe.  Paul and his wife, Sherri, will be moving into the area from their home in Franklin, Tennessee with their two youngest of five children. Contact comment@prohockeynews.com