Ken Gernander

Ken Gernander
Gernander in 2013
Born (1969-06-30) June 30, 1969
Coleraine, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Left
Played for New York Rangers
National team  United States
NHL draft 96th overall, 1987
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 1991–2005

Kenneth Robert Gernander (born June 30, 1969) is an American ice hockey coach and former professional right winger. Gernander played 12 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers between 1996 and 2004. Born in Coleraine, Minnesota, he played for the University of Minnesota for four years and was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently the head men’s ice hockey coach at Franklin Pierce University.

Early life

Gernander was born on June 30, 1969, in Coleraine, Minnesota,[1] to parents Bob and Bonnie Gernander. His father was a National Hockey League (NHL) scout for the Dallas Stars.[2] His younger brothers Jerry and Jim also played professonal ice hockey.[3][4]

Playing career

Amateur

During his senior year at Greenway High School, Gernander was named a finalist for the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award as the most outstanding senior high school hockey player in the state of Minnesota.[5] He was also named to the 1987 Associated Press' First All-State hockey team.[6] Due to his athletic ability and high grade point average, Gernander received a scholarship to play collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.[7] Before enrolling at the University of Minnesota, Gernander was drafted in the fifth round, 96th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1987 NHL entry draft.[8]

Collegiate career

Gernander spent four seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 1987 to 1991.[1] He was one of seven freshmen who began the 1987–88 season with the Gophers[9] and was predicted to win the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's (WCHA) Rookie of the Year.[10] Gernander helped the Gophers begin the season with a 5–0 winning record.[9][11] Upon losing to the Maine Black Bears in the 1988 NCAA playoffs,[12] Gernander finished his freshman season with 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points through 44 games.[1] He was subsequently selected as a candidate for the 1989 United States men's national junior ice hockey team.[13]

Gernander experienced a dip in scoring in his sophomore season after Dave Snuggerud and Tom Chorske returned to the Gophers, but quickly picked up again in his junior year.[14] After switching from centreman to a winger position, Gernander quickly surpassed his previous season's career-highs.[15] At the end of October 1989, Gernander scored four goals in one game against the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux.[16][17] He missed a week of game-play due to an illness. He scored two goals in his return to the Gophers lineup on January 13, 1990.[14][18]

Professional

Gernander concluded his collegiate career in May 1991 by signing a professional contract with the Winnipeg Jets.[19]

Gernander scored his first career NHL goal in his NHL debut on March 9, 1996, against the Washington Capitals.[20]

When Gernander retired after the 2004–05 season, he held numerous AHL records. He ranked as the league's all-time leader in career playoff games played (123) and was the highest-scoring American-born player in AHL history, recording 624 points over 973 games.[21]

Legacy

Following his retirement, Gernander's number 12 became the only number retired by the Wolf Pack, and he was inducted into the Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame.[22] Gernander was also inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2013.[23]

Coaching career

After his retirement, Gernander spent two seasons as Hartford's assistant coach.[22] He was promoted to head coach of the Wolf Pack on July 23, 2007, as a replacement for Jim Schoenfeld.[24] During his tenure with the team, Gernander helped lead the Wolf Pack to a division title and became the 18th head coach in AHL history to earn 300 career wins.[25] Gernander replaced John Tortorella as head coach of the Rangers for one game after the latter earned a one-game suspension. The Rangers lost 5-3 and the Capitals tied their playoff series 3–3.[26] He spent 10 years as head coach before being released on May 16, 2017.[27] While the Rangers offered to hire him as a scout, Gernander instead chose to re-enroll at the University of Minnesota and finish his degree.[28]

Gernander briefly served as a scout for the New York Islanders before accepting an appointment as head coach of Franklin Pierce University's men’s ice hockey team in May 2024.[29]

Personal life

Gernander and his wife have two children together, Micah and McKenna.[28] Micah played collegiate hockey at Gustavus Adolphus College[30] while McKenna played ice hockey at Nichols College.[31]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1985–86 Greenway High School HS-MN 23 14 23 37 — — — — — —
1986–87 Greenway High School HS-MN 26 35 34 69 — — — — — —
1986–87 Des Moines Buccaneers USHL — — — — — — — — — —
1987–88 University of Minnesota WCHA 44 14 14 28 14 — — — — —
1988–89 University of Minnesota WCHA 44 9 11 20 2 — — — — —
1989–90 University of Minnesota WCHA 44 32 17 49 24 — — — — —
1990–91 University of Minnesota WCHA 44 23 20 43 24 — — — — —
1991–92 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 13 7 6 13 2 — — — — —
1991–92 Moncton Hawks AHL 43 8 18 26 9 8 1 1 2 2
1992–93 Moncton Hawks AHL 71 18 29 47 20 5 1 4 5 0
1993–94 Moncton Hawks AHL 71 22 25 47 12 19 6 1 7 0
1994–95 Binghamton Rangers AHL 80 28 25 53 24 11 2 2 4 6
1995–96 New York Rangers NHL 10 2 3 5 4 6 0 0 0 0
1995–96 Binghamton Rangers AHL 63 44 29 73 38 — — — — —
1996–97 Binghamton Rangers AHL 46 13 18 31 30 2 0 1 1 0
1996–97 New York Rangers NHL — — — — — 9 0 0 0 0
1997–98 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 80 35 28 63 26 12 5 6 11 4
1998–99 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 70 23 26 49 32 7 1 2 3 2
1999–00 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 79 28 29 57 24 23 5 5 10 0
2000–01 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 80 22 27 49 39 2 0 0 0 0
2001–02 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 75 18 31 49 19 10 1 3 4 4
2002–03 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 72 17 19 36 22 2 0 0 0 0
2003–04 New York Rangers NHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2003–04 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 77 12 19 31 28 16 3 4 7 2
2004–05 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 66 5 8 13 18 6 1 0 1 0
AHL totals 973 293 331 624 341 123 26 29 55 20
NHL totals 12 2 3 5 6 15 0 0 0 0

Coaching record

Team Year League Regular Season Post Season
G W L T OTL Pts Finish Result
Hartford Wolf Pack 2007–08 AHL 80 50 20 — 10 110 2nd in Atlantic Lost in First Round
Hartford Wolf Pack 2008–09 AHL 80 46 27 — 7 99 1st in Atlantic Lost in First round
Hartford Wolf Pack 2009–10 AHL 80 36 33 — 11 83 6th in Atlantic Did not qualify
Connecticut Whale 2010–11 AHL 80 40 32 — 8 88 3rd in Atlantic Lost in First Round
Connecticut Whale 2011–12 AHL 76 36 26 — 14 86 2nd in Northeast Lost in Second Round
Connecticut Whale 2012–13 AHL 76 35 32 — 9 79 2nd in Northeast Did not qualify
Hartford Wolf Pack 2013–14 AHL 76 37 32 — 7 81 3rd in Northeast Did not qualify
Hartford Wolf Pack 2014–15 AHL 76 43 24 — 9 95 1st in Northeast Lost in Third Round
Hartford Wolf Pack 2015–16 AHL 76 41 32 — 3 85 6th in Atlantic Did not qualify
Hartford Wolf Pack 2016–17 AHL 76 24 46 — 6 54 7th in Atlantic Did not qualify
AHL Totals 776 388 304 — 84 860

Awards and honors

Award Year Ref
WCHA All-Tournament Team 1990 [32]
Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award 1996, 2004 [33]
Calder Cup 2000

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ken Gernander". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  2. ^ "Clear Sailing Again For The Captain". Hartford Courant. January 25, 1999. Archived from the original on July 2, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  3. ^ "Jim Gernander". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  4. ^ "Jerry Gernander". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  5. ^ Pates, Kevin (March 1, 1987). "Mr. Hockey finalists named". The Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved July 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Killeen, Mike (March 15, 1987). "North head All-State hockey". The Austin Daily Herald. Retrieved July 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "All-Area". The Duluth News Tribune. March 22, 1987. Retrieved July 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Elliott, Tom (June 15, 1987). "Not a bad day for Greenway athlete". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved July 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Gilbert, John (October 22, 1987). "Rookies step right in for 'U'". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Denver tops poll". Grand Forks Herald. October 8, 1987. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Gilbert, John (October 22, 1987). "Gophers: Freshmen eager for first home game after 5–0 start". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Perkins, Tom (April 3, 1988). "Black Bears take third place, 5–2". Sun-Journal. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Junior team players chosen". The Duluth News Tribune. June 8, 1988. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Gilbert, Jack (January 26, 1990). "Gernander". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Gilbert, Jack (January 26, 1990). "'G' is for goals". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Riggles, Steven (October 28, 1989). "Gernander, Minnesota edge Sioux". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  17. ^ Foss, Virg (October 28, 1989). "Defense takes back seat in Sioux loss". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Gilbert, Jack (January 14, 1990). "Gernander gives Gophers shot in arm". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Gilbert, John (May 25, 1991). "Jets get Draper back from Blues". The Times-Transcript. Retrieved July 4, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Rangers ride power play". Press and Sun-Bulletin. March 10, 1996. Retrieved July 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Wolf Pack's Gernander retires". American Hockey League. July 6, 2005. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  22. ^ a b "Gernander wore captain's "C" for 10 years". American Hockey League. May 9, 2006. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  23. ^ "AHL Hall of Fame Class of 2013 set". American Hockey League. September 27, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  24. ^ "Wolf Pack's Gernander promoted to head coach". American Hockey League. July 23, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  25. ^ "Gernander earns 300th coaching win". American Hockey League. January 10, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  26. ^ "Gernander gets one-day assignment in NHL". The Duluth News Tribune. April 27, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Rangers announce personnel changes in Hartford". American Hockey League. May 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  28. ^ a b "Ken Gernander Discovering New Pleasures In Life After Coaching Wolf Pack". Hartford Courant. February 1, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  29. ^ "Ken Gernander". Franklin Pierce University. 2024. Archived from the original on November 3, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  30. ^ "Micah Gernander". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  31. ^ "McKenna Gernander". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  32. ^ "WCHA.com - Championship history". wcha.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  33. ^ "AHL Honors Gernander". Hartford Courant. April 6, 2004. Retrieved July 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
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