Gardner, Sandy

BORN ALEXANDER GARDNER ON MARCH 28TH 1955, he learnt to skate at Melbourne's new Moorabbin rink (1966 to 1970) and joined the local Rangers ice hockey club (1975-1984) until their demise in the 1980s. He was the backbone of the powerful Monarch-Saints teams of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, the most successful Club in the history of the Victorian game. He played 263 games for the Rangers between 1971 and 1984; 124 games for the Monarch-Saints, 1986-1992; 49 games for the Saints 1993-1995; and 17 for Russell Athletic in 1998. His career total of 453 games is sixteenth highest in almost a century of Victorian association ice hockey.

He won 14 senior premierships — 4 with the Rangers, 9 with Monarch-Saints and 1 with Russell Athletic. In the Victorian league he was twice A-grade MVP in 1988 and 1989, and Highest Point Scorer four times in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1992. He won numerous club awards with both the Rangers and the Monarch-Saints and represented Victoria in the Tange Trophy (U18) and Goodall Cup championships. He won Goodall Cups in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1979.

He represented Australia at five World Championships — 1974, 1979, 1986, 1987 and 1989. He was captain in 1987 when Australia won its first international ice hockey medal in Perth. He also played the series against the touring West Germany Olympia 80 at Ringwood Iceland in Melbourne in June 1977. An assistant coach while a player at the Saints, he became a coach during the formative years of the Sharks and the Braves clubs in the Victorian league, and more recently as Head Coach of the Melbourne Ice (2003, '04), then assistant coach, and back to Head Coach in 2013. He was still playing for the Marauders in the local old timers league In recent years and returned as an Assistant Coach with the Melbourne Ice in 2017.