Garry Unger
Born (1947-12-07) December 7, 1947
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 MVP of the 1974 NHL All-Star Game 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.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1965–66 Calgary Buffaloes AJHL ————— —————
1966–67 London Nationals OHA 4838357360 625727
1966–67 Rochester Americans AHL 10000 10000
1966–67 Tulsa Oilers CPHL 22022 —————
1967–68 London Nationals OHA 24152 —————
1967–68 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 151124 —————
1967–68 Tulsa Oilers CHL 93586 —————
1967–68 Rochester Americans AHL 51346 —————
1967–68 Detroit Red Wings NHL 13510152 —————
1968–69 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7624204433 —————
1969–70 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7642246667 40116
1970–71 Detroit Red Wings NHL 5113142763 —————
1970–71 St. Louis Blues NHL 2815142941 632520
1971–72 St. Louis Blues NHL 78363470104 1145935
1972–73 St. Louis Blues NHL 78413980119 51232
1973–74 St. Louis Blues NHL 7833356896 —————
1974–75 St. Louis Blues NHL 80364480123 21346
1975–76 St. Louis Blues NHL 8039448395 32137
1976–77 St. Louis Blues NHL 8030275756 40112
1977–78 St. Louis Blues NHL 8032205266 —————
1978–79 St. Louis Blues NHL 8030265644 —————
1979–80 Atlanta Flames NHL 7917163339 40332
1980–81 Los Angeles Kings NHL 5810102040 —————
1980–81 Edmonton Oilers NHL 130006 80002
1981–82 Edmonton Oilers NHL 467132069 410123
1982–83 Edmonton Oilers NHL 162028 10000
1982–83 Moncton Alpines AHL 82350 —————
1985–86 Dundee Rockets BHL 35864813464 6761344
1986–87 Peterborough Pirates BHL-2 309514323858 817153238
1987–88 Peterborough Pirates BHL 32374481116 —————
NHL totals 1,1054133918041,075 52121830105

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

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "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.
  3. ↑ "Doug Jarvis player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 8, 2010.


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