Ken Gernander
American ice hockey player and coach
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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.
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| Ken Gernander | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gernander in 2013 | |||
| Born |
June 30, 1969 | ||
| 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 | ||
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 professional 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] The Ravens went 2-25-2 in his only year as head coach.[30]
Personal life
Gernander and his wife have three children together, Miranda, Micah and McKenna.[28] Micah played collegiate hockey at Gustavus Adolphus College[31] while McKenna played ice hockey at Nichols College.[32]
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 | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | [33] |
| Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award | 1996, 2004 | [34] |
| Calder Cup | 2000 |