Gary Sargent
Encyclopedia
Gary Alan Sargent is a retired American professional ice hockey
defenseman
who played 402 games in the National Hockey League
between 1975–1983. A first team all-star and league MVP at Bemidji State University
, his professional hockey career was cut short by injuries.
(Chippewa) Indian, he was born on a reservation. Sargent was also a highly promising high school baseball
and gridiron football
player, receiving an offer to sign a professional contract with the Major League Baseball
Minnesota Twins
as well as several college football scholarship offers. However, Sargent decided to pursue a career in hockey instead—his cousin Henry Boucha
also played in the NHL while his younger brother Earl Sargent is a former NHL draft choice who played minor league hockey.
with the 48th pick in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft and joined the Kings in 1975 after excelling for the United States national hockey team in the 1973 Ice Hockey World Championship and 1974 world junior championship tournament, where he was voted most valuable defenceman. He was named the King's outstanding newcomer after his rookie year. He was also a member of the US team at the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup
tournament and was voted the Kings defenseman of the year in 1976-77. In the 1977–78 season, Sargent tallied 54 points, had a plus/minus of plus 18 on a team the was minus 2 for the season. However, the Kings failed to re-sign Sargent and he became a free agent.
In the summer of 1978, Sargent signed with his native Minnesota North Stars
as a restricted free agent when his contract with the Kings ended. Minnesota had to give up three players to Los Angeles (Rick Hampton
, Steve Jensen
and Dave Gardner
) as compensation, but Sargent quickly became one of his new team's most important defensemen in 1978–79, being on ice for a league-record 53.1 percent of his team's goals that season. Sargent was selected for the 1980 NHL All Star game (in Los Angeles) but was unable to participate due to persistent back and knee problems which eventually forced him to retire prematurely in 1983 after missing most of the previous three seasons.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenseman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
who played 402 games in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
between 1975–1983. A first team all-star and league MVP at Bemidji State University
Bemidji State University
Bemidji State University is a public state university in Bemidji, Minnesota, USA, located on the shores of Lake Bemidji. It is a part of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities .-History:BSU was founded in 1919 as Bemidji State Normal School...
, his professional hockey career was cut short by injuries.
Early life
A full-blooded OjibwaOjibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
(Chippewa) Indian, he was born on a reservation. Sargent was also a highly promising high school baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and gridiron football
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
player, receiving an offer to sign a professional contract with the Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
as well as several college football scholarship offers. However, Sargent decided to pursue a career in hockey instead—his cousin Henry Boucha
Henry Boucha
Henry Charles Boucha is a retired American professional ice hockey centerman who played 247 games over 6 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota North Stars, Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies whose career was cut short by eye injury...
also played in the NHL while his younger brother Earl Sargent is a former NHL draft choice who played minor league hockey.
Pro career
Sargent was drafted by the Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
with the 48th pick in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft and joined the Kings in 1975 after excelling for the United States national hockey team in the 1973 Ice Hockey World Championship and 1974 world junior championship tournament, where he was voted most valuable defenceman. He was named the King's outstanding newcomer after his rookie year. He was also a member of the US team at the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup
1976 Canada Cup
The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2–15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec, Canada as well as in Philadelphia, United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991...
tournament and was voted the Kings defenseman of the year in 1976-77. In the 1977–78 season, Sargent tallied 54 points, had a plus/minus of plus 18 on a team the was minus 2 for the season. However, the Kings failed to re-sign Sargent and he became a free agent.
In the summer of 1978, Sargent signed with his native Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
as a restricted free agent when his contract with the Kings ended. Minnesota had to give up three players to Los Angeles (Rick Hampton
Rick Hampton
Richard Charles Hampton is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He was raised in King City, and attended King City Secondary School, from which he graduated in 1975....
, Steve Jensen
Steve Jensen
Steven Allan Jensen is a former professional ice hockey player and Owner and Director of Heartland Hockey Camps. Jensen was an offensive player who appeared in 438 games in the National Hockey League from 1976-82...
and Dave Gardner
Dave Gardner
David Calvin Gardner is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 350 National Hockey League games for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons and Philadelphia Flyers...
) as compensation, but Sargent quickly became one of his new team's most important defensemen in 1978–79, being on ice for a league-record 53.1 percent of his team's goals that season. Sargent was selected for the 1980 NHL All Star game (in Los Angeles) but was unable to participate due to persistent back and knee problems which eventually forced him to retire prematurely in 1983 after missing most of the previous three seasons.