Mark Hardy
Encyclopedia
Lea Mark Hardy is a retired Canadian
professional ice hockey
defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League
(NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings
, New York Rangers
and Minnesota North Stars
between 1979 and 1994.
where his father was playing professional hockey before moving to Montreal as a child. He played four seasons of junior in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
for the Montreal Juniors
and was selected 30th overall by the Los Angeles Kings
at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft
.
He played 915 career NHL games, scoring 62 goals and 306 assists for 368 points while adding 1293 penalty minutes. His best offensive season was the 1984–85 season when he set career highs with 14 goals and 53 points. In the 1992–93 season Hardy went to the Stanley Cup
Finals with the Los Angeles Kings. Retiring from the NHL as a King following the 1993–94 season, Hardy turned to coaching in 1999, serving as an assistant coach for the Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks
until 2010, when he resigned after being charged with felony fourth-degree sexual abuse. In October 2010 the charges were dismissed. Hardy returned to the Kings organization in 2011 as an assistant coach with the club's minor league team, the Ontario Reign
of the ECHL
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional ice hockey
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...
defenceman who played 15 seasons 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...
(NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings
Los 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...
, New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and 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...
between 1979 and 1994.
NHL career
Hardy was born in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
where his father was playing professional hockey before moving to Montreal as a child. He played four seasons of junior in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...
for the Montreal Juniors
Montreal Juniors
The Montreal Juniors were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1975 to 1982. They played at the Montreal Forum.-History:...
and was selected 30th overall by the Los Angeles Kings
Los 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...
at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft
1979 NHL Entry Draft
The 1979 NHL Entry Draft took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1978–79 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those...
.
He played 915 career NHL games, scoring 62 goals and 306 assists for 368 points while adding 1293 penalty minutes. His best offensive season was the 1984–85 season when he set career highs with 14 goals and 53 points. In the 1992–93 season Hardy went to the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
Finals with the Los Angeles Kings. Retiring from the NHL as a King following the 1993–94 season, Hardy turned to coaching in 1999, serving as an assistant coach for the Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
until 2010, when he resigned after being charged with felony fourth-degree sexual abuse. In October 2010 the charges were dismissed. Hardy returned to the Kings organization in 2011 as an assistant coach with the club's minor league team, the Ontario Reign
Ontario Reign
The Ontario Reign is a ice hockey team from Ontario, California that play in the ECHL. Their home arena is the Citizens Business Bank Arena. They are a minor league affiliate team of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.-Team History:...
of the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
.