Denny Lambert (born January 7, 1970) is a former professional Canadian

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player and member of the Batchewana First Nation. Lambert was drafted in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

where he played for the

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (often shortened to Soo Greyhounds) are a Junior ice hockey#Major junior, major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was ...

for three years. He then played 2 seasons in the International Hockey League with the

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before signing as a free agent with the

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of the National hockey league. He was then signed as a free agent with the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

in July 1996 and went on to play for the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

(1998-1999) and the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...

. He rejoined the

(2001-2002) for his final NHL season before finishing off his career in the

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with the

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. He also coached the

of the

from 2008–2011. He went on to be a First Nations Police Officer with the Anishinabek Police Service. Denny graduated from the Ontario Police College in November 2012. He was hired as an associate coach by the

Gatineau Olympiques The Gatineau Olympiques are a major junior ice hockey team based in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, that plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Starting with the 2021–22 season, the Olympiques play home games at Centre Slush Puppie, ...

of the QMJHL in 2016.

Playing career

Throughout his NHL career, Lambert's primary role was that of an

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. The left winger played in 487 regular season NHL games, scoring 27 goals and 66 assists for 93 points, while racking up 1391 penalty minutes. After retiring, he accepted a position as assistant coach with the

of the

, where he began his career as a junior player. On June 24, 2008, Lambert was named head coach of the Greyhounds, replacing

Craig Hartsburg Craig William Hartsburg (born June 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and head coach, who currently serves as an amateur scout and defense development coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League ( ...

who signed to coach the NHL's Ottawa Senators.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coaching career

Lambert became the assistant coach of the

in the 2004–05 season, and remained in that position with the club until the summer of 2008, when Greyhounds head coach

left the team to become the head coach of the

. The Greyhounds promoted Lambert to the head coaching position. In his first season as the head coach, Sault Ste. Marie failed to qualify for the post-season, as the young, rebuilding club finished with their fewest point total since the 1994–95 season, and finished in last place in the OHL. The Greyhounds rebounded in Lambert's second season with the team, with the help of assistant coach Mike Stapleton, as the club with an impressive record of 36–27–1–4 to finish with 77 points, and fifth place in the Western Conference. The Greyhounds faced the

Plymouth Whalers The Plymouth Whalers were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They played out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, USA, a suburb of Detroit until 2015 when they were relocated to Flint, Michigan. History The Whalers ...

in the conference quarter-finals, and lost the series in five games. Lambert returned to Sault Ste. Marie for a third season in 2010–11, however, the team fell back into last place in the Western Conference, and on January 11, 2011, the Greyhounds relieved Lambert from his duties. Sault Ste. Marie had a record of 14–21–5–0 at the time of his firing.

Coaching record

References

External links

*
Soo Greyhounds official web site
retrieved 2007-10-28 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, Denny 1970 births Living people Atlanta Thrashers players Baltimore Bandits players Canadian ice hockey left wingers First Nations sportspeople Ice hockey people from Ontario Mighty Ducks of Anaheim players Milwaukee Admirals players Nashville Predators players Ottawa Senators players People from Algoma District San Diego Gulls (IHL) players Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds players Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds coaches St. Thomas Wildcats players Undrafted National Hockey League players Canadian ice hockey coaches