Gaetano "Gates" Orlando (born November 13, 1962) is a Canadian-born Italian former

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) with the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

between 1984 and 1987. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1984 to 1999, was mainly spent in the Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

and Swiss Nationalliga A. Internationally Orlando played for the

Italian national team The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing bo ...

at several

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and at the

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

and

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

. He later coached in the minor leagues for a few years, and also worked as a scout for the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

of the NHL. His father's ancestry hails from Agnone, Isernia, Molise, Italy.

International play

By virtue of his Italian ancestry and playing in Italy, Orlando acquired Italian citizenship and was eligible for the Italian national ice hockey team. He participated in the following tournaments: * 8 A-

: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 * 2 B-World Championships: 1990, 1991 * 2

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

: 1994 in Lillehammer and 1998 in Nagano Orlando wore jersey number 17 in the national team.

Artificial heart and Heart Transplant

sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis (also known as ''Besnier-Boeck-Schaumann disease'') is a disease involving abnormal collections of inflammatory cells that form lumps known as granulomata. The disease usually begins in the lungs, skin, or lymph nodes. Less commonly a ...

patient, in March 2011, Orlando was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was participating in a clinical study of Life Vest, a wearable defibrillator. On May 22, the defibrillator saved his life after his heart stopped for 40 seconds. Orlando was the first participant in the study to have required the vest to deliver a shock.Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, June 3, 2011
On April 4, 2012, Orlando received an artificial heart to extend his life while he waits for a donated biological heart. The operation, performed at the

University of Rochester Medical Center The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), now known as UR Medicine, is located in Rochester, New York, is one of the main campuses of the University of Rochester and comprises the university's primary medical education, research and pat ...

, was the first such operation in Upstate New York. A donor heart became available February 4, 2013 so the transplant teams were mobilized for surgery that day at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He was able to return home 25 days later.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Coaching career

After retiring from pro ice hockey by the end of 1998–99 with HC Lugano, Orlando become a

. At the World Championships he served as an assistant coach with the

while still being a player.

Awards and honors

*1990 -

Champion with HC Bolzano *1992 - Serie A Champion with Milano Devils *1993 - Serie A Champion with Milano Devils *1994 - Serie A Champion with

AC Milan Hockey HC Devils Milano were an ice hockey team in Milan, Italy. They played in the Serie A. History The club dominated the Serie A between 1991 and 1994, winning three straight titles. They also participated in, and won, the Alpenliga in 1991. NHL pla ...

*1997 - NLA Champion with

SC Bern Schlittschuh Club Bern ('' Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. For the 18th year in a row, the club is the mos ...

*1999 - NLA Champion with

HC Lugano Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL) and has won seven Swiss championships. History The founding of HC Lugano took ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Orlando, Gaetano 1962 births Albany River Rats players Bolzano HC players Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian people of Italian descent HC Lugano players HC Merano players HC Milano players Ice hockey people from Montreal Ice hockey players at the 1994 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics Living people Montreal Juniors players New Jersey Devils scouts Olympic ice hockey players of Italy People from LaSalle, Quebec Providence Friars men's ice hockey players Rochester Americans players SC Bern players SCL Tigers players United Hockey League coaches Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Italy Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans