Gordon Thomas Lawrence Lane (born March 31, 1953) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

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 h ...

player. Lane 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 ...

for the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

and New York Islanders. Lane was a member of the Islanders team that won four Stanley Cups in the 1980s. Lane played junior in the WCHL, first with the Brandon Wheat Kings and, after a trade, with the New Westminster Bruins. A strong training ethic and quality coaching resulted in Lane being selected in the NHL draft. Originally selected in the

1973 NHL Entry Draft The 1973 NHL Amateur Draft was the 11th National Hockey League draft. It was the first to be held on a separate day from other league activities on May 15, 1973, at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, so it would not overshadow the rest of ...

by the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

, Lane was signed to a minor league contract with the

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original Inte ...

. He was subsequently traded to the

Dayton Gems The Dayton Gems were a minor league ice hockey team based in Dayton, Ohio, and members of the International Hockey League from 1964 to 1977, and 1979–1980. In the fall of 1964, the lobby of their new arena, Hara Arena, had a natural gas ex ...

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

to the

. After winning the

Turner Cup The Turner Cup was the championship trophy of the International Hockey League from 1945 to 2001 and the renamed United Hockey League from 2007 to 2010. The Cup was named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professi ...

with the Dayton Gems, coach

Tom McVie Thomas McVie (born June 6, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach in the National Hockey League. McVie grew up in a poor family, and, upon signing his first junior league contract, is said to have left home with a single used st ...

and several Gems players were promoted to the Washington Capitals. Signed by the Capitals in 1976, Lane played parts of five seasons, leading the team in penalties in three of those seasons. Unhappy about his playing time with the Caps, he threatened retirement during the 1979–80 season. He was eventually traded to the New York Islanders for forward

Mike Kaszycki Michael John Kaszycki (born February 27, 1956) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. Biography As a youth, Kaszycki played in the 1968 and 1969 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the Toronto Christie minor ice hockey team. ...

on December 7, 1979, remaining with that club for the rest of his NHL career. Lane's first game for the Isles was against the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

at Madison Square Garden, a 5–4 loss. Lane immediately made his presence known during the game, throwing several hits while also getting involved in several scrums. Lane's tough, defensive abilities did not go unappreciated by Islanders head coach

Al Arbour Alger Joseph Arbour (November 1, 1932 – August 28, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He is third to Joel Quenneville for games coached in National Hockey League history and fifth all-time in wins, behind Scotty Bo ...

, who, like Lane, was a stay-at-home defenceman during his own playing career. Lane helped guide the Islanders steady defence during their four straight Stanley Cup championships ( 1980,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, 1982, and

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

). Early in the 1984 playoffs, Lane was injured and missed most of the Islanders' playoff run. Lane's presence was sorely missed in the Cup finals, as the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

outskated the tired, battered, and undermanned Islanders, dethroning the four-time champions. An underrated enforcer who never failed to come to the aid of a teammate in trouble, Lane has been credited over the years with being the Islanders' most effective defender during their Stanley Cup runs.

Awards and achievements

( IHL) championship (1976) * Stanley Cup championships (1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983) *"Honoured member" of the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...

External links

*
Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
a

1953 births Living people Brandon Wheat Kings players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Dayton Gems players Hampton Gulls (SHL) players Hershey Bears players New Westminster Bruins players New York Islanders players New York Islanders scouts Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Ice hockey people from Brandon, Manitoba Springfield Indians coaches Springfield Indians players Stanley Cup champions Washington Capitals players Canadian ice hockey coaches {{Canada-icehockey-defenceman-1950s-stub