Joseph William "Jody" Gage (born November 29, 1959) 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 ...
right winger
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. He was drafted in the third round, 45th overall, by the
Detroit Red Wings in the
1979 NHL Entry Draft
The 1979 NHL Entry Draft was the 17th NHL Entry Draft. It took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in ...
.
Biography
As a youth, Gage played in the 1972
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament
The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...
with a
minor ice hockey
Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...
team from Toronto.
Gage played junior hockey in the
Ontario Hockey Association from 1976–79 with the
St. Catharines Fincups,
Hamilton Fincups, and
Kitchener Rangers
The Kitchener Rangers are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. The Rangers have won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL ...
before turning pro in
1979–80, splitting time with the
Kalamazoo Wings
The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...
of the
International Hockey League and the
Adirondack Red Wings
The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Nation ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
. In his AHL debut on October 11, 1979, Gage scored four goals in an 8-3 win over the
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...
. With his help, Adirondack would win the
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its cur ...
championship in
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 ...
.
Prior to the
1985–86 season, Gage signed 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 ...
as a free agent and was assigned to the AHL's
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, ...
, where Gage would soon become one of the important figures in the history of the franchise. His Amerks debut was a mirror image of his AHL debut in 1979, scoring four goals in a win over Hershey. In ten seasons, Gage became the Amerks' all-time leader in games played (653), points (728), goals (351), and assists (377). Gage won the
Les Cunningham Award The Les Cunningham Award is given annually to American Hockey League's "Most Valuable Player" of the regular season, as voted on by AHL media and players.
The award was first presented in the 1947–48 season, is named after Les Cunningham, a five ...
in
1987–88 after a 60-goal season (second player in league history to accomplish this feat). He was the third player in AHL history to score 1000 points, the fifth player to play 1000 AHL games, and the fifth member of the AHL's 500-goal club. Gage led Rochester to a Calder Cup in
1986–87 and back to the Calder Cup Finals in
1989–90,
1990–91
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
, and
1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
.
The man dubbed "Mr. Amerk" retired during the
1995–96 season and finished his AHL career with 504 goals, 1,048 points, seven 40-goal seasons, and 51 playoff goals. In 68 career NHL games with Detroit and Buffalo, Gage totaled 14 goals, 15 assists, and 26 penalty minutes. Immediately after his retirement, Gage accepted a position as Assistant General Manager and helped the Amerks capture the 1995–96 Calder Cup championship in a thrilling seven-game series over the defending champion
Portland Pirates.
Gage was named General Manager of the Americans before the
1996–97 season and has since overseen five division titles, two more trips to the Calder Cup Finals, and a
Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy after a 51-win season in
2004–05. In addition to his work with the Amerks, Gage also served as GM for the
Rochester Rattlers
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
* Rochester, Kent
**City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
**History of Rochester, Kent
**HM Prison R ...
of
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff ...
and was GM of the
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United States and five in Canada. The N ...
's
Rochester Knighthawks
The Rochester Knighthawks (also known as the K-Hawks) are a professional box lacrosse team in the North Division of the National Lacrosse League. They play in Rochester, New York at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.
The Knighthawks are ow ...
until new ownership took control of both the Amerks and Knighthawks in 2008.
In
2006, Gage was a member of the inaugural induction class of the American Hockey League Hall of Fame.
On February 3, 2011, Gage was named the new general manager for the
Hamilton Nationals of
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff ...
.
Gage is now the Vice President of Player Personnel for the Rochester Knighthawks Lacrosse Club.
Career statistics
References
External links
*
AHL Hall of Fame Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gage, Jody
1959 births
Living people
Adirondack Red Wings players
Buffalo Sabres players
Canadian ice hockey right wingers
Detroit Red Wings draft picks
Detroit Red Wings players
Hamilton Fincups players
Sportspeople from Toronto
Kalamazoo Wings (1974–2000) players
Kitchener Rangers players
Rochester Americans players
Ice hockey people from Ontario