Denny Lambert (born January 7, 1970) is a former professional Canadian ice hockey player and member of the Batchewana First Nation.[1] Lambert was drafted in the Ontario Hockey League where he played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for three years.[2] He then played 2 seasons in the International Hockey League with the San Diego Gulls before signing as a free agent with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim of the National hockey league.[2] He was then signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Senators in July 1996[2] and went on to play for the Nashville Predators (1998-1999) and the Atlanta Thrashers.[2] He rejoined the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2001-2002) for his final NHL season before finishing off his career in the American Hockey League with the Milwaukee Admirals.[2] He also coached the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League 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 of the QMJHL in 2016.[3]

Denny Lambert
Born (1970-01-07) January 7, 1970 (age 54)
Wawa, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Ottawa Senators
Nashville Predators
Atlanta Thrashers
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1991–2003

Playing career

edit

Throughout his NHL career, Lambert's primary role was that of an enforcer. The left winger[1] 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 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, where he began his career as a junior player. On June 24, 2008, Lambert was named head coach of the Greyhounds, replacing Craig Hartsburg who signed to coach the NHL's Ottawa Senators.[4]

Career statistics

edit

Bold indicates led league

Regular season and playoffs

edit
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1988–89 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 61 14 15 29 203
1989–90 Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds OHL 61 23 29 52 276
1990–91 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 59 28 39 67 169 14 7 9 16 48
1991–92 San Diego Gulls IHL 71 17 14 31 229 3 0 0 0 10
1992–93 St. Thomas Wildcats CoHL 5 2 6 8 9
1992–93 San Diego Gulls IHL 56 18 12 30 277 14 1 1 2 44
1993–94 San Diego Gulls IHL 79 13 14 27 314 6 1 0 1 45
1994–95 San Diego Gulls IHL 75 25 35 60 222
1994–95 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 13 1 3 4 4
1995–96 Baltimore Bandits AHL 44 14 28 42 126 12 3 9 12 39
1995–96 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 33 0 8 8 55
1996–97 Ottawa Senators NHL 80 4 16 20 217 6 0 1 1 9
1997–98 Ottawa Senators NHL 72 9 10 19 250 11 0 0 0 19
1998–99 Nashville Predators NHL 76 5 11 16 218
1999–00 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 73 5 6 11 219
2000–01 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 67 1 7 8 215
2001–02 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 73 2 5 7 213
2002–03 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 39 12 12 24 132 6 2 2 4 42
NHL totals 487 27 66 93 1391 17 0 1 1 18

Coaching career

edit

Lambert became the assistant coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 2004–05 season, and remained in that position with the club until the summer of 2008, when Greyhounds head coach Craig Hartsburg left the team to become the head coach of the Ottawa Senators. 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 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

edit
Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L OTL SL Pts Finish Result
SOO 2008–09 68 19 45 2 2 42 5th in West Missed playoffs
SOO 2009–10 68 36 27 1 4 77 3rd in West Lost in First round
SOO 2010–11 40 14 21 5 0 33 5th in West Replaced mid-season

References

edit
  1. ^ a b nurun.com. "Denny Lambert adds credibility to Attack". Sault This Week. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Denny Lambert". www.legendsofhockey.net. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  3. ^ nurun.com. "Denny Lambert's new gig takes him to Quebec league". Sault This Week. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  4. ^ Helwig, David (June 24, 2008). "And the new Hounds coach is..." sootoday.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
edit