Joseph William "Jody" Gage, born on November 29, 1959, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. Known for his outstanding career, particularly in the American Hockey League (AHL), Gage has left an indelible mark on the sport. This article delves into his journey, statistics, and achievements throughout his illustrious career.
Adirondack Red Wings Logo
Early Career
As a youth, Gage played in the 1972 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Toronto. Gage played for the Toronto Young Nationals midget team before being drafted by the St. Catharines Fincups in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL). A team scout had originally attended the game to watch another player but was encouraged by Gage's father to watch him as well.
Gage was drafted in the fifth round of the 1976 OMJHL draft, but was described by Fincups head coach as being "probably the best fifth-rounder in the history of the league." However, shortly after joining the Fincups for the 1976-77 season, Gage suffered a knee injury and missed over a month of game play. In his return on December 7, Gage scored a goal and two assists against the Kitchener Rangers. He played for the Fincups in St.
NHL Draft and Early Professional Career
Gage was drafted in the third round, 45th overall, by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Gage began his professional league career in the 1979-80 season, splitting time with the Kalamazoo Wings of the International Hockey League (IHL) and the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League (AHL). Gage made his AHL debut on October 11, 1979, in the Red Wings' season opener against the Hershey Bears. He scored four goals in his debut to lift the Red Wings to an 8-3 win.
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He scored six points in 10 games before being demoted to Kalamazoo due to an overabundance of players. He found immediate success on a line with Tommy Ross and Tom Milani and scored 16 goals in 12 games. On December 5, 1979, Gage tied a franchise record with the Kalamazoo Red Wings by scoring four goals in a single game.
Detroit Red Wings
As a result of his play with the Adirondack Red Wings, Gage was invited to the Detroit Red Wings' 1980 training camp and made their opening night roster. He made his NHL debut on October 10, 1980, against the Vancouver Canucks and registered his first NHL assist that night. Gage scored his first career NHL goal later that month on October 16 against the New York Islanders. He recorded two goals and two assists through 16 games before being demoted back to the AHL.
In September 1981, Gage signed a contract extension to remain with the Red Wings organization. He rejoined the Adirondack Red Wings for the 1981-82 season but the team struggled to win games. By mid-October, Gage led the team in scoring with five points, but the Red Wings held a 1-5 losing record. Gage was reunited with Crawford and Paterson but the Red Wings struggles continued through the first half of the season.
Gage returned to the Adirondack Red Wings for the 1983-84 season and led the team in preseason scoring. He scored eight goals and nine assists for the Red Wings before being recalled to the NHL on November 7. Gage played in three out of eight games in Detroit as a fill in for an injured player before being returned to the AHL. While playing alongside Ted Nolan and Derek Smith, Gage set a record for most goals by an Adirondack Red Wings player in a single season.
Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans
In July 1985, Gage signed with the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent after Detroit's general manager said he was too good for the AHL but not good enough for the NHL. Gage attended the Sabres' training camp but was not guaranteed a spot on their opening night roster. He was subsequently assigned to their AHL affiliate team, the Rochester Americans, to begin the 1985-86 season.
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Gage experienced a significant dip in scoring upon returning to the Rochester Americans for the 1986-87 season. As Gage's former linemate Paul Gardner left during the offseason, Gage played on a line with rookie Benoît Hogue. Although Gage played alongside Hogue and Doug Trapp through the preseason, the pair were split up during the first few months of the regular season due to injuries and an inconsistent lineup. In the Americans' season opener, Gage received a game misconduct for being the third player in an altercation. His struggles continued throughout October, and he was limited to one goal and five assists through nine games.
At the end of the month, Gage suffered a shoulder injury during a team scrimmage and was expected to miss up to two weeks to recover. Gage returned to the Amerks lineup on November 12, but suffered another injury a few weeks later. In an effort to improve Gage's offence, head coach John Van Boxmeer reunited him with Trapp and Hogue.
Gage returned to the Americans following their Calder Cup win for the 1987-88 season, but was beginning to contemplate retirement. He began the season playing alongside Keith Gretzky and Jay Fraser after they proved to be a successful line during the preseason. Gage went goalless through the Americans' first four games of the season before scoring twice in their win over the Utica Devils on October 21. He scored seven goals by the end of the month to help lead the team through a five-game win streak. Gage reached the 500-point milestone of his AHL career on November 8, 1987.
By December, he led the team in scoring with 39 points through 28 games. In March, Gage surpassed Bronco Horvath for 16th place on the AHL's all-time list for total career goals and tied with Mal Davis for most goals in a season by an Amerk. By the end of the month, Gage had also played in his 600th AHL game and was named AHL Player of the Week. He earned this honour after scoring his 56th goal, the third-highest goal total in a season in AHL history. Gage scored his 60th goal of the season in the Amerks' final game to finish second as the AHL's all-time single-season scorer.
His 60 goals and 104 points earned him the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL's MVP and First-Team AHL All-Star. In the 1988 Calder Cup playoffs, Gage scored two goals and five assists through the Americans first five games against the Adirondack Red Wings.
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Following his 60-goal season, Gage signed a contract extension to remain with the Sabres. Gage set numerous franchise and league records in January and February 1991. Over three weeks, he became the seventh all-time leading scorer in AHL history and second in franchise history. On February 21, 1992, Gage became the franchise's all-time leading scorer with his 566th point.
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.
In ten seasons, Gage became the Rochester Americans' all-time leader in games played (653), points (728), goals (351), and assists (377). Gage won the Les Cunningham Award 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.
| League | Teams | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHL | Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres | 68 | 14 | 15 | 29 |
| AHL | Adirondack Red Wings, Rochester Americans | 653 | 351 | 377 | 728 |
Post-Playing Career
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.