Between the Pipes: Troy Gamble—The Unforgettable "What If" Goalie in Vancouver
In the late 1980s, the Vancouver Canucks were a team in transition—rebuilding, retooling, refocusing; searching and exploring intently for that spark to help turn potential into playoff contention. Into that uncertain Canucks-era stepped an eager teenage goaltender with a confident stare, alongside magnificent major junior hockey credentials, and a name simply destined to be etched into hockey history: Troy Gamble.
Vancouver Canucks: Draft Pick #25 (1985)
Troy Gamble arrived in the Canucks' system as a hot prospect; drafted 25th overall in 1895. His performance in major junior hockey led to a number of accolades, such as: WHL Top Goaltender Award and First Team All-Star. Due to his successful major junior hockey career in Medicine Hat and Spokane, the Vancouver Canucks saw Gamble as a future star between the pipes—and didn’t wait long to give him a shot.
At just 19 years old, Gamble made his NHL debut on November 22, 1986; the youngest goalie to start a game in franchise history. Talk about being thrown into an NHL debut: Gamble played his first game against Wayne Gretzky and the high-octane Edmonton Oilers. Throughout the game, Gamble held his own as best he could, but wound up surrendering Gretzky’s 498th and 499th career goals (notably, Gretzky followed up with his 500th by shooting into an empty net)—baptism by fire burning itself into Canucks trivia forever.
Although his NHL debut against the Oilers was perceived to be a “rough go”, Gamble wasn’t easily rattled and showed zero signs of giving up his professional hockey dreams. Over the next few seasons, after starring with the WHL Spokane Chiefs (1987-88), Gamble toiled in the minors with the Milwaukee Admirals, refining his game and waiting for his turn to put on a Vancouver jersey again. With 6 NHL games under his belt (1986-87 – 1; 1988-89 – 5), it was the unforgettable 1990-91 season that marked Gamble’s infamous breakout into hockey’s most prominent league.
As many long-time fans of the Vancouver Canucks can recall from that season, Gamble posted a better record than Kirk McLean, posting a 16–16–6 record (alongside 1 shutout) in 47 games—earning well-deserved playing time in the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs; leading to far-reaching yet well-earned speculation: Could the upstart Troy Gamble become the #1 goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks? For those who watched and observed that 1990-91 season, it is—without doubt—safe to say the overarching thought was: Yes! Gamble was heading in the right direction.
But history has told a different story: Gamble played 19 more NHL games for the Vancouver Canucks (1991-92); his final 19 NHL games.
The Lurking of Post-Concussion Syndrome
Unknowingly, behind the scenes of Gamble’s career, trouble bubbled up; what is now known is that effects of concussions were becoming problematic for the determined, highly skilled, gutsy goalie from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. An insufficiently understood (and perhaps even discussed) issue at the time, what was pestering Gamble’ game: Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS) symptoms. Although Gamble continued to battle and work through such issues in the minors, the window to return to an NHL crease began to dwindle—not from lack of skill, motivation, passion, and determination required to be a top NHL goaltender, but from—arguably—an unpleasant medical reality no one in the sport knew how to manage during that hockey era.
Gamble: A Brief Career, A Lasting Legacy
In the end, Troy Gamble, a left-hand catching goalie who stole the hearts of many hockey fans, played 72 games with the Canucks, finishing with a 22–29–9 record, a 3.61 goals against average, and a 0.875 save percentage—all during a high-scoring, offensive-minded hockey era.
Although Troy Gamble’s NHL career may be perceived to be momentary, his significant impact on the Vancouver Canucks and the entire hockey community—as a whole—has endured. Gamble may not have become the star goalie the Vancouver Canucks once hoped for following his illustrious major junior hockey career, but his story is one of guts, skill, perseverance, determination, and—undoubtedly—pure resilience.
Troy Gamble was once Vancouver’s “What If?” goalie—a name whispered among long-time Canucks, hockey, and goalie fans; tucked in binders full of hockey cards; stamped on Louisville goalie sticks hanging on memorabilia walls; and remembered as a goalie who, for one season with the Vancouver Canucks, was the "netminder in the crease".
And, in the end, the question remains for fans of the Vancouver Canucks who are still awaiting a Stanley Cup championship: Troy Gamble, what if?