Garry Unger


Garry Douglas "Iron man" Unger is a former professional ice hockey centre who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1967 until 1983.

Playing career

Unger set an NHL record by playing 914 consecutive games in the regular season between February 24, 1968, and December 21, 1979, doing so with four teams: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Flames. Unger's streak came to an end after Flames' coach Al MacNeil benched him on December 21, 1979. His record has since been surpassed by Doug Jarvis, who played 964 consecutive games.
Unger finished his career with 1105 career NHL games, scoring 413 goals and 391 assists for 804 points, and he also registered 1075 career penalty minutes.
Unger was the MVP of the 1974 NHL All-Star Game played in Chicago. He had an assist and scored a shorthanded goal in the West Division's 6-4 victory over the East Division.
After retiring from the NHL he went to play for a few seasons in Europe in the British professional league. During a season for the Peterborough Pirates he racked up 95 goals and well over 200 points while playing in only 30 games.

Personal

Garry was the oldest of four children of Jakob and Olive Unger. Unger's younger sister used a wheelchair; she proved to be an inspiration to Unger during his playing career. After being traded to Atlanta in 1979, Unger encountered a group of Christian players, including Paul Henderson, whom Unger credits with helping him discover spirituality and giving meaning to his life.
He and his wife Beverly have three children. Garry presently works with the Banff Hockey Academy in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International