Born on August 23, 1952 in Toronto, he was a prolific young player with the Toronto Marlboros. Gardner was the eighth player selected in the 1972 NHL Draft by the Canadiens. He played with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1972-73, recording 72 points in 66 games before being called up by the Canadiens.
In addition to the Canadiens, he also played for St. Louis, California, Cleveland and Philadelphia before ending his career in Europe.
Dave was the son of Cal Gardner, a former NHL player and the brother of Paul Gardner, also a former NHL player.
Dave Gardner was 70.
