| Kelly Guard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Guard with the Binghamton Senators in 2006 | |||
| Born |
June 10, 1983 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for |
Charlotte Checkers Binghamton Senators Junost Minsk China Sharks Vienna Capitals HC Pustertal-Val Pusteria | ||
| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2004–2008 | ||
Kelly Guard (born June 10, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He last played for HC Pustertal-Val Pusteria in Italy's Serie A. He helped lead the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) to a Memorial Cup championship in 2004.
Career
Playing career
Guard was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He spent his entire junior career with the WHL's Kelowna Rockets. In 2002–03, his first of two seasons with the team, he led the Rockets to a WHL Championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament in Quebec City. The Rockets lost 2–1 to the Hull Olympiques in the semi-final. Guard had another stellar season with the Rockets in 2003–04, posting 44 wins in 62 games. Although Kelowna lost in the third round of the WHL playoffs that season, the city was chosen to host the 2004 Memorial Cup and as such the Rockets received an automatic berth in the tournament. Guard helped lead the team to the franchise's first Memorial Cup Championship as they defeated the Gatineau Olympiques 2–1 in the final. For his efforts, Guard was awarded both the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy and the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup's top goaltender and most valuable player, respectively. He was also named to the tournament's First All-Star Team, and to the WHL's First All-Star Team for that season. In all, Guard posted an 83-24 record over his two seasons with Kelowna.
Guard was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft, but was signed to a professional contract by the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators in 2004. He made his professional debut during the 2004–05 season playing for Ottawa's ECHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. He spent the following two seasons with Ottawa's top minor league affiliate, the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League. He struggled with the team, posting a 36-44-4 record.
The Senators opted not to offer Guard a new contract after the 2006-07 season and the goaltender became a free agent. In November 2007, Guard signed with the China Sharks of Asia League Ice Hockey, though his stint with the team was brief. He had similarly brief stints with the Vienna Capitals of Erste Bank Eishockey Liga and Junost Minsk of the Belarusian Extraleague before signing with Serie A's HC Pustertal-Val Pusteria.
After sustaining a groin injury in an October 2008 game, Guard's contract with Pustertal-Val Pusteria was terminated by mutual consent. Although he said that "the city, the environment and the teammates were outstanding," Guard was disappointed with the level of play in Serie A and, already contemplating retirement, the injury helped make his decision final. In November 2008 Guard announced his retirement from professional hockey.[1]
Post-playing career
Coaching
On November 12, 2021, Hockey Canada announced the rosters for three men's under-17 teams for the Capital City Challenge. Guard was named goaltending coach for Canada White.[2] The Capital City Challenge served as a one-time event to replace to the World U-17 Hockey Challenge, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also gave an opportunity to the Canada’s National Women’s Team to compete as part of its centralization schedule.[3]
On June 15, 2022, Hockey Canada announced 20 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) coaches for their under-17 and under-18 summer programs, camps, and various events. Guard was selected as the goaltending coach for the under-18 side that competed at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.[4][5]
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2002–03 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 53 | 39 | 10 | 3 | 3018 | 97 | 6 | 1.93 | .911 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 1233 | 36 | 4 | 1.75 | .917 | ||
| 2003–04 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 62 | 44 | 14 | 4 | 3652 | 95 | 13 | 1.56 | .925 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 1042 | 31 | 1 | 1.78 | .919 | ||
| 2004–05 | Charlotte Checkers | ECHL | 26 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1453 | 74 | 0 | 3.06 | .901 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 1.52 | .933 | ||
| 2005–06 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 51 | 25 | 20 | 1 | 2709 | 139 | 5 | 3.08 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 42 | 11 | 24 | 3 | 2330 | 127 | 2 | 3.42 | .895 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | China Sharks | ALIH | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 6 | 0 | 3.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 93 | 36 | 44 | 4 | 5039 | 266 | 7 | 3.17 | .902 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| WHL totals | 115 | 83 | 24 | 7 | 6670 | 192 | 19 | 1.73 | .915 | 36 | 27 | 9 | 2275 | 67 | 5 | 1.77 | .918 | ||||
Awards
| Award | Year(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| West First All-Star Team | 2003 and 2004 | |
| Memorial Cup | ||
| Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy - Memorial Cup MVP | 2004 | [6] |
| Hap Emms Memorial Trophy - Memorial Cup Outstanding Goaltender | ||
Records
| Stat | Year(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| Lowest GAA in a season - 1.56 | 2003-04 | |
| Lowest GAA of all-time - 1.73 | ||
| Kelowna Rockets | ||
| Most wins in a season - 44 | 2003-04 | [7] |
| Most shutouts in a season - 13 | ||
| Most shutouts of all-time - 19 | 2002-04 | |
| Lowest GAA in a season - 1.56 | 2003-04 | |
| Lowest GAA of all-time - 1.73 | 2002-04 | |
| Memorial Cup | ||
| Best GAA - 0.75 | Kelowna Rockets, 2004 | [8][9] |
References
- ↑ Potenteau, Doyle (November 4, 2008). "Kelly Guard injured, may hang up skates". Kelowna Daily Courier. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ↑ "Hockey Canada names 21 WHL players to three U17 rosters for Capital City Challenge". Hockey Canada. Western Hockey League. November 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Canada Black 5, Canada Red 4 (OT)". Hockey Canada. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Staffs named for Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team and national under-17 program". Hockey Canada. June 15, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ↑ D'Andrea, Jeff (June 15, 2022). "Raiders' Guard going back to coaching with Hockey Canada for another tournament". paNOW. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ↑ "History - Awards - Memorial Cup". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Kelowna Rockets Record Book". Kelowna Rockets. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ "History - Records". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Mastercard Memorial Cup flashback: Guard's record-setting performance". The Canadian Press. Sportsnet. May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Kelly Guard biography at hockeygoalies.org