Josh Gorges

Josh Gorges
Gorges with the Canadiens, 2010 playoffs
Born	(1984-08-14) August 14, 1984 Kelowna, BC, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Buffalo Sabres San Jose Sharks Montreal Canadiens
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2005–present

Joshua Daniel Gorges (born August 14, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and an alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He is of German ancestry as his grandparents immigrated from Germany to Canada.

Playing career

After going undrafted, Gorges was signed as a free agent by San Jose in 2002. 2005–06 was his first season in the NHL. In 2004–05, he set the Cleveland Barons record for the fastest goal from the start of a game (20 seconds).

He played his junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, where he helped the Rockets to a Memorial Cup championship in 2004 as their captain. He was also the captain for the WHL in the Canada-Russia challenge in November 2003. Gorges was also a member of Team Canada at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he won a silver medal. In 2003, NHL.com wrote an article about him, praising him for his work ethic and for exceeding expectations at every level. Hockeysfuture called him "a solid skater with adequate speed" who "is a good puckmoving defenceman who's effective on the power play with a decent point shot and playmaking abilities". What Gorges lacked in size and strength, he made up for with his discreet and efficient abilities. Hockeysfuture projected him as a future #3 or #4 defenceman.

Gorges with the Sharks in 2006.

Upon his arrival in San Jose, Gorges had some success early on as a reserve defenseman. However, as he was called on to play more minutes, he struggled. Many attributed his lack of success to his small size and distinct lack of strength, especially a problem in the more physical Western Conference where forwards like Ryan Getzlaf and Jarome Iginla could manhandle Gorges.

On February 25, 2007, Gorges was traded to the Montreal Canadiens alongside a 2007 first round pick (Max Pacioretty) for Craig Rivet and a 2008 fifth round pick (Jason Demers).

On July 9, 2008, Gorges signed a three-year contract worth US$3.3 million with the Canadiens.

Gorges scored his first NHL goal against the Detroit Red Wings on January 4, 2007, and didn't score again until November 24, 2008 against the New York Islanders, making it his first goal in a Canadiens uniform.

On February 10, 2010, during a game against the Washington Capitals, Gorges was hit on the left side of the head by a slap shot off Mike Green. Gorges remained motionless on the ice for several minutes, with his head bleeding. He eventually was helped up by team doctors and helped to the bench. The Canadiens eventually won the game 6–5 in OT to end the Capitals 14-game win streak. Gorges skated in practice the next day and was quoted as saying "Unless something happens in the next 24 hours, I’ll be in the lineup against the Flyers."

Gorges was widely praised for his performances in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Don Cherry declaring he "should be (Canadiens) captain; if they are ever going to have a captain; this guy is the captain."

On February 19, 2011, Gorges had undergone successful reconstruction surgery on his injured right knee and missed the remainder of the 2010–11 season as a result. In the following off-season on July 22, 2011, Gorges signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens worth US$2.5 million.

On January 1, 2012 Gorges agreed to re-sign with the Canadiens with a six-year, $3.9 million per year contract.

On July 1, 2014 he was traded by the Canadiens to the Buffalo Sabres for the Minnesota Wild's 2nd round draft pick in 2016 (acquired from the Torrey Mitchell-Matt Moulson trade), after refusing to waive his no-trade clause to be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000–01	Kelowna Rockets	WHL		57	4	6	10	24		6	1	1	2	4
2001–02	Kelowna Rockets	WHL		72	7	34	41	74		15	1	7	8	8
2002–03	Kelowna Rockets	WHL		54	11	48	59	76		19	3	17	20	16
2003–04	Kelowna Rockets	WHL		62	11	31	42	38		17	2	13	15	6
2004–05	Cleveland Barons	AHL		20	3	3	6	4		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	San Jose Sharks	NHL		49	0	6	6	31		11	0	1	1	4
2005–06	Cleveland Barons	AHL		18	2	3	5	12		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	San Jose Sharks	NHL		47	1	3	4	26		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Worcester Sharks	AHL		7	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		7	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		62	0	9	9	32		12	0	3	3	0
2008–09	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		81	4	19	23	37		4	0	1	1	7
2009–10	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		82	3	7	10	39		19	0	2	2	14
2010–11	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		36	1	6	7	18		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		82	2	14	16	39		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		48	2	7	9	15		5	0	0	0	4
2013–14	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		66	1	13	14	12		17	0	2	2	6
2014–15	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		46	0	6	6	16		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				606	14	90	104	265		68	0	9	9	35

Medal record
Representing Canada
World Junior Championships
	2004 Finland

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004	Canada	WJC			6	0	3	3	4
Junior totals					6	0	3	3	4

Awards

• 2004: Memorial Cup – George Parsons Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike Player)
• 2003–04: WHL – West First All-Star Team
• 2004: Junior World Championships – Silver medal
• 2004–05: Cleveland Barons rookie of the year
• 2004–05: Cleveland Barons Rubbermaid “Player of the Year” (along with Doug Murray)
• 2011–12: Montreal Canadiens Jacques-Beauchamp-Molson individual team award (Unsung Hero)

External links

• Josh Gorges's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database