Mark Hardy (ice hockey)

Mark Hardy
Born (1959-02-01) February 1, 1959 (age 65)
Samedan, Switzerland
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Los Angeles Kings
New York Rangers
Minnesota North Stars
National team  Canada
NHL draft 30th overall, 1979
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 1979–1994

Mark Hardy (born February 1, 1959) is a Swiss-born Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Minnesota North Stars between 1979 and 1994. A professional hockey coach for 20 years, Hardy was most recently an assistant coach with the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL), the top-most minor league affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes.

NHL career

Hardy was born in Switzerland where his father, Lea was playing professional hockey before moving to Montreal as a child.[1] He played four seasons of junior in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Montreal Juniors and was selected 30th overall by the Los Angeles Kings at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft.[2]

Hardy is ranked third in all-time scoring by a Los Angeles Kings defenceman.[3] He played 915 career NHL games, scoring 62 goals and 306 assists for 368 points while adding 1293 penalty minutes. His best offensive season was the 1984–85 season when he set career highs with 14 goals and 53 points.[2]

In 1992–93, Hardy and the Kings went to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in Kings' history. Hardy delivered what was called at the time an "iconic hit" in Game 3, when the Kings were down 3-0 in the second, putting Montreal Canadiens' Mike Keane through the boards with enough force to disrupt two panes of glass to change the momentum of the game.[4] The Kings scored three second-period goals, but lost 4-3 in overtime.

Coaching career

Retiring from the NHL as a King following the 1993–94 season, Hardy turned to coaching in 1999, serving as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks until 2010.

He returned to the Kings organization in 2011 as an assistant coach with the club's minor league team, the Ontario Reign of the ECHL.

Hardy resigned from the Kings organization in June 2010 after being charged with fourth-degree sexual abuse.[5] Hardy had been arrested in May 2010 after a family member had filed a complaint alleging Hardy had make inappropriate sexual contact with her after they returned to their hotel from a bar.[6] The prosecution eventually decided not to go forward and the charge was dropped.[7]

Hardy accepted a position as assistant coach with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL), the minor league team for the St. Louis Blues in August 2014.[8]

In June 2016, he was hired as an assistant coach of the Tucson Roadrunners.[9]

TV appearances and radio broadcasts

As an invited guest hockey analyst for TV appearances and radio broadcasts during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Hardy reunited with his former Kings coach Barry Melrose on NHL Network; as a regular analyst during the Western Conference and Stanley Cup Finals on NBC Sports LA with Fred Roggin; and appeared on TSN and the Petros & Money Show on Fox Sports Radio.[10][11]

International

Hardy played for Team Canada at the World Championships in 1986.

Family

Hardy is the son of Olympic figure skater Barbara Wyatt and former ice hockey player Lea Hardy.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1975–76 Montréal Juniors QMJHL 64 6 17 23 44 6 1 2 3 0
1976–77 Montréal Juniors QMJHL 72 20 40 60 137 13 4 5 9 29
1977–78 Montréal Juniors QMJHL 72 25 57 82 145 13 3 10 13 22
1978–79 Montréal Juniors QMJHL 67 18 52 70 115 11 5 8 13 40
1979–80 Los Angeles Kings NHL 15 0 1 1 10 4 1 1 2 9
1979–80 Binghamton Dusters AHL 56 3 13 16 32 — — — — —
1980–81 Los Angeles Kings NHL 77 5 20 25 77 4 1 2 3 4
1981–82 Los Angeles Kings NHL 77 6 39 45 130 10 1 2 3 9
1982–83 Los Angeles Kings NHL 74 5 34 39 101 — — — — —
1983–84 Los Angeles Kings NHL 79 8 41 49 122 — — — — —
1984–85 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 14 39 53 97 3 0 1 1 2
1985–86 Los Angeles Kings NHL 55 6 21 27 71 — — — — —
1986–87 Los Angeles Kings NHL 73 3 27 30 120 5 1 2 3 10
1987–88 Los Angeles Kings NHL 61 6 22 28 99 — — — — —
1987–88 New York Rangers NHL 19 2 2 4 31 — — — — —
1988–89 Minnesota North Stars NHL 15 2 4 6 26 — — — — —
1988–89 New York Rangers NHL 45 2 12 14 45 4 0 1 1 31
1989–90 New York Rangers NHL 54 0 15 15 94 3 0 1 1 2
1990–91 New York Rangers NHL 70 1 5 6 89 6 0 1 1 30
1991–92 New York Rangers NHL 52 1 8 9 65 13 0 3 3 31
1992–93 New York Rangers NHL 44 1 10 11 85 — — — — —
1992–93 Los Angeles Kings NHL 11 0 3 3 4 15 1 2 3 30
1993–94 Los Angeles Kings NHL 16 0 3 3 27 — — — — —
1993–94 Phoenix Roadrunners IHL 54 5 3 8 48 — — — — —
1994–95 Detroit Vipers IHL 41 6 21 27 35 5 1 1 2 7
1995–96 Los Angeles Ice Dogs IHL 69 4 18 22 128 — — — — —
1995–96 Detroit Vipers IHL 10 0 4 4 8 12 1 1 2 16
1997–98 Long Beach Ice Dogs IHL 25 3 6 9 10 17 2 3 5 34
NHL totals 915 62 306 368 1293 67 5 16 21 158

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1986 Canada WC 10 3 2 5 12

References

  1. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. p. 329. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
  2. ^ a b "Mark Hardy player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  3. ^ "LA Kings Career & Single-Season Leader Statistics".
  4. ^ "In an Instant, Hardy Becomes Big Hit : Game 3: Defenseman's bone-jarring check on Keane sparks Kings to life in second period". Los Angeles Times. June 6, 1993. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Former Los Angeles Kings assistant coach Mark Hardy speaks of sex-abuse arrest, alcoholism, rehab, support of teammates". espn.com. March 30, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  6. ^ "Kings' Mark Hardy charged with felony sexual abuse". Los Angeles Times. May 21, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  7. ^ "Charge against former Kings assistant coach Mark Hardy dismissed". Los Angeles Times. October 13, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  8. ^ "Hardy Accepts Position With Chicago Wolves".
  9. ^ "Coyotes Hire Lamb as Head Coach of Tucson Roadrunners". coyotes.nhl.com. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  10. ^ "Petros&Money Fox Sports Radio 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs 5/29/14".
  11. ^ "Mark Hardy Talks 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs & the First Time He Faces Off with Mike Keane After the Huge Hit in the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals". Archived from the original on October 16, 2014.