Blades netminder Gardner serves as role model while navigating type-1 diabetes, NHL Draft year
Tags: Evan GardnerNHL Draftsaskatoon blades
Goaltending is a constant exercise in analyzing and adjusting.
As Saskatoon Blades netminder Evan Gardner reads the play and prepares for the big moment where he needs to make a critical save, a small monitor implanted in his arm is essentially doing the same thing.
The star Blades rookie lives with type-1 diabetes, a condition he was diagnosed with at 11 years old.
His family was traveling from their home in Fort St. John, B.C. to a junior Blue Jays baseball camp in Kelowna when Gardner began displaying concerning symptoms.
“My parents kind of suspected something was going on with me, just some weird symptoms I had been having- and obviously being in a car with them for 12 hours, they could definitely notice it more than any other time,” Gardner recalled. “They took me into the hospital to get me looked at just to make sure I was alright and I ended up getting admitted into the hospital there for about a week.
“The first question I asked was, ‘Am I still able to play sports?’ I had no idea what it was or how it would affect me. It was a scary time for me.”
Thankfully, Gardner didn’t have to look far for inspiration.
Another hockey player living with type-1 diabetes had recently broken into the NHL after winning two OHL championships.
Max Domi became a hero to Gardner from that moment on.
“He was diagnosed around the same age as me, so he was a huge inspiration for me,” Gardner explained. “This year, he actually signed a picture for me and told me to keep up the hard work. So that was pretty cool.”
Certainly, Gardner’s diagnosis hasn’t held back his on-ice development.
He entered his rookie season with the Saskatoon Blades aiming to become the best backup in the league, but earned start after start with some historic performances between the pipes.
“When a player has 13,14, 15 games in a row where their save percentage is over .900, it’s really hard to ignore that,” Blades Head Coach Brennan Sonne said. “It’s hard to ignore his goals against versus chance against ratio, which was extremely high- some of the highest numbers I’ve ever seen.”
Gardner posted a 25-5-0-2 record to help Saskatoon to its first 50-win season since 2011, leading all qualified WHL goaltenders and setting a single-season franchise record in goals-against average (1.91) and save percentage (.927) while tying for second in shutouts with four clean sheets.
The 6-foot-2, 174-pound netminder made 30 or more saves on seven occasions, highlighted by a career-high 33 saves in a 3-1 win over Brandon on February 4, 2024.
Blades Strength and Conditioning Coach Blaine Whyte was also closely tracking Gardner’s continuous glucose monitor all season- a big comfort for Gardner’s family with the teenager living away from home for the first time.
Gardner’s teammates were also keenly aware and supportive of his situation.
Sonne and Gardner particularly point to Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov having the team doubled over with laughter by demanding Gardner get some sugary juice after overtime matches.
“As we said to Gards, it’s just a thing that we have to stay on top of,” Sonne added. “We’re going to be your support system through it, we’ll help you, and Whytey will be there for you.”
Gardner has also found an opportunity to inspire other people living with diabetes.
He’s partnered with Diabetes Canada for numerous events, including the Lace Up to End Diabetes initiative for Diabetes Awareness Month in November and the Unite the Circle Challenge, which saw Blades fans walk the concourse of the SaskTel Centre to raise money for Diabetes Canada.
Gardner met with participants after the game and hopes to grow the partnership with the national body for diabetes education, research, resources and service in the future.
His efforts also netted him a nomination for the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy for WHL Humanitarian of the Year.
“With diabetes, I feel like you have good days and bad days, and that’s just kind of what happens,” Gardner said. “But it’s just learning to deal with it and to try and be better every day,
“I’ve always wanted to be a role model on the diabetes side of things, just showing kids who are in my situation that they can continue doing what they want to do. I remember being that kid in the hospital bed, not sure if I’d be able to continue playing hockey. That was a big reason why I want to do things like this.”
He’s certainly inspired young people across the Bridge City and may garner some new fans as he prepares to hear his name called at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas, Nev.
NHL Central Scouting has ranked Gardner seventh among all North American netminders in its final rankings.
The draft runs from June 28-29.
