A TRIBUTE TO LINK GAETZ

ENFORCER BANNER

Click Here For More Information on ENFORCER (with a Foreword by Link Gaetz)

Link Gaetz

Link Gaetz

Link Playing for St. John Scorpions

In mid-November, Link made his debut in the Canadian Elite Hockey League with the New Brusnwick St. John Scorpions. Before getting the call from the Scorpions, Link had been competing for the Dawson Creek Canucks in the North Peace Hockey League (a senior AAA circuit in northwest Alberta/northeast British Columbia). The Canadian Elite Hockey League, now in its first season, is also a senior AAA league.

"We're 7-0 and I'm happy with things, but we need some toughness," Scorpions G.M. Steve Vair told the St. John Telegraph-Journal.

Link Gaetz, St.John Scorpions
Photograph by Noel Chernier, Telegraph-Journal

August 27, 2005 - Link participated in the Battle of the Hockey Enforcers Event at CN Centre in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.

For more information on this event and viewing it, visit:

Link Gaetz and Brandon Sudgen at a Recent Boxing Event

In May 2005, Link boxed in a match against a local competitor in Riviere-du-Loop, Canada. Here he is pictured with the AHL's Brandon Sudgen, who stopped by to visit at the event.
My thanks to Bob Leroux for the photo!

Link Gaetz and Brandon Sudgen

Link traded to Le Cousin de St. Hyacinte

Sources report that Link has been traded to Le Cousin de St. Hyacinte, near Montreal. More to come...

Link Suspended from Thetford Mines Prolab

Link Gaetz, Prolab

Link Gaetz and teammates

It appears that Link's season is over after he was suspended for the remainder of the year after leaving the dressing room in the second intermission to go get a hamburger from an arena vendor. Apparently, this did not rest well with the team management and citing the existence of various other transgressions, not named, Link was suspended for the rest of the season.

(Link, photographed above, with a fan at the restaruant that evening.)


Latest News on Link


Photograph used by Permission of Andr� Lizzi

Link Gaetz News Archive (past items/articles)

A FEW PHOTOGRAPHS

Photo of Link Photo of Link Gaetz

LINK GAETZ WITH GRANBY

LINK GAETZ AND PAUL BRAATEN
Link Gaetz and teammate Paul Braaten

LINK AT PRACTICE LINK AND LARRY

Special thanks to Guy Dionne for the above photos!! Merci Beaucoup!!

CLick Here for More Photos of Link


~Biographical Information -- Link's Early Career (Stars and Sharks)~


Link played junior hockey for the Spokane Washington Chiefs. He was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars and played for their farm team, the Kalamazoo Wings. He was called up to the NHL and played several games for the North Stars (wearing jersey number 36) in his rookie year.

LINK GAETZ HOCKEY CARD

A solid young defensemen with good hands around the net, he was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the expansion draft and was on the roster of the first Sharks team (number 23). Link quickly established a following, as he took on some of the best NHL heavyweights--and won. Link told me that the toughest opponent he ever fought was Joey Kocur.

A very promising NHL career was derailed when he was involved, as a passenger, in a very serious automobile accident. A brain-stem injury required considerable rehabilitation and Link was not expected to ever play hockey again. His determination, however, and possibly sheer will power prevailed and although he has not logged time in the NHL since his accident, he has played in various North American leagues including the IHL, AHL, ECHL, WPL, SoHL, CHL and CoHL as well as in RHI.


In 1993, Link went to training camp with the Edmonton Oilers. Here's a promotional photo from that time.


Link was assigned to Cape Breton in 1993.

Link played for the Anchorage Aces a bit during the 1997-1998 season. He then played in Canada for the Tim Horton Leafs in Newcastle, New Brunswick, and started last season (1998-1999) with the Toledo Storm of the ECHL. Unfortunately, this didn't work out and he only played in one game.

From October 1999 through December 1999, Link played for the Eston Ramblers, in the Senior A Saskatchewan Wild Goose League. By December 23, Link was leading the league in penalty minutes with 112 PIM in 11 games. In one game, Link garnered 68 penalty minutes--all in one shift. I have it on good authority that this may be a new North American record. I am endeavoring to find the boxscore from that game--if anyone has access to it, please email me and I'll add it to this page.

At the halfway break, Link and Eston decided to part ways.

To keep up with the latest news on Link, join the "Link Watch" list below!


Hockey Card Checklist for Link Gaetz




Link Gaetz Trading Cards

  1. 1988-1989 (no #) North Stars (Set put out by North American Dairy Association)
  2. 1989-90 #88 ProCards IHL
  3. 1990-91 #33 O-Pee-Chee Premier
  4. 1990-91 #110 ProCards AHL/IHL
  5. 1990-91 #411 Score American
  6. 1990-91 #411 Score Canadian
  7. 1991-92 #1S O-Pee-Chee Sharks & Russians Inserts
  8. 1991-92 #339 Pinnacle (Rookie card)
  9. 1991-92 #412 Pinnacle (Sideline)
  10. 1991-92 #561 Pro Set (Rookie card)
  11. 1991-1992 (no #) San Jose Sharks Action (Set put out by team)
  12. 1994-95 #2 San-Antonio Iguanas League Issue--CHL



Gino Odjick and Link

NEW - Photographs of Link's Jerseys (Under Construction!)



Link's Career Stats 1986-2005

Selected by Minnesota North Stars round 2 #40 overall 1988 NHL Entry Draft
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1986-87 New Westminster Bruins WHL 44 2 7 9 52
1987-88 Spokane Chiefs WHL 59 9 20 29 313 10 2 2 4 70
1988-89 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 37 3 4 7 192 5 0 0 0 56
1988-89 Minnesota North Stars NHL 12 0 2 2 53 -- -- -- -- --
1989-90 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 61 5 16 21 318 9 2 2 4 59
1989-90 Minnesota North Stars NHL 5 0 0 0 33 -- -- -- -- --
1990-91 Kansas-City Blades IHL 18 1 10 11 178 -- -- -- -- --
1990-91 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 9 0 1 1 44 -- -- -- -- --
1991-92 San Jose Sharks NHL 48 6 6 12 326 -- -- -- -- --
1992-93 Nashville Knights ECHL 3 1 0 1 10 -- -- -- -- --
1992-93 Kansas-City Blades IHL 2 0 0 0 14 -- -- -- -- --
1993-94 West-Palm-Beach Blaze SuHL 6 0 3 3 15
1993-94 Nashville Knights ECHL 24 1 1 2 261 -- -- -- -- --
1993-94 Cape-Breton Oilers AHL 21 0 1 1 140 -- -- -- -- --
1994-95 San-Antonio Iguanas CHL 13 0 3 3 156 -- -- -- -- --
1995-96 Mexico-City Toreros NAL Statistics Unavailable
1995-96 San-Francisco Spiders IHL 3 0 0 0 37 -- -- -- -- --
1996-97 Madison Monsters CoHL 26 2 4 6 178 -- -- -- -- --
1997-98 Anchorage Aces WCHL 11 0 1 1 130 -- -- -- -- --
1998-99 Toledo Storm ECHL 1 0 0 0 2 -- -- -- -- --
2001-02 Riviere-du-Loup Promutuel QSPHL 35 0 2 2 224 5 1 2 3 50
2002-03 Granby Predateurs QSPHL 20 0 0 0 148 -- -- -- -- --
2002-03 Saguenay Paramedic QSPHL 15 2 1 3 104 4 0 0 0 36
2003-04 Riviere-du-Loup Promutuel QSMHL 16 0 1 1 194 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Trois Rivieres Vikings QSMHL 3 0 0 0 17 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 St. Jean Mission QSMHL 13 1 0 1 99 12 0 1 1 51
2004-05 Thetford Mines Prolab LNAH 22 0 2 2 117
NHL Totals 65 6 8 14 412
Roller Hockey
1994 Sacramento River Rats RHI 8 1 3 4 46

Statistics courtesy of the Internet Hockey Data Base

ENFORCER

A Novel by Valerie J. Wood


ENFORCER

My novel about an NHL right wing, who is also the team's fighter, ENFORCER, was published by AuthorHouse. It's available in paperback directly from the publisher ($11.50 (U.S.)). ENFORCER is also available as an ebook ($4.95) directly from AuthorHouses's website.

ENFORCER can be ordered online through www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca and Barnes and Noble, as well as all other major online bookstores. List price is $14.50. You may prefer to order ENFORCER through your local bookstore. Order from a bookstore and save shipping charges!

www.amazon.com now has a "Search Inside the Book" feature. You can read the first few pages of the book online at www.amazon.com/enforcer

To Order Via Phone or Bookstore:

AuthorHouse has a toll-free number, 888-280-7715. They accept all major credit cards. Call them to get the publisher's price of $11.50.

Your local Barnes and Noble, Little Professor, or other book store (only the Waldens chain seems to be difficult, but since that is merging with Borders this might change) can order ENFORCER for you ($14.50, USD). Give them the title and ISBN (item) number 1403398097 and they'll be happy to order you a copy.

To read a preview and/or to order ENFORCER directly from my publisher, CLICK HERE.

To those of you who have read ENFORCER: Thank you for your emails! I am glad you found Cole's story compelling and enjoyable. I wanted to write the book I wanted to read, if that makes sense--with memorable characters, lots of action on and off the ice, and with a sense of reality to the tale. Please post that you read and liked it to hockey message boards or --if you know someone at a local newspaper, sports website or magazine (whether online or printed) who might review the book -- please let them know about it! Contact me and I will email the press release to prospective reviewers. Word-of-mouth is still the best way to let other fans know about ENFORCER.

I am always glad to hear from readers (and from fans of Link's).

For more information, please visit the ENFORCER Website .

I'd like to say a heartfelt thank you to Link, for being so kind as to write the Foreword for ENFORCER.
I truly appreciate it, my friend!!!


A Note of Thanks...

I'd like to thank Rich Ryall, who is also a long-time Link Gaetz fan, and who has also been following Link's career from the beginning. Rich keeps us up to date with Link's travels, too. Be sure to visit RICH RYALL's PAGE for more information on Link, as well as a really neat short fight video featuring, of course, Link Gaetz!

Rich is also the author of a book called A CLASSIC FALL, now available via his website, or at amazon.com. Baseball fans, especiallyh SF Giants fans, will be touched and delighted with his moving account of the 2002 baseball journey of the Giants as they made it from an unspectacular season's start to the World Series. Congratulations, Rich, on the publication of your book!!

Thanks also to Lee, who shared two additional cards for the list of Link's trading cards!

And a special merci beaucoup to Guy Dionne, who has shared many photos and scans with me for this website. Thank you, Guy!


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