CAREER PHOTO GALLERY
A two-time captain and an ECAC Player of the Week in 1981 and 1982, Gary Lindgren is often referred to as the heart and soul of the New Haven men’s ice hockey program. An offensive minded defenseman, with 23 career goals, Lindgren graduated as the all-time leading defensive scorer in program history, adding to that total with 58 assists, which remains among the top-10 in program history, for 81 total points.
A two-sport athlete in high school (baseball and hockey) Lindgren had the opportunity to go south and play baseball, but instead was sold on the opportunity to play hockey for the Chargers. After serving as a team captain in both hockey and baseball at North Redding High, the highlight for Lindgren in high school was being named the EMASS Player of the Year in 1978 by the Boston Globe.
Lindgren made a name for himself the minute he stepped on the ice at New Haven when he became known as a hardnosed defender who kept people honest in front of the net. That season, in addition to scoring three goals and six assists, Lindgren led the Chargers racking up 36 penalty minutes in 20 games played.
He more than doubled his points as a sophomore, closing out the 1980-81 season with a career-high 18 assists. His leadership on the ice didn’t go unnoticed as he was named a team captain for his junior season in 1981-82 and maintained that distinction as a senior. His leadership showed on the ice where he continued to increase his scoring tallies as a junior and senior. After closing out the 1981-82 season with 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists), he capped off his tenure with a career-high 10 goals to go along with 17 assists for a career-best 27 points. Along the way, Lindgren would earn a pair of ECAC Player of the Week honors.
Following graduation, Lindgren continued to have an impact on local sports becoming one of Connecticut’s most accomplished high school hockey coaches, just recently retiring from Amity High School in 2017. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Branford High School from 1985-90, while also serving as the Hornet’s head baseball coach from 1987-90.
Lindgren took over the hockey program at Amity in 1993 and went on to lead the Spartans to a pair of Southern Connecticut Conference and Connecticut Division II State Championships in 2008 and 2010. Along the way, Lindgren was honored as the Connecticut State Coach of the Year in 2007-08 and was the Connecticut Division II Coach of the Year in 2017. During his final season as head coach of the Spartans, Amity defeated Wilton 8-3 on January 4, 2017 to secure Lindgren’s 200th win as a head coach.
