Height: 5-8
Weight: 165
Shoot: R
Born: 15 Sep 1948, Saskatoon SK
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Regular Season & Playoff Scoring Record (key)
| year | team | |||||||||||
| 1972-73 | Cleveland | |||||||||||
| 1973-74 | Cleveland | |||||||||||
| 1974-75 | Cleveland | |||||||||||
| 1975-76 | Cleveland | |||||||||||
| 1976-77 | San Diego | |||||||||||
| 1977-78 | Edmonton | |||||||||||
| Totals: |
• Member, Canadian Olympic Team, 1968.
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C's Pinder Wants More Goals • by Rich Passan • The Hockey Spectator • November 16, 1973
Most hockey players are satisfied when they score 30 goals in a season. Gerry Pinder is not of them. The fiery little right winger for the Cleveland Crusaders believes he's better than the 30 goals he scored last season. As a matter of fact, he's set a personal goal of 40 lamplighters this season. "I don't usually set goals for myself," said the 5-8, 165-pound native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. "But I thought I've got to get 'er going a little bit and I'm somewhat of a slow starter. "I'd really like to score 40 goals this year," continued Pinder, who has been working diligently on his shot in order to reach that goal. He's getting many more shots off this season, but his accuracy isn't where he'd like it, though. "I'm not getting my shots on the corner," he moaned. "I don't know what it's like for a baseball pitcher to hit that corner for a strike, but I'm not quite getting it on the corner of the net. "I'm getting good wood on my shots which makes it aggravating," the curley-haired Pinder said. "It's got to go in the net sometime. I'll work on it in practice until the puck starts going in with more regularity." Pinder has ambivalent feelings about last season. I wasn't pleased with my performance," he said. "I found things different over here (in the World Hockey Association). There were a lot of guys signed for one reason: to chop guys down. You found yourself fighting and protecting yourself more than you anticipated. I seemed to be a target. I don't know why," he chuckled, On the other hand, playing with the C's is a radical departure from his playing days with the Chicago Black Hawks and the California Golden Seals of the National Hockey League. In his first professional campaign with the Hawks in 1969-70, Gerry scored 19 goals in 75 games and saw a fair amount of action. The following season saw only 13 goals, mainly because he was used sparingly by Chicago Coach Billy Reay. Pinder thought he was good enough to play on a regular shift a celebrated brouhaha during the 1971 Stanley Cup playoffs, issued a public play-me-or-trade-me ultimatum. The 1971-72 season saw him wearing the green and gold of Charley Finley's California Golden Seals. The result — 23 goals, regular shifts and a happy hockey player. But not for long. "Mr. Finley was good to us in a lot of ways," Pinder reported, "but when it came down to contract time, he was tough to negotiate with. Goodbye California, hello Cleveland. "It's an entirely different game in Cleveland," Gerry said. "They leave you alone here. I don't like to be screamed or hollered at." An obvious reference to Vic Stasiuk, his coach at California, known for his rantings. Crusader Coach Bill Needham, as chronicled here a couple of issues ago, is exactly the opposite and Pinder appreciates this. "As long as you come to the rink to play, Bill leaves you alone," he said. Pinder is known as "Mousey" to his teammates. "I got the nickname when I was 10-years-old from my brother Herb," Gerry related. "I'm not all that big and I think that's how it came about." If Pinder attains his goal of 40 this season, you could call him the mouse that roared. |
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Excerpts from Zander Hollander's Guide to Pro Hockey, 1975-76 (by Reyn Davis)
Some doubt whether he's fully recovered eye injury suffered from the tip of Carl Brewer's stick in the 1974 playoffs ... Moved over to left wing from the right side, and production dipped ... An antagonizer who can throw an entire team off its game ... His father is a director with the Edmonton Oilers ... His brother is a players' agent ... Nickname is "Mouse" |
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Excerpts from Pro Hockey, WHA 1976-77 (by Dan Proudfoot)
Gerry Pinder got 21 goals and 30 assists in 1975-76, which is part of the reason he's a perfect winger for a team coached by Johnny Wilson. If everyone got 20 goals and won more than his share of disputes over who should have the puck, Wilson would be more than happy. He prefers that type to the dainty marksman who gets plenty of goals until the going gets heavy. Pinder's only 5-foot-8, so cuts and bruises are part of his trade. It's a natural hazard with his head at the same level af most of his opponents' elbows. The 1975-76 season was typical, Pinder had many minor injuries but missed only one game. He's that competitive. |
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