David Gans

2023 Inductee – Hockey

Born and raised in Brantford, ON in 1964, David started his hockey career with the Brantford Minor Hockey Association house leagues and played Junior B for the Brantford Blue Haven Penguins from 1980 to 1981. He remembers fondly the support of his Brantford teachers, including his elementary teacher at Centennial school would who would come to watch his hockey games in her fur coat, and his high school teacher at North Park Collegiate, who also coached him in hockey and encouraged him to try out for football to help him toughen up as a player. 

At sixteen, he moved to Oshawa to play for the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 1981-82. He was the OHL points leader and assists leader (1983), was awarded the Memorial Cup George Parsons Trophy for Sportsmanship in 1983, and is one of the Top 6 Oshawa Generals All-Time OHL leaders. From Oshawa, he was drafted in the fourth round to the Los Angeles Kings in 1982. 

At his first game in the National Hockey League, at the age of eighteen, David faced off with Darryl Sittler, his childhood hero. Over the next several years David played for the LA Kings and several of their farm teams, including the Toledo Goaldiggers and New Haven Nighthawks, where he gained recognition for being one of the top scorers. He was also loaned to the Phildelphia Flyers’ farm team, the Hershey Bears, where he was once again one of the team’s top scorers and helped the team to the Calder Cup finals in 1986. David also spent time playing in Switzerland for HC Ambrì-Piotta. 

After moving back to Brantford in 1987, David was called by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and played for their farm team, the Newmarket Saints, from 1987 to 1988 before ultimately deciding to focus on his growing home building career in Brantford. 
David credits hockey with giving him many strong, lifelong friendships. Throughout his life, he has always returned to Brantford, which he says is home. He is passionate about helping kids who are facing financial barriers to access sport, and is a proud supporter of the Arnold Anderson Sport Fund in Brantford.