Martin Gerber

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Position	Goaltender, #29
Catches	Left
Nickname	Gerbs
Height Weight	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 200 lb (91 kg)
NHL Team F. Teams	Ottawa Senators Anaheim Mighty Ducks Carolina Hurricanes
Nationality	Switzerland
Born	September 3, 1974, Burgdorf, Switzerland
NHL Draft	8th Round, 232th Overall, 2001 Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Pro Career	2001 – present

Martin Gerber (born September 3, 1974 in Burgdorf, Switzerland) is a Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as their eighth-round pick, #232 overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft and is currently the goaltender for the Ottawa Senators.

After 3 seasons in Switzerland for SCL Tigers and one season in Sweden for Färjestads BK in the Swedish Elitserien, Gerber played his first NHL game in a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars on October 11, 2002 and went on to play a total of 22 regular season games that season. Gerber played 32 more regular season games for Anaheim in the 2003-04 NHL season. Gerber left the Mighty Ducks afterwards after he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on June 18, 2004 in exchange for Tomas Malec and a 3rd round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

During the 2004-05 NHL lockout which wiped out the 2004-05 NHL season, Gerber returned to both Langnau SC for 20 games and Färjestads BK for 30 games.

In the 2006 Winter Olympics, playing for Switzerland, Gerber was in net against heavily favored Canada and shut them out, with 49 saves on 49 shots. Switzerland won 2-0.

Gerber began the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs as the Hurricanes' starting goaltender, but following his struggles in the team's opening series, he was supplanted by rookie Cam Ward, who had been his back-up for most of the season. Ward backstopped the team to a Stanley Cup championship, and in the process Gerber became the second Swiss player in NHL history to win a Cup. David Aebischer was the first in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche.

On July 1, 2006, Gerber signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Senators, but his struggling playoff form has continued and Ray Emery has been playing often.