Link Gaetz
| Link Gaetz | |||
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Link Gaetz in 2004, as a member of Thetford Mines Prolab of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH)
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| Born |
October 2, 1968 Vancouver, BC, CAN |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 240 lb (110 kg; 17 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Minnesota North Stars San Jose Sharks |
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| NHL Draft | 40th overall, 1988 Minnesota North Stars |
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| Playing career | 1988–2007 | ||
Link Gaetz, (born October 2, 1968 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks.
Gaetz was drafted in the second round, 40th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars. According to then-North Stars general manager Lou Nanne, Gaetz was intended to provide on-ice protection for forward Mike Modano, Minnesota's No. 1 overall pick that year. Four months after being drafted by the North Stars, Gaetz was arrested and charged with drunk driving. After 17 games over two seasons with Minnesota, Gaetz was taken by the San Jose Sharks in the 1991 Expansion Draft.
On April 2, 1992 at 10:00 am, Gaetz was thrown from the passenger seat of a car driven by a friend. The friend, later charged with driving under the influence, had lost control on an off-ramp at 80 mph. Gaetz arrived at the Peninsula Hospital with back and facial injuries, and was semi-comatose for eight days. His mother, Sonja Koskinen, flew down from Vancouver to hear doctors say her son might die. His brain stem had been injured, and Gaetz awoke with his left side partially paralyzed and no memory of the accident. He left the hospital after six weeks. Over the next two months, he worked with therapists to regain movement and speech, and he confounded doctors by returning to the ice late that summer, skating twice daily. Gaetz would later be released from the hospital and several months later was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. On September 10, 1993, Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi decided that he had enough, and traded the 23-year-old defenseman to the Edmonton Oilers for a tenth round pick in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. From there, Gaetz never played another game in the NHL and found himself playing in a wide variety of cities and leagues all over Canada and the United States. The Sharks used the tenth round pick (240th overall) to draft Tomas Pisa, who never played a professional game.
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