by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Daimon Gardner is the youngest of the Gardner hockey family. A sister, Mariah, is a junior forward at NCAA DI Minnesota State University in Mankato and she is having her best college season so far. Older sister Demi also played at Minnesota State University and his eldest sister Kayla played at the NCAA DI University of North Dakota.
The Gardner’s are Ojibwe from Migsi Sahgaigan First Nation (Eagle Lake, Ontario). Daimon, Dad and a sister live in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Dad Vince Gardner is Ojibwe from Eagle Lake and mom Donna Gardner is Ojibwe from Couchiching First Nation.
“My high school is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba,” said Daimon. “The school I attend is called Shaftesbury. My team is the Rink Academy and we have 14 wins and 6 losses, and two wins in overtime. We are also in 4th place and the teams ahead of us have more games played than my team.”
Daimon is continuing to be recognized as a top talent and is getting better each day. He was featured in the magazine Game On holiday edition 2019 that features the Manitoba hockey community. He has grown three inches between his 14th and 15th birthdays and the added height to 6-2 has provided additional power and an advanced skill set.
Being tough on the ice also brings out who he is as a native person to always know who is his support system. “My tribal core values are being respectful, patient and taking pride in who I am,” said Daimon. “Respectful to my family and coaches because they have helped shaped the person I have become today. Patient because the journey I am on is long and tough. I have to be patient and put in the work to get where I want to be. Nothing comes easy and I put in work on/off the ice and in the classroom. I am proud to be Anishanaabe. I look up to the Anishanaabe people who have made it to the NHL and I hope one day kids can look up to me.”
“People who have positively influenced me as an athlete would be my Grandparents and my dad,” said Daimon. “My nookomis (grandmother) and nimishoomis (grandfather) have influenced me in many ways including my love for hockey because my grandfather was a hockey player himself and he played for a residential school called Assiniboia High School, his team and himself was inducted to the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame for winning three consecutive years in the Junior B Championships. My nookomis has inspired me to be kind, humble, and loving for family. My dad has influenced me to push myself for whatever I do in life, be humble and respectful, and to do well in school.”
“I got to play with the Vancouver Canucks led under head coach Ron Bhala,” said Daimon. “The team travelled all across North America including Anaheim, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver and many other great cities. I started playing with this amazing team when I was 9 years old and I played with them until last year and I was 14. To be able to play with this team was a highlight of my life because of the experiences Ron gave me and I got to meet exceptional hockey players including Shane Wright and many other good hockey players. I met some people on the Canucks that I am still friends with to this day.”
“My athlete accomplishments include playing in Warroad, Minnesota for nine years and developing as a player and making it to the State Tournament multiple times over the years,” said Daimon. “I also got the opportunity to represent Team British Columbia in the Brick Invitational tournament held in Edmonton when I was 10 years old. I received a top forward award in AAA hockey Manitoba my 2017-18 season, I had the most points including most goals and assists that season. I made Jr. Team Canada ball hockey and I’m going to compete against other countries in Zilina, Slovakia this July. I’ve also received multiple calls from NCAA schools regarding hockey. I’ve been selected to play for Aboriginal Team Manitoba U18 to compete at the Aboriginal Championships 2019-20 held in Regina, Saskatchewan. I was drafted by the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL and by the OCN Blizzard of the MMJHL.”
Athletes provide advice to other student-athletes to be successful that are also aspiring to be in Daimon’s skates. “Always work hard no matter what the circumstances are,” said Daimon. “If you know what you want then put in the work to get it. Listen to your coaches and trainers to get better. Handle criticism by important people extremely well so you know what to do in order to get to the next level of your sport. You will have ups and downs but you will have to push through them and get better.”
Photo Credit: Bruce Fedyck
Big sister Mariah Gardner was also featured in a story located here: https://www.ndnsports.com/ncaa-di-hockey-player-mariah-gardner-ojibwe-blessed-to-have-family-and-athletics-as-my-support-system/
