Martin Gerber

Lore & Background

Gerber began his professional career in his native Switzerland with SC Langnau, helping the Tigers win promotion from Nationalliga B to Nationalliga A in 1998. After being drafted in 2001, he spent a season in Sweden with Färjestads BK before joining the Mighty Ducks organization in 2002. He made his NHL debut on 11 October 2002 in a 4–2 loss to the Dallas Stars, serving as backup to Jean-Sébastien Giguère. That season, the Mighty Ducks reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing in seven games to the New Jersey Devils.

In 2004, Gerber was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Tomáš Malec and a third-round pick. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he returned to Europe, playing for the SCL Tigers and Färjestad BK. In the 2005–06 season, Gerber won 38 games and helped Carolina win their third division championship.

He entered the 2006 playoffs as the starting goaltender but was replaced by rookie Cam Ward after struggling in the opening series; Ward led the team to its first Stanley Cup championship, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. Gerber earned one of Carolina's 16 playoff wins and became the second Swiss player to win the Stanley Cup, after David Aebischer. As a free agent in 2006, Gerber signed with the Ottawa Senators but was replaced as starter by Ray Emery.

He later played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Atlant Moscow Oblast of the KHL, and the Edmonton Oilers. With the Oilers, he was assigned to the AHL affiliate Oklahoma City Barons and was recalled in November 2010 after Nikolai Khabibulin was placed on injured reserve. Gerber made his first start for Edmonton on 25 November 2010, recording a 3–2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, stopping 35 of 37 shots and drawing an assist on the game-winning goal by Taylor Hall. He finished his NHL career with a 3–0 record for the Oilers.

Reader's Guide

Martin Gerber's career is notable for his journey from Swiss lower leagues to the NHL, where he won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. Though he lost the starting role during that playoff run, he contributed one win and became the second Swiss-born player to have his name engraved on the Cup. Gerber's time with the Edmonton Oilers was brief but effective: he posted a perfect 3–0 record in three starts, including a 35-save win over the Colorado Avalanche and a 34-save shootout victory against the Nashville Predators. His international career included a standout performance at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he made 49 saves in a 2–0 shutout of Canada, regarded as one of the biggest upsets in modern Olympic hockey history.

Gerber also represented Switzerland in eight IIHF World Championships and two Winter Olympics. After leaving the NHL, he played two seasons in the Swedish Elitserien and returned to Switzerland with the Kloten Flyers, retiring at age 42 in 2017. His distinctive all-black goaltender mask, worn during the 2007–08 season with Ottawa, earned him the nickname 'Darth Gerber' from fans.