Despite being the son of hockey legend Cal Gardner, Dave Gardner often said he felt no added pressure in having to achieve the lofty goals set by his father. The younger Gardner always seemed laid back and methodical about his career and figured things would play out as they were intended. "It's been my dad's whole life, but he never pushed me into it and never interferes," Gardner said.
The biggest obstacle for Gardner while playing hockey as a kid in the Leaside area of Toronto was his lack of size, or at least a lack of weight. By the time he was 17 he was playing for the St. Michael's Buzzers in Junior B, and although he had reached almost six feet in height, he weighed only 165 pounds. His slight, lanky frame certainly did not effect his scoring abilities however, as he potted 54 goals and 96 points in 36 games. In 1970-71 Gardner made the move to major junior hockey, joining the Toronto Marlboros and had a spectacular rookie season, scoring 56 goals and 137 points in 62 games to finish second in league scoring. He was also awarded the Red Tillson Trophy as the league's most valuable player. Gardner missed six early season games in 1971-72 with a knee injury but still managed to record a 129-point season on 53 goals and 76 assists in 57 games playing on a powerhouse line with Steve Shutt and captain Bill Harris. Despite being one of the most explosive offensive teams in all of junior hockey, the Marlboros did not win a Memorial Cup in either of Gardner's two years with the team.
Heading into his draft year the biggest concern for Gardner and his supporters was his lack of weight. Most NHL scouts based their draft selections on a player's abilities to handle the rigors of a long NHL grind. Gardner had packed on an additional 15 pounds of muscle, bulking up to 180 pounds, hoping that would increase his chances of being taken high in the draft. Frank Bonello, Gardner's coach with the Marlies believed he had all the natural talent to make the NHL. One scout said "I think Cal was tougher, but Dave is a smarter player with the puck." His physique and playing style had drawn many comparisons to Guy Lafleur, who was selected first overall by Montreal the previous year. Perhaps thinking they could acquire a player of similar magnitude, the Canadiens chose Gardner with the eighth pick overall in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft.
In his first year as a pro, the Canadiens were already loaded with offensive firepower, so Gardner spent the majority of the 1972-73 campaign in the minors with the AHL's Nova Scotia Voyageurs. He was called up to play five games with Montreal, where he had a goal and an assist. The following year he got a longer look from the Canadiens, dressing for 31 games, but was held to just a goal and eleven points while seeing limited ice time. It became clear the Canadiens were having a tough time finding a place for Gardner in their lineup so they traded him to the St. Louis Blues for their first-round pick, which turned out to be Doug Risebrough. However, it was a bumpy ride for Gardner in St. Louis and he really did not see action as a full-time NHLer until he was traded to the California Golden Seals midway through the 1974-75 season. He had three consecutive 15-goal seasons with the franchise, the last coming in Cleveland after the team transferred and were renamed the Barons for the 1976-77 season. He played one more year with the lowly Barons and had a brief two-game NHL comeback with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1979-80. Gardner played a total of 350 NHL games, scoring 75 goals and 189 points.
Gardner played the last five years of pro hockey in Switzerland, retiring after the 1984-85 season. His younger brother Paul also had a successful NHL career, playing with five teams over a ten-year career.
