I have seen a lot of college hockey players over the past 15 years including many Hobey Baker winners and NHL stars. But, none of those guys were as good as Nathan Gerbe... or at least when I saw him in the 2008 Frozen Four.
Gerbe was so dominant that he basically single-handedly won Boston College the national championship. In the semifinals , Gerbe scored a hat trick and added an assist in a 6-1 route of North Dakota, and in the championship game against Notre Dame (in their first national championship appearance) he tallied two goals and two assists in the 4-1 win. So, if you do the math Gerbe had his hand in 8 of BC's 10 goals in the biggest games of the year. For his outstanding efforts, Gerbe was named the Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player. The only bad thing that came out of the weekend for Gerbe was that he was not named the winner of the Hobey Baker Award. Michigan's Kevin Porter received that honor, even though Gerbe had two goals and three assists more than Porter in the same amount of games that season.
The 2007-2008 season was Gerbe's last season with the Eagles (35 goals, 33 assists), but his three year tenure there was a great one. In three seasons he tallied 71 goals, 62 assists, and 133 points in 123 games. But, the great thing about all of this was that Gerbe did this while being one of the smallest (if not the smallest) players in all of college hockey, standing at a mere 5' 5" and weighing 165 pounds.
Gerbe went on to play for the Portland Pirates (affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres who picked him with the 142nd pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft) the following season where he scored 30 goals and had 26 assists in 57 games, and was awarded the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award for the AHL's Rookie of the Year. In 20 games with the Sabres over the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons, Gerbe amassed two goals and four assists, and in two playoff games in the 2009-2010 season he scored a goal and an assist, once again showing he is a big game player.
But, Nate the Great's best season came in that magical 2007-2008 season. He was a national champion, Frozen Four MVP, Hobey Baker finalist, First Team Hockey East, Hockey East playoff MVP, Dodge Holiday Classic MVP, the Hockey Commissioners December National Player of the Month, and scored the most goals in the nation, including this penalty shot goal against Providence in the second round of the Hockey East Championships on March 15, 2008. I've tried this move about 100 times in practice but it never works for me... Gerbe just makes it look so smooth and easy.
If you can't see the video click here.
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