University of Minnesota Athletics
Gary Gambucci - M Club Hall of Fame
Gary Gambucci
Men’s Hockey, 1964-68
HOF Class of 2004
A Hibbing High School star, Gary Gambucci enjoyed continued hockey success at the University of Minnesota, where he tallied 108 points on 52 goals and 56 assists in a career that began in 1964.
Declining an invitation to play on the 1968 Olympic hockey team, Gambucci instead captained the Gophers in his senior season, when he totaled 41 points in 31 games and earned All-America status.
Gambucci was the first Minnesota hockey player to win the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor for academic and athletic achievement.
He joined the U.S. National team in 1968 and played on it the next three years, including the World Championships in 1969, 1970 and 1971. The Americans won the Pool B title in 1970, when Gambucci scored 10 goals and made eight assists for an 18-point total that was second highest of the tournament. He was named a tournament All-Star.
Gambucci signed with the NHL Minnesota North Stars in 1971, the first U.S. player on the team, and was voted its rookie of the year. He later played with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association, and represented the U.S. one more time at the 1976 World Championships.