David Gove
David Gove | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Thomas Gove 4 May 1978 Centerville, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | 5 April 2017 (aged 38) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Professional ice hockey player, coach |
| Years active | 1997–2009 (player), 2015–2016 (coach) |
| Known for | NHL player for Carolina Hurricanes; head coach of Wheeling Nailers |
David Thomas Gove (May 4, 1978 – April 5, 2017) was an American professional ice hockey player and later served as head coach for the Wheeling Nailers in the ECHL. His final playing season was with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) during 2008–09. Although Gove spent most of his career in the minor leagues, he appeared in two NHL contests with the Carolina Hurricanes between 2005 and 2007.
Playing Career
Raised on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Gove developed his hockey skills through local youth programs and in Boston. He took part in the 1992 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing a Boston Bruins minor team. Subsequently, he played collegiate hockey for the Western Michigan University Broncos, where he earned recognition as a finalist for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, honoring the top NCAA men's hockey player.
Undrafted into the NHL, Gove made two appearances with the Carolina Hurricanes. Called up on January 30, 2006, he registered an assist during his NHL debut. Although the Hurricanes captured the Stanley Cup that season, Gove did not meet the qualifications to have his name engraved on the trophy; nonetheless, he was featured in the team photograph and participated in the Cup celebration as part of the "Black Aces" taxi squad. He was also awarded a Stanley Cup ring.
Gove was recalled once more on October 21, 2006, to fill in for an injured player and took part in one NHL game before returning to Albany, Carolina’s AHL affiliate. Throughout the 2006–07 campaign, he experienced several recalls but did not add to his NHL game total. On January 31, 2008, Gove was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for prospect Joe Jensen and assigned to their Wilkes-Barre/Scranton affiliate. While with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he advanced to the 2008 Calder Cup Final and was appointed team captain for the following season. After completing that year, Gove retired, having accumulated 522 professional games across five different leagues.
Coaching Career
Prior to the start of the 2015–16 ECHL season, Gove joined the coaching staff of the Wheeling Nailers as an assistant under head coach Clark Donatelli. When Donatelli was promoted to lead the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on December 22, 2015, Gove stepped into the role of interim head coach. He was officially named head coach of the Nailers on January 21, 2016. However, on April 29 during the playoffs, Gove took a leave of absence for undisclosed reasons and was succeeded by assistant coach Jeff Christian in July 2016. It was later disclosed that Gove had entered rehabilitation for substance abuse related to prescription painkillers administered following his career-ending injury.
Death
On April 5, 2017, Gove was discovered deceased at a rehabilitation center in Pittsburgh. Several bags containing heroin stamps were found nearby. While no formal cause of death was released, it is widely believed that an overdose was involved. The Boston Globe reported that Gove struggled with addiction stemming from painkillers prescribed after his injury ended his playing days. In 2014, he publicly revealed experiences of sexual abuse during childhood by youth coach Robert G. Richardson; although legal proceedings were initiated against Richardson, they were discontinued following Gove’s passing before trial.
Gove is survived by his three-year-old son Cullen, along with his mother Donna and sisters Kim Burnieika and Kristen Buttrick.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–98 | Western Michigan | CCHA | 36 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–99 | Western Michigan | CCHA | 33 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–00 | Western Michigan | CCHA | 36 | 18 | 28 | 46 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–01 | Western Michigan | CCHA | 39 | 22 | 37 | 59 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–01 | Orlando Solar Bears | IHL | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–02 | Johnstown Chiefs | ECHL | 54 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–02 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 17 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–03 | Laredo Bucks | CHL | 8 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–03 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 72 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–04 | Utah Grizzlies | AHL | 75 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–05 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 70 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 30 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | Lowell Lock Monsters | AHL | 65 | 20 | (26) | 46 | (50) | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | Carolina Hurricanes |National Hockey League |1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | - style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2006–07 AHL season |Albany River Rats |AHL |49 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | 2006–07 NHL season |Carolina Hurricanes |NHL |1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | - style="background:#f0f0f0;" |2007–08 AHL season |Albany River Rats |AHL |45 | 8 | 15 | 23 | — | — | — | — | - | 2007–08 AHL season |Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |AHL |36 | 15 | 7 | 22 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 12 | - style="background:#f0f0f0;" |2008–09 AHL season |Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |AHL |20 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| AHL totals | 449 | 98 | 125 | 223 | 222 | 47 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NHL totals | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards and honors
| Distinction | Year |
|---|---|
| All-CCHA Second Team | 1999–2000 |
| All-CCHA Second Team | 2000–2001 |
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1978 births
- 2017 deaths
- Albany River Rats players
- American men's ice hockey forwards
- Carolina Hurricanes players
- Grand Rapids Griffins players
- Ice hockey coaches from Massachusetts
- Johnstown Chiefs players
- Lowell Lock Monsters players
- Orlando Solar Bears (IHL) players
- People from Centerville, Massachusetts
- Providence Bruins players
- San Antonio Rampage players
- Sportspeople from Barnstable County, Massachusetts
- Stanley Cup champions
- Undrafted National Hockey League players
- Utah Grizzlies (AHL) players
- Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey players
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players
- Ice hockey players from Massachusetts