After logging 16 minutes in last year’s World Championship gold medal game and nearly 18 per night in the PWHL, Gardiner is averaging under nine minutes at the Olympics.
Jenn Gardiner’s Olympic debut has captured people's attention, but not for the reason other players would, and probably not what she had in mind.
Through four preliminary-round games, Gardiner is averaging 8:46 per game for Canada. Her time on ice by opponent: vs. Switzerland 9:18, vs. Czechia 9:27, vs. USA 6:18, vs. Finland 10:01 – an average of 8:46 per game.
The pattern is clear: she is the least-used forward in Canada’s lineup.
Against the United States — Canada’s toughest preliminary game — Gardiner ranked 12th out of 12 Canadian forwards in ice time.
This has fans outraged (and taking to social media) to question coach Troy Ryan's thinking. We haven't seen Gardiner on a line with her former Montreal Victoire linemates Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey at all, in the Rivalry Series, or at the Olympics. (Of course, Poulin was injured against Czechia but is back for the elimination round).
Meanwhile, Team Canada has continued its lackluster play overall, especially in a listless performance against the United States (a 5-0 loss). Wouldn't Gardiner's speed and smarts be an asset in games where younger players are having a larger impact overall?
2025 World Championship
At the 2025 WWC, Gardiner averaged 13:10 per game over five games:
- 11:04
- 14:15
- 12:36
- 11:57
- 16:00 (Gold Medal Game)
At the 2025 World Championship, Gardiner’s usage reflected a significantly larger role. Across five tracked games, she logged 11:04, 14:15, 12:36 and 11:57 in preliminary and semifinal play before skating 16:00 in the gold medal game. That 16-minute mark in a championship setting is particularly notable, signaling the coaches' trust in the unit with Poulin and Stacey, the same combination she had in Montréal last season. Gardiner was second in scoring behind only Poulin at the World Championship (6 goals, 4 assists).
The PWHL Context
Her time on ice in Montreal was also approximately 17:31 per game, and on the top line, she recorded five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 30 games.
In Vancouver this season, Gardiner is averaging 17:46 per game over 16 appearances, with three goals and five assists for eight points. Those are steady middle-six minutes and she is used on both special teams. That 17–18 minute range is nearly double her Olympic average. But notably, she is also -5 on a (so far) struggling team.
At the Olympics, Gardiner started on the fourth line with Kristin O’Neill and Brianne Jenner. In the second game, Julia Gosling replaced Jenner, and the line had instant chemistry. They have had puck possession and the ability to enter the zone with speed, contributing one even-strength goal in limited fourth-line minutes. (It's important to note that Gosling’s two goals against Finland came on the power play, separate from the unit’s five-on-five shifts).
Gardiner is behind her linemates in time on ice, as well: both Gosling and O'Neill are closer to the 11-minute mark than Gardiner's eight.
That’s not sheltered middle-six deployment. That’s limited fourth-line usage in a shortened bench scenario. It has many wondering why the successful trio from last year isn't worth at least a look at the Olympics, where Canada has struggled to find offense.