A few months after winning the Cup, Gardiner died from a brain hemorrhage brought on by a tonsillar infection.

[1] John took a job as a rail car repairer, and Gardiner took an early interest in the trains, often waiting up late at night to watch them arrive in the city.

He was enrolled at the Albert School, and befriended Wilf Cude, who had immigrated from Wales who would later play in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a goaltender.

Both his brothers returned home after the war ended; while Alex was unharmed, John had been involved in a poison gas attack, and was seriously ill.[3] To help provide for the family Gardiner began working for the J.H.

[4] Gardiner quickly started playing ice hockey with the same passion as the children who were born in Canada.

[13] Aside from hockey, Gardiner excelled in Canadian football and had joined the Winnipeg Tammany Tigers junior club in 1920.

[15] While with the Tammany Tigers Gardiner played in the 13th Grey Cup, the Canadian football championship, losing against the Ottawa Senators 24–1.

During one off-season from the Black Hawks, Gardiner began taking flying lessons from his former teammate Konrad Johannesson.

[17] He also enjoyed shooting rifles; in the summer of 1931 he was recognised for this when he was elected Field Secretary of the Winnipeg Gun Club.

[18] The following summer Gardiner earned a certificate in business administration and sales from the International Correspondence Schools.

The loss made Gardiner feel dejected and ashamed, though people assured him he had played well and had several offers for different teams.

[24] Known as the NHL's "goalless wonders",[29] Chicago scored only 33 goals the entire season, finishing with a 7–29–8 record.

[24] During a game against the New York Rangers on February 3, 1929 WJ Holmes, manager of the Maroons came to Chicago to watch Gardiner play.

[29] After the NHL changed its rules to allow forward passing in the offensive zone in the 1929–30 season, goal scoring increased league-wide.

[24] Chicago improved its regular season record to 21–18–15, placing second in the American Division,[32] and making the playoffs.

In the playoffs, the Black Hawks lost to the Montreal Canadiens 3–2 in a two-game, total-goal series, losing and tying one game.

[35] In the playoffs, Chicago advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing once more to the Montreal Canadiens, three games to two.

[24] Gardiner was named to the First All-Star Team, and won the Vezina Trophy for the first time, becoming the first goalie who caught right-handed to do so.

[35] Placing second in the American Division for the third season in a row,[38] the Black Hawks lost a two-game, total-goal series 6–2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In the playoffs, Gardiner had a 6–1–1 record, with two shutouts and a 1.33 goals against average, as Chicago won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.

Though his fifty-five saves were the deciding factor in the Black Hawks win and his performance was so good that both league President Frank Calder and Maple Leafs star forward Charlie Conacher praised him, he was so sick he would collapse on the dressing room floor in between periods with a fever of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit; after the game Gardiner was rushed to a local hospital.

[46] In January 1934 the Black Hawks were on a train back to Chicago when Gardiner felt an intense pain in his throat that spread to the rest of his body, notably his kidneys.

[49] Playing with a tonsillar infection for most of the season, Gardiner was often slumped over his crossbar during breaks in games, nearly blacking out.