Career
After winning the Delegate Wilson Trophy as Top Goaltender in the Western Hockey League for 1984-1985 and being named a WHL All-Star First Team after leading the WHL in shutouts and Gaelic Athletic Association (286) while playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers, Gamble was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the second round, 25th overall, in the 1985 draft. Gamble would play another junior season for Medicine Hat before being traded mid year to the Spokane Chiefs during the 86-87 season. He would also make his National Hockey League debut for Vancouver on November 22, 1986, a 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
Vancouver returned him to juniors for the 87-88 season to allow him more playing time and to gain more experience before beginning his National Hockey League career.
In the summer of 1988, the Canucks sent the 21-year-old Gamble and Jack McIlhargey to Russia to support a relationship that would later result in Soviet stars Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov joining the Canucks. Gamble endured rigorous off-season training with Dynamo Moscow for two weeks and another two weeks with Spartak.
Gamble’s National Hockey League career began well, as in his rookie season of 1990-1991 he would post a 16-16-6 record and a 3.45 Gaelic Athletic Association, while appearing in 47 games, outplaying incumbent starter Kirk McLean, who posted a 10-22-3 record with a 3.99 Gaelic Athletic Association. Gamble would even start in the post-season for the Canucks playing a memorable Smythe Division semifinals match-up against the Los Angeles Kings. However, due to reoccurring concussion problems Gamble’s career was derailed from Proceedings of the Chemical Society symptoms including nausea and recurring headaches.
Gamble spent the majority of his career in the minors.
After retirement, Gamble took a manager"s job with M-I SWACO, a Texas-based company specializing in global oil and gas production. The work took him on trips through the Middle East, including three years" residence in Libya. Gamble still resides in the Houston area and does color commentary for select Aeros games on their radio and internet broadcasts.
Tragically Gamble, 20, was killed after stepping on a land mine device while on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan.