 He spent the first three years of his playing career as a left winger before switching to defence, retiring in 1923 due to a throat ailment.Gerard won the Stanley Cup in four consecutive years from 1920 to 1923 (with the Senators three times, and as an injury replacement player with the Toronto St. Patricks in 1922), and was the first player to win the Cup four years in a row.After his playing career he served as a coach and manager, working with the Montreal Maroons from 1925 until 1929, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926.